“I like the sound of that,” Crow grinned at Penelope’s sordid words. He was glad they had talked and figured out that they were still on the same page after all. It felt good to be so close to her again. He just wished there was some way they could deal with William, since the knight was going to keep breathing down their necks until they got back to Brerra. Now that he was sure she was planning to stay with him even after they returned, he didn’t feel as much pressure to make the most of their time in Younis, but he still wanted to be alone with her sometimes. As long as William was around, that was going to be hard to get away with though.

[i]At least we have right now,[/i] he thought.

Suddenly, he felt Penelope push him, and he took a step backwards, unprepared for the force of her motion. His back brushed against cool stone and he blinked in surprise; but after a split second, he realized what she was doing and his startled expression gave way to an amused smirk. He relaxed and allowed her to press him back against the wall, meeting her lips as she leaned in to kiss him and running his hands along her back. Her touch sent his heart racing and he shivered as she trailed one hand down the length of his body.

When she moved away from his mouth, he tilted his chin up to give her access to his jawline. Thrills of excitement shot up his spine, leaving him breathless, and he wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the feeling of her soft lips on his skin. As she finally pulled away from him, he opened his eyes and laughed breathily, “You’re getting better at this.”

Though Penelope had given him room to step away from the wall, Crow took a moment to regain his bearings before he tried to move. Once he felt like he was thinking straight again, he leaned away from the building and reached to take her hand as they walked back towards the market.

As they neared the end of the alley, he turned to her with a grin, “You’re pretty dangerous, you know that? You’re the only person who’s ever been able to make me lose my mind so completely.” He nudged her teasingly. “I’m going to have to watch myself around you.”