Patience of a Gordon

Chapter Nine

Thank you guys for being super patient with me; I love each of you for it!!!

Chapter Nine

I could hear the water tapping at the bottom of the shower before gathering together and swirling down the drain. Then, the next spray of water would collect and repeat the same steps.

The closed bathroom door dulled the sound, but it was still audible and relaxing to me. It reminded me of Sundays when I would take a cleansing shower before going out into the village to aid the cubs in their learning. It would result in a tranquil day and that's how this one was beginning.

There was a short series of knocks on the door before I found myself getting up to answer it. When I did, it was a pair of deep green eyes that brought a smile to my face.

"Goodmorning, päästja. What do you have planned for us today?" I asked happily, watching a small smile of his own form.

"Thank you, Ivy, and good morning to you as well. Unfortunately, I have cancelled today's plans because of an unexpected family matter. We will begin again tomorrow," he explained and worry settled in as I opened the door further.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, thinking no one deserved to lose a loved one.

He nodded, calming my wild thoughts. "It is only the crass choices of a sibling. If he would realize there is more to life than its risks, we would not have this problem so often," he said lightly, not a sign of worry in his eyes.

"You have quite the family, Prince Gordon," I murmured, amazed he wasn't sick with fear. It had to be a common thing, these 'family matters', or perhaps he wasn't as close to his family as I had been to mine.

"That is an understatement," he said with a soft laugh before his face grew just as soft. "You need to stay within the castle walls, as I cannot control my people while I am away. If you do not, I will truly have something to worry about."

I felt a light smile on my face, something in me glowing. His words were sweet, different from Kai's, although he had said the same thing multiple times. "I can take care of myself, Cayne but thank you for your concern," I teased and he gave me a smile.

"I do not doubt that for a second," Prince Gordon said. He pressed his lips to my hand, those green eyes on me as he did so before someone told him they should leave soon. We said parting words and I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

It was alarming how fast I was becoming comfortable with Prince Gordon. The more I spoke to him, the more fond of him I became. He was a good, pure-hearted person, better than most.

I think I enjoyed his company so much because he saw me as an equal of sorts. I wasn't treated like a mate that wasn't allowed to make her own decisions. I was treated as someone with her own abilities and responsibilities. I was treated as a person.

My thoughts were scattered the moment the bathroom door opened. Steam rushed out to escape, blurring his body, but did nothing to hide the fact that the only thing he had wrapped around his waist was a black towel.

"I forgot my clothes on the bed, südame," he started, but his words evaporated when he saw me staring at him, taking him in.

His dark hair was still wet, slick with the water that occasionally fell to the floor. His eyes were as bright as ever, fixated on me the way a predator might look at its prey before devouring it. Water droplets were travelling down the planes on his hardened chest, collecting near his waist, where the towel began.

"Right here," I whispered, my voice sounding weaker than I had intended. I had to turn away, my cheeks warming up at the direction my thoughts were turning.