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Plus, I want to see her face when she has the world at her feet.
Rowan smiles, pulling herself up and taking my hand. Even with gloves on, it feels right to have her beside me.
No. Stop.
She’s nobody. I’m lonely. Abby’s memory still stings, and I’m just looking for comfort, that’s all. I have an addiction to saving damsels in distress. Rowan came into my life nearly dead, and it hit me right in my weakness, at a time where I was most vulnerable. It’s my dumb brain making connections that aren’t there.
Right?
Rowan takes a step onto the trail and promptly slips into a tree well—the softer snow at the base of a tree. She yelps and I lunge for her, catching her arm as she falls.
Rowan laughs, accepting my help to climb out from the soft snow. When she stands in front of me, I don’t let go. My hands find the bottom hem of her jacket, skating across the clothes she’s wearing underneath.
Clear, blue eyes stare up at me, her hands resting on my jacket. “Your Highness,” she says softly, and this time, it doesn’t sound like an insult. She blinks, her tongue darting out to lick her bottom lip.
I want to kiss her. Desperately. I want to taste those pink lips and feel the warmth of her core. I want to see how her body splits open when she comes, pleasure written all over her face.
It’s because I’m weak. Because no matter what, I can’t resist a woman who needs my help. Who doesn’t know how the world works up here, and who needs a protector. I pull away, jerking my chin past her shoulder. “This way.” I stalk ahead, ignoring the thumping of my heart and the heat that wraps around my spine.
Then…thunk.
Something hits me in the center of the back. I pause, frowning, and turn to see Rowan leaning over to ball up another handful of snow.
She giggles, winding back to throw a snowball at me. It flies wide to the right, missing my head. Rowan stands tall, staring me down. “Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to defend yourself?”
“Rowan, are you challenging me to a snowball fight?” I don’t miss the sharp intake of breath when I say her name. If only she knew how good it tasted on my tongue and how badly I want to growl it softly in her ear.
Instead of answering, Rowan leans over and gathers up another handful of snow. I stand there, letting her throw it at me, arching an eyebrow. It hits my shoulder and explodes in a puff of white.
When I don’t move, Rowan’s shoulders drop. “You’re no fun.”
Before she can react, I grab a handful of snow and throw it at her, hitting her square in the neck. She squeals, brushing the snow off as it falls down the back of her jacket. I rush her, circling my arms around her waist and hauling her over my shoulder. Rowan giggles, thumping her gloved fists on my back. I laugh, almost surprised that the sound is coming from me.
I can’t help it. She makes me want to laugh. Smile. Have a snowball fight for the first time in decades.
I carry Rowan toward the lookout, tossing her into a big snowbank and watching her sink down, arms and legs sticking up in the air.
She pushes her hat back from her forehead and blows a strand of hair away from her face, grinning. “Fine. You win.”
“Of course I win.” I smirk. “What did you think was going to happen?”
She extends a hand toward me and I yank her upright, spinning her around to look at the landscape that extends below us. My arms rest on her shoulders and she leans back against me, letting out a long sigh. “Wow.”
“Now, do you understand?” I say softly. “You need to appreciate this place if you’re going to redesign it properly.”
“I hate to say this,” Rowan says, turning to glance at me over her shoulder, “but you might actually be right in this one particular situation.”
My lips tease into a grin. “You’re too sassy for your own good. Have you forgotten that I’m a prince?”
“How could I forget when you keep reminding me every four freaking seconds?” She nudges her shoulder against me. “Check your ego and maybe you’ll get more respect from me.”
Rowan steps away from me and looks back, arching a brow.
Heat winds through my core, and I know I’m in trouble.
Rowan doesn’t need to be saved. Doesn’t need to be protected. She’s not some damsel in distress who needs me to swoop in and be her champion. Rowan is stronger than that—and it makes me want her even more.
