She let out a faint sigh that turned to a moan. Without opening her eyes, she spoke.
“Primroses,” she muttered.
I froze, eyes going wide with shock as I stared at her.
“Wh…what did you say?” I asked, my voice shaking.
She curled up tighter in my arms, nuzzling against my chest.
HadI heard her right? Could I have? Primroses. Naphele’s favorite flower. Gazing down at this strange woman’s face, I allowed myself to wonder and hope. She didn’t look like Naphele, but that didn’t mean anything. Not when it came to reincarnation.
Of course, there was always a chance that this woman liked the flower as well, but why would she mention it when she was in this state? When she was lying in my arms? I tried my bestto recall the night I’d met her. Had she reminded me of Naphele back then? I had a fleeting memory of something strange passing between us when we’d kissed, but that entire situation had been strange, right?
Still, as she pressed her body against mine, seeking warmth, I couldn’t help but wonder. After all these years, all the decades, could it have finally happened? Had I found my reincarnated true love?
7
JUNIPER
Warmth. That was the first thing I noticed. Glorious heat blazing across the left side of my body. Nothing had ever felt that good, that comforting. The last thing I remembered was being cold—painfully cold—and growing sleepy in the woods. Now, still groggy, I enjoyed not having the painful sting of snow on my face.
The second thing I noticed, the thing that made my mind twist with confusion, was the heat on my right side. Instead of waves, it was firm and soft, pressing against me, rising and falling in a pattern much like breathing.
My eyes snapped open, and I looked up, finding a massive man holding me against his chest, his muscled arms cradling me.
“Who thefuckare you?” The words struggled to get past my frozen lips. I tried to pull away, but I only managed to twist in his grip.
“Hang on,” he said. “Relax. It’s all right. Calm down.”
In my dazed state, all I could think about was the fact that I was in the arms of some strange man and?—
Holy fuck, I’m naked! I was in nothing but a bra and panties, so notquitenaked, but close enough. Finally, I managed to shove my hands against his chest, pushing myself away from him. Falling on the ground, I looked over, spotting the fire, the heat of it bleeding into the stone beneath me. Between the fire and the man’s body, I wasn’t freezing anymore. That thought sent a flush of heat to my cheeks, and I spun, hugging my knees to my chest to cover my breasts.
“Where am I?” I finally managed to say.
He sat on the other side of the fire, hands held up in surrender. “I found you out in the forest. You were nearly frozen, and I brought you here to warm you up.”
It was then, as he spoke, that I realized who he was. The intervening years had done nothing to his age. He still had the same strong jaw, sharp eyes, and dusty blond hair.
In my scramble to get away from him, I’d ended up farther from the fire. I shivered, my teeth chattering as I spoke. “Are…you…Leviathan Cross?”
He sighed. “Come on, get close to the fire. You still aren’t warmed up enough yet.”
“I’ll…b-b-be fine,” I chattered. “W-w-where are my clothes?”
“Over there,” he said, pointing to where my clothing was spread out near the fire. Steam rose from them as the heat dried them. Shit. Even the thought of tugging on those cold, wet things sent another shiver through me.
“You didn’t answer my q-q-question,” I said, leveling my eyes on him again.
He rolled his eyes, irritation and exasperation evident on his face. “Yes. I’m Leviathan Cross. Now, can you please move closer to the fire?”
This was the man I’d come looking for, sitting right here with me. In my mind, I’d expected to meet him as equals in the forest, ready to make my request in a respectable and verbose manner. I had not planned on having him save me from freezing to death. I had definitely not planned on being half naked and shivering in a cave. With a sigh of resignation, I scooted closer to the fire, doing my best to suppress the moan of pleasure as the heat washed over me.
Leviathan waited until I’d gotten comfortable before speaking again. “You can call me Levi,” he said.
“Okay,” I muttered, trying to think of a way to broach the subject I wanted to talk about.
He stared at me, a bemused smile on his lips. “Uh…this isusuallywhen you tell me your name.”