Chapter 13
Caitlin heard Kai growlunder his breath. He seemed irritated and out of sorts. He kept shifting around, making the horse shy and snort, and she really wished he’d keep still. She was finding it hard enough to keep her seat as it was.
Poor horse. She felt for the animal having to carry the both of them although she had to admit that the horse was so big that it probably barely felt their weight at all.
Horse? She shouldn’t just be calling her ‘horse’. The poor beast had saved their lives back at the fair and was working hard to carry them. She deserved a proper name. She was black and white, with great splotches all over her coat but her mane was a smoky gray.
Smokey?she thought.Does that suit her?
Caitlin was all too aware that she was trying to distract herself. Thinking of horse names was a far safer subject than thinking about the man sat behind her.
Dear God, how had she let it go so far this morning? She’d kissed him for pity’s sake! And she’d almost done a whole lot more! If she hadn’t stopped herself—
Her cheeks flushed, heat rushing through her at the thought. How could she have been so reckless?
It was just the moment, she told herself.Just being close to Kai like that.And like he said, we were stressed out from yesterday. It doesn’t mean anything.
But her reasoning sounded hollow, even to herself. She could tell herself that Kai Stewart didn’t mean anything to her but she knew that wasn’t true.
And yet, he wasn’t some guy she’d bumped into at the coffee shop or met at a work’s party. He was a medieval warrior whose life was so far removed from her own that they may as well have been from different planets. She would soon be going home and leaving all this madness—and him—behind.
Madness. That was a good word for it. It summed up exactly what her feelings for Kai Stewart were.
She bit her lip and gripped the horse’s mane tightly enough that she could sit upright—away from him. He’d made it perfectly plain that he wanted her. All she had to do was give the word and she could feel his hot skin sliding across hers, the pressure of his lips, the weight of his body atop her...
Stop it!she told herself savagely.What are you thinking? This is crazy! Do you want to end up like Mae? Just another notch on his bedpost? Because that’s all he’s offering. Don’t kid yourself that it’s anything more.
That thought sobered her a little. She may be broken but she had a little more self-respect left than that.
The horse plodded on. They rode through forests and valleys, keeping to dark, quiet paths, all of them blurring together in a kaleidoscope of sights and smells. Kai was silent for most of the journey, his hands resting lightly on the reins. She kept her own hands firmly in the horse’s mane to stop herself from reaching back to touch him. She knew if she did that then she’d be lost forever.
Kai’s mood, she noticed, changed as they neared the coast. He became warier. He’d told her very little about Dun Cator but from his expression she guessed he was expecting trouble when they got there.
Great. Couldn’t they just have things easy for once?
For a while all she heard was the thud of hooves against the ground, birdsong, and Kai’s breathing. But gradually she became aware of something else—a salty smell that filled her nostrils with every breath. The sea! Finally, they crested a hill and saw its vast blue expanse spread out below them.
Kai pulled the horse to a halt and they looked out over the glittering waves. The sea breeze tugged at Caitlin’s hair sending it streaming out behind her, bringing with it the scent of salt, and freedom. She breathed deeply, feeling invigorated.
Kai’s expression had softened as well. “Ah! There’s something about the sea, isnae there?” he said. “It’s so full of possibility and freedom.”
Caitlin blinked, surprised that he’d described her own thoughts so accurately.
“I lived by the sea for a few years,” she said. “I had an apartment over a chippy that looked right out onto the seafront.”
