As Penelope began to answer him hesitantly, Crow could tell his explanation hadn’t been enough to ease her worries. He felt a twinge of frustration. It was difficult for him to listen to her speak about their relationship with so much fear when he’d tried so hard to prove to her in the past that he wasn’t going to stray while they were together. He knew he’d lied in other ways before, and he’d nearly slipped up when Rikki had tried to seduce him, but he had learned from his past mistakes. He wasn’t going to risk hurting her by giving in to a fleeting temptation. She was worth too much to him for that.

Hearing the knight go on to explain how the situation with Elizabeth was different than it had been with Rikki, Crow averted his gaze. He couldn’t understand why she was so bothered by a noblewoman he hadn’t even spoken with in seven years. His history with the other thief had been much more recent and complex, which was why he’d been more drawn to her than he’d ever felt to Liz. Even when the noblewoman had shown up in his bedchamber completely naked, he’d been attracted to her—it was an impulse he couldn’t control—but he hadn’t considered sleeping with her for a moment. In fact, the strongest emotion he’d felt toward her at the time had been disgust alongside a strong desire to make her leave. The temptation he’d experienced with Rikki hadn’t shown up at all.

Crow crossed his arms as Penelope went on to talk about how she didn’t think she was enough for him now that their time alone was so limited. Of course, he disagreed with that completely. His affection for her wasn’t tied to any conditions like how often they were able to sleep together. It would have been a lie for him to say that he wasn’t a little frustrated with the lack of intimacy recently, but he had enough self-control not to bed the first woman who offered him a chance because of it. Even if they had to wait until they were married, he was willing to do so if it meant he could have her at the end of the drought.

At her final words, the viceroy looked up with a frown. He wasn’t sure what she was trying to do by suggesting they should stop being together, but he knew he didn’t like it. “Why would separating help anything?” he asked, wincing at the slight defensiveness in his own voice. Not wanting to start a fight, he continued in a gentler tone, “I’m sorry, love, but I just don’t see how that would solve this. You said you couldn’t bear to watch Liz flirt with me. Wouldn’t it be worse to watch [i]me[/i] flirt with other women?”

He shook his head. “Besides that, I wouldn’t want to start our courtship with the baggage of both of us knowing that I was sleeping around right before we got back together. It would only complicate things because I’m sure the other people in the castle would gossip about me. You would know, and everyone else would too. The last thing I want to do is hurt you or ruin your name, and that’s the fastest way for me to do both.”

A half smile crossed his lips, and he stepped away from the desk to wrap his arms around her back. “All that other stuff aside, you’re the only one I want to be with,” he said, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers. “I don’t care if we have to wait a month or two months or even a year before we can be with each other again. I love [i]you[/i], Penelope, and no amount of time apart is ever going to change that.” He leaned in to press a tender kiss to her lips and pulled back again with a fond smile. “So, please don’t get it in your head that I’m not happy or satisfied with you, because I am. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, darling, no matter if we can be intimate or not.”