The Forgotten Princess Rose-Chapter 286

Zayne watched as Rose shifted around but did not wake up. He would love to know if she thought his voice was haunting her. "Rose," he called again and this time she opened her eyes.

Rose looked afraid at first like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing but then she reached for him, having to be caught by Zayne so she wouldn’t fall onto the floor.

Rose touched Zayne’s face. It felt real but it could be one of the dreams she had of him returning home. "Is this real?"

"I am home," Zayne repeated. "Forgive me for taking longer than I told you that I would return."

Rose hugged Zayne, finally believing this wasn’t a trick of the mind. His clothes were cold and damp but Rose didn’t mind it. "You scared me. Please do not do that again. I thought I had lost you."

Zayne hugged Rose back, forgetful of his wet clothes. "I would not bring you here and then leave you, Rose. We drifted off course with the weather but we got back on course when it calmed down."

Rose couldn’t believe she was hearing his voice. She wanted it to be a happy reunion without any tears but she couldn’t help it. She was too happy to see him and everything she had been holding in to not worry Catherine or the servants was pouring out.

Zayne gave Rose the time she needed to cry on his shoulder. He knew it had to be scary for her to experience this so early. "I am sorry," he apologised. "I wanted to be home sooner. I came right home to you as soon as we reached the docks."

Rose wiped her eyes and leaned back so she would get a good look at Zayne. His face was fine which meant he might not have fought with anyone. "Then your mother hasn’t seen you?"

"She will in the morning. I had to come to you first. I missed you," Zayne said, wanting to hold Rose for as long as he could.

Zayne couldn’t prolong it any longer and kissed Rose, something he looked forward to from the very day he left the kingdom. Never again. He had something too precious waiting for him to leave again. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Rose grabbed a handful of his coat, fearful of falling from his lap. The water coming out of where she squeezed his uniform woke her up to Zayne needing to get out of his clothes and be warmed up.

Rose pulled away from the kiss and covered his lips with her hands before he could kiss her again. "You need to get out of your uniform fast or you will catch a cold. I will kiss you as much as your heart desires after you have gotten warmed up."

Zayne was fine now but Rose knew if they didn’t act soon he might end up with a cold and have to stay in bed.

"Let me help you," Rose said, ready to take special care of Zayne. Rose tried to stand but Zayne was holding her so tightly that it was hard to get up without him allowing her to. "Please let me get you out of your wet clothes and draw a warm bath for you. You are cold. I would not have minded if you warmed up first."

Zayne loosened his hold on Rose after hearing what she intended to do. He stood with Rose and let her take off the wet uniform.

Rose took off his uniform without feeling shy. She was focused on doing what she could to help him instead of being concerned about seeing him naked before her.

"I will run the water for you. Have you eaten?" Rose asked, willing to run down to search the kitchen for food.

"I ate on the ship. We were only delayed. We still had enough supplies to last us the extra time. You don’t need to be going so fast," Zayne said, holding her hand to make her stay still for a moment.

Another time he would like to enjoy Rose undressing him and wanting to prepare a bath for him but she was shaking. It was odd since he was the one who was out in the cold while she was asleep in the warm room.

"I should have cleaned up before I woke you up," said Zayne.

"I would have bitten you if I found out you didn’t come to me right away," Rose mumbled, poking his chest as she spoke. She tried not to look down anymore after realising Zayne’s current situation. She blushed, ashamed of her thoughts.

Zayne made Rose look up at him so he could see her face. "Don’t hide from me, Rose. I’ve missed this."

Zayne lifted Rose in his arms to kiss her once more. His damp clothes had turned her dress wet which gave him all the more reason to have her join him in the bathroom. He wasn’t ready to let go of Rose yet even if it was to sit in a warm bath which he thought of all day.

Rose didn’t realise how much she missed the feeling of running her fingers through Zayne’s hair. "You, you are not to leave soon."

She couldn’t have him leave so soon after what she endured and most importantly, after what Zayne had to have endured being out at sea when a storm was passing.

"I will say no if you ask again," Rose said early.

"I am not leaving anytime soon," Zayne assured Rose. He had enough of travelling for a while.

Zayne set Rose down on a counter in the bathroom and moved away to fill the tub with warm water.

Rose started to take off her dress to join Zayne in the tub. If not for Zayne needing to be warmed up urgently, Rose might have made a bold move by pulling Zayne right to bed to make up for lost time. She needed to be closer to him to feel that he was here.

Zayne kept glancing at Rose. She surprised him with how quick she was to take off her dress without getting flustered. She didn’t have the slightest clue how much he wanted her right now. How he could have her just where she was now but he held back since she just woke up.

There was plenty of time to deal with his need to have her during what would be a very long night.

Zayne held out his hand to Rose for her to come to him to join him in the warm water slowly filling the tub.

Without any hesitation, Rose made her way to Zayne. She looked forward to what the night would bring now that Zayne was home.