Cassius moved but headed to his and Elena’s tent first, nabbing the other blanket, for the night was cold, colder not near the fire, before he traced her steps.

In the days (and nights) since they’d met the Zees, he’d spent time with her and slept at her side, holding her as he did so.

But he knew she’d grown frustrated.

She had, first, because during their days riding beside each other, she’d attempted to get to know him better. But although her questions about him and his life in Sky Bay were thoughtful and delicately stated, any answers he could give were dark and bleak, and he did not wish to burden her with them.

So he didn’t.

Which he knew, the longer this lasted, the more it seemed he was being closed from her. Distant.

She was also frustrated because he knew she wished his attentions in another way, these physically, in the night, and she communicated this through tentative touch and a tortuous amount of her long-limbed body restlessly shifting against his.

But he didn’t give these attentions to her.

This was mostly because he wished to give them to her, very much so.

Indeed, too much so.

In fact, it was all he could bloody think about when he wasn’t thinking about how to share about himself, without burdening her with what he was sharing.

However, what he didn’t wish was for her first time to be in a small tent without a lot of room to move, thus room for him to be certain to see to her, as well as no light, so he could not see with his eyes if he was seeing to her, and last, with too many people close by.

This event should be special.

His first time had not been.

At fifteen, he’d fucked a whore his brother had forced him to go see, doing so while his brother and his brother’s mates shouted raunchy encouragement through the door.

He wanted different for Ellie.

Better.

Much better.

And that was what she would have.

Further, Cass had no idea if he would cause her pain, even make her bleed, and he didn’t want them to be where they’d been if those eventualities occurred.

He also knew his response to her enough to know that he couldn’t give her even a little, for if he did, it would spin out of control.

Because he wanted it all.

And as the days slid by, he wanted her more and more.

However, watching what stunningly seemed to be blooming between Mac and Jazz, who bickered a great deal, and fucked even more, was putting right in front of Elena’s face what she did not have with Cassius.