I chuckle. “No, Blossom. I only did that because you told the bastard no. If you’d wanted him, I would have endured it. Hated it but endured it.”
She studies me carefully. “What about Ezryn kissing me? Do you… do you hate that?”
I fall back into the water’s warm embrace, searching myself for any hint of jealousy. When Rosie had sat with those fae in the Summer Realm, I’d been seething. I don’t feel any of that emotion when I think of Ezryn kissing her.
Even the thought of Kel being her mate doesn’t make me jealous. Envious of what they have, sure. Mad that he’s not taking care of her the way a mate should, most definitely. But jealous? “Nope,” I say finally. “In fact, it turns me on a little, thinking of that big metal lug finally getting some. I mean, something has got to fill his dark soul with joy, right?”
Farron’s face flushes a soft pink. “Maybe it’s because we’ve all been cursed here for so long. There’s a special bond between the four of us. But with others, it’s different. Dayton, when I saw you with that girl you brought back to Castletree—”
“Her name was…” I interrupt him, then pause. “What was her name?”
“Doesn’t matter. I fucking hated it,” Farron says, a sharp edge to his voice. “But when I saw you with Rosie, it was…” His breath becomes heavy, and he shifts. “It was beautiful.”
Rosalina turns to Farron, eyes sparkling. “What do you think about Ezryn kissing me?”
“Honestly,” he says, “if you liked it, then it makes me happy.”
She seems pleased with our response and twirls a curl of hair around her finger. “Well, I don’t think it’s going to happen again. He stormed out of there pretty fast. Maybe I’m a bad kisser.”
I grip her thigh. “Trust me, Blossom, you are not a bad kisser.”
“Really?” Her smile turns devious. “You’ll have to take me back to the Summer Realm again so I can practice with all those handsome fae.”
“No,” Farron and I say at the same time. I rise out of the water, pressing both hands firmly on her exposed legs, my body dripping with warm water.
She lets out a little sigh, biting her lip as her gaze drifts over me, my erect cock just below the surface.
“Here’s the deal, Blossom.” I tug her closer to the edge of the springs. “Kiss Ezryn to your heart’s desire. I’d fucking die to watch you pressed against Farron.”
Both let out the most adorable sound, but I just bring my wet lips to her ear. “I’ll even allow you to kiss your mate if he ever pries the icicle out of his frosty ass.”
She gives a half-hearted laugh.
I grab the back of her neck to make sure her gaze is on me, letting her know how serious I am. “But if anyone else touches you, including that asshole ex-fiancé upstairs, I’ll take great pleasure in ending their life. Then I’ll fuck you in their blood to remind you who you belong to.”
The determination and intensity of my words surprise even myself. But Rosalina doesn’t back away. A fire sparks in her gaze as she matches me. Letting out her own snarl, she says, “Day, you said kissing me was a mistake.”
The pang of hurt in her voice stabs me deeper than any weapon. “And you don’t think I’ve regretted that every single moment since?” I crush my lips against hers and drag her into the water.
22
Rosalina
Warm water embraces me as Dayton pulls me down, his lips capturing mine.
If I thought kissing someone else after finding out I have a mate would feel wrong, I would have been mistaken twice over today. First, Ezryn’s searing kiss, and now Dayton’s bruising mouth, his tongue pushing between my teeth.
I moan, and when he tries to pull away, I don’t let him. I don’t need air, only him.
His hands are on my back, and he grinds hard against me.
Heat and desire swirl in my stomach. He’s naked, he’s so naked. I only caught glimpses of his body beneath the bubbling water, but I’m desperate to touch his cock.
Dayton’s hands move lower, his fingers tracing my curves. I figure that’s an invitation to do the same and run a hand along his broad chest, lowering until I grace his length.
It’s massive and thick, and I can’t help but grip it to see how it feels in my hand. Perfect. I rub his cock. He throws his head back, muscles in his neck straining.
“Fuck,” he growls, voice deep and male. “Rosie.”
A breathy gasp alerts me to Farron, so close to us. My hair has fallen loose, lying in wet strands around my head. He’d said seeing me and Dayton together was beautiful, and the look on his face confirms it: lips slightly parted in awe, eyes wide.
I’m frozen, caught between them, all three of us suspended in an intimate moment. It feels strange, but in a good way. Where will this lead?
Dayton chuckles deeply as he sees us looking at each other. “Come on in, Fare, the water’s fine.”
Dayton kisses me again, and I twine my arms around his muscular shoulders and wrap my legs around his waist. His iron-hard length presses against my throbbing core. He grunts under his breath, then rubs his cock against the thin fabric of my swimsuit.
I cry out as my whole body erupts with sensation. “Yes, Dayton.”
“Call him by his full name,” Farron says, voice low. His pupils are completely blown as he watches us.
“Your full name?” I gasp, and he doesn’t stop grinding against me, powerful body moving so effortlessly in the water.
Farron crawls closer, a growing electricity on my skin at his nearness. As his fingers tuck my wet hair behind my ear, Dayton cups my breasts with his large hands, and I can’t help but let out a mewling cry.
“Daytonales,” Farron whispers, and his soft lips linger on the side of my cheek.
“Daytonales.” I say the name like a prayer. “That suits you. Suits the Summer Realm.”
“Hmm.” Dayton slips a finger below the fabric of my swim bra, gliding over a nipple. “It’s long, laborious. No one calls me that anymore.”
“I like it,” I gasp.
Farron moves away from me, and I miss his touch immediately.
“You know what I’d like?” Dayton smirks. “This to go.” His hands reach the bottom of my sheer cover-up, and he moves to take it off.
“No,” I say. That fabric is the only thing hiding the hideous scar on my wrist, the jagged letters that read Lucas. It’s a story I’m not willing to share yet… especially with him incapacitated upstairs. “It’s too pretty to take off.”
Dayton sticks out his bottom lip. “But what about these?”
His hands flicker over my swimwear. “Yes, yes.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He gathers me in his arms and pushes us away from the shoreline.
I realize we’re deeper in the hot springs than I’ve ever been before. Dayton must notice my gaze because he whispers, “Hold your breath and open your eyes.”
He dunks us beneath the warm depths. For a moment, it’s only darkness until Dayton waves his hand and there’s the familiar prickle of magic. The world shifts into a stunning array of pastel hues. The water is crystal clear, and the sand shimmers silver. Vibrant coral and seaweed grow along the hot spring’s floor. It’s as if I’ve been transported to another world. I can only imagine what the Summer Realm’s ocean looks like.
But most magical of all is the fae male floating across from me, his golden hair flowing in the water. His smile is so genuine as he watches me take in this piece of his world.
Dayton’s words come back to me: Remind you who you belong to. He’d told me I’d belonged to the princes of Castletree. I may be mated to Kel, but something about his statement feels so right. This is where I belong. And what I want more than anything right now is for him to do what he promised: take me, have me, show me I’m his. I want to give him my body.
His eyes widen as he takes me in, almost like he can sense my desire. He wraps me in his arms and kicks us to the surface. He lays me down on a smooth rock in the middle of the hot springs, taking care to keep a hand behind my head.