Shea’s shoulder jerked in a half shrug. She didn’t think he would enjoy learning she left her guards behind as she wandered outside of the safety of the camp and village.
The censorious glance he leveled on her said he guessed how but didn’t feel like arguing with her before he turned his gaze back to the small oasis.
“This is beyond anything that I’ve seen before,” he said, as his eyes took in their surroundings.
Shea gave him a small, pleased smile. She thought he might like it, since he was used to the rocky plains of his homeland and the forested mountains of the Lowlands. Nothing like this. Even with all her travels, this place stood out—a place that most of the world didn’t even know existed, for the simple fact that so few people look up.
“You haven’t seen anything yet.” She shrugged out of the pack and set it on the branch at her feet. “I brought food for dinner and a change of clothes for both of us. We can stay the night up here if you’d like.”
The gaze he shot her said she’d surprised him.
“Or we can go back. I know you’re busy with everything; I just thought it might be nice to take a night to ourselves before things get even crazier.”
They hadn’t had one in a while—if ever. There always just seemed to be something in the way, whether that was one of the clan heads demanding his help with an internal clan issue, or him needing to visit with his soldiers, or having to make battle plans because one of the villages decided to rebel. Shea just wanted a little time to themselves.
“No. No, I’d like this.” Fallon’s gaze was warm on her and Shea gave him a happy smile.
“Good. Race you to the pool.” She pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it before taking off at a run for the cool water.
There was a long silence before Fallon gave a war cry and pounded after her, the wood under Shea’s feet vibrating slightly as he gained on her. She hadn’t made it even halfway there before he swooped her into his arms and tossed her over his shoulder as she shrieked with laughter. She wriggled madly until he slapped her on the ass. She yelped before wriggling even harder than before, laughing the entire time.
He walked to the edge of the pool and then stopped. Shea used her hands to lever herself partially upright.
“Don’t you dare. These shoes take forever to dry, and I don’t want to climb down with soggy boots,” Shea told him.
His shoulders heaved in a sigh. One huge arm wrapped around her upper thighs to pin them against his chest. The other got busy unlacing her boots before tugging them off in a feat of strength and dexterity that impressed Shea, despite how hard she thrashed as she fought to escape.
He repeated the act with her pants and underwear until she was hanging over his shoulder, her ass bare to any passing breeze. One large hand came up to cup a cheek before squeezing it. He slapped it again, and this time it stung without the protection of a thin layer of cloth. She yelped and then whacked his ass in retaliation.
His shoulders bounced as a deep chuckle rumbled in his chest.
Shea’s eyes closed and she slumped over his shoulder. Crap.
“Yeah, you didn’t think that through, did you?”
“Fallon,” was the only word she got out before she was sailing through the air. She took a deep breath before the water rose up around her, covering her head. She bumped against the smooth wood on the bottom. Her feet under her, she pushed, exploding up.
She slicked her hair back and blinked away water to glare at Fallon. That was her intention anyway. Fallon had disappeared.
“Fallon?” She waded a step toward where he’d just been, noticing belatedly the pile of clothes in his place.
A hand grabbed her ankle and then yanked. She went under with a shriek.
They surfaced at the same time. She splashed him in the face which triggered retaliation as he wrapped her in a bear hug and sank under again. She came up laughing, his hard chest pressed against her back and his arms wrapped around her front.
“Do you give up?”
Shea tilted her head so she could look at his face. “How did you even get undressed and into the water so fast?”
He gave her a smug smile. “I was very motivated.”
She snorted and tried to splash him again. He dunked her twice more.
“Give up yet?” he said in her ear, sending shivers racing down her spine.
“Yes, yes I give up.”
His arms loosened, and she took two steps forward, a smile pulling at her face. She gave him a sly backwards gaze before sending a wave of water his way, feeling victorious when it hit him square in the face.
“Victory is mine,” she crowed before diving into the water and scissor-kicking for the opposite size of the grotto.
The muffled sound of splashing water reached her as he arrowed toward her. She evaded his grasp, slipping from his hand with a move that would have impressed a fish. They played this game for several more minutes until he cornered her at one end of the pool, her hands pinned behind her back and his face close to hers.
“What was that you were saying?” he murmured, a dark wicked look in his eyes.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Shea tried to keep a straight face but feared the mirth showed through despite her best efforts.
His smile was that of a conqueror, arrogant and dark, and just a little bit cruel. “If you were anybody else, such actions would have resulted in a swift and painful punishment.”
She lifted one eyebrow. “Oh?”
He nodded solemnly. He leaned forward pressing a kiss to the side of her neck, following it up with a sharp nip. Shea bit down on her moan, warmth spreading through her core, but she wasn’t ready to give up the game just yet.
“Well, you should know by now, Warlord. This pathfinder rarely does what she’s supposed to.”
Shea twisted her wrists, sliding out of his grip. At the same time, she kicked his leg out from under him in a move Trenton had spent considerable time teaching her over the last few months. Done properly, it could seriously injure someone. Ideally, it would send her opponent crashing to the ground. Fallon staggered but didn’t fall. It was enough that Shea was able to slip past him.
She aimed a smile at him as she treaded water at the deeper end of the pool.
The look he gave her was half fascination, half determination, and all possession. It sent a thrill of adrenaline through Shea. She took off, avoiding his grab. The two of them romped for another hour, each giving as much as they got.
It was a rare opportunity to play, something Fallon told her he’d never had the chance to do as a child. So much of his life was spent protecting his mother or in training that he’d never been able to be a child. While she’d had plenty of opportunity to play games when she was younger, it was a forgotten art until she met Fallon. As an adult, she had to be serious and restrained when living in the villages, not wanting to give them any reason to see fault with her. She’d never realized how much of a strain it had put on her until she’d experienced the light-heartedness playing with Fallon could bring. He was the only person to bring out that part of her, and she took pleasure in these small moments, rare though they were.
Fallon lunged forward, catching her before she could slip away, his momentum carrying them to the side of the pool. A seriousness had entered his face. Shea stood still as he lowered his head ever so slowly to hers, giving her a dozen chances to turn away if that was what she wanted.