“When we were in the dungeon.” I lowered my eyes, staring down at the exposed bronze skin of his chest, and I toyed with the collar of his shirt. “I remembered it when the Ögonen tried to recover memories. We kissed and . . . you told me you loved me. Before the spiders came.”

He waited a beat before asking, “What did you say?”

“That I love you too.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” he asked in a quiet way where I couldn’t tell if he was upset or not.

“I don’t know. I felt like it wasn’t my place . . .” I trailed off. “I mean, you didn’t remember it, and maybe your feelings changed.”

Pan laughed warmly, and then he put a finger under my chin, gently forcing me to look up at him. “Ulla, I was falling for you when we went to Sweden, and the only thing that’s changed about my feelings is that I care about you more every day that I spend with you.”

I kissed him then. My hand slid around the back of his neck, pulling him to me. His arms were around me, and I felt his hands through the thin fabric of my dress. We were moving but I hardly noticed until I backed into the window next to the balcony door. The glass was cool from the A/C in the room, and it sent a delicious shiver down my spine.

Pan was still kissing me, pinning me between his body and the window, and I loved the way it felt—his body blocking out the rest of the world so it was only me and it was only him.

I knotted my fingers in his thick curls and arched my back to press myself against him as a heat intensified in my belly, and a small moan escaped my lips.

“Maybe we should go inside,” Pan murmured.

“Let’s go.” I took his hand and led him into the room.

He ditched his shirt as soon as we were inside, and then we were kissing again. He fell back onto the bed, then propped himself on his elbows. I pulled my dress up over my head.

For a second, I stood in front of him, only in my bra and panties, so my pale, chubby body was completely on display. I fought the urge to hide all my exposed flesh with my arms, and when I saw Pan’s eyes—dark and smoldering with lust and hunger—I stood taller. In that moment, I knew I looked as beautiful as I felt.

Pan reached forward, pulling me down onto the bed with him. His mouth was on mine, hungrily kissing me, as his fingers explored the tender parts of my body, and I moaned against him.

“I want you,” I breathed.