“My sweet Gwenyth,” he whispered. “Just a bit farther, then you can rest.”
She dragged her body deeper into the darkness, taking courage from the fact Leo was at her back. Safe. For now.
Moments later, Leo joined her inside the cave, his large frame making the gloomy space shrink. He reached for her, and she went to him, trusting him in a way she didn’t think—couldn’t remember—trusting another man. Sometimes now, if she allowed her mind to wander or to relax, she sensed a presence. Someone who’d hurt her. Made her so angry, she’d wanted to stab with a weapon. But whenever she drew on the memory, seizing that sliver of her past, it dissipated into mist.
Had she hurt someone? Killed them?
Gwenyth pushed out a sigh. The hopelessness and frustration emerged harsher than she’d intended.
“Is something wrong?” Leo asked.
She avoided the real topic in her mind to pursue one of her other concerns. “Are we safe here?”
“I think so,” Leo replied, his callused hands cupping her face.
She watched him in the twilight. Despite all that had happened, the betrayal of his family, and their flight from the castle, he seemed upbeat. Confident they could get to Perfume Isle, that they would escape Nan, and that they’d find answers with the help of his friends.
“This must feel like history repeating itself,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“You told me you left the castle before to escape your brothers’ taunts and cruelty, your parents’ disinterest in you.”
His big shoulders moved in a shrug. “I guess I did, although they weren’t trying to kill my wife,” he said, anger highlighting his words. “The worst part is I don’t understand why my parents are forcing me toward Nan. Or why Nan wishes to marry me when she thinks of me as nothing more than a bug beneath her shoes. You said she wants my land, but that won’t be part of the betrothal agreement. It will still belong to me.”
“She inferred she’d get rid of you once you passed your usefulness.”
“Bitch,” Leo muttered. “Then there is the barrier failure. No one understands how it works to keep our worlds separate. And Martinos. His sister and my brothers stood at his trial and accused him of raping the girl. My gut tells me there is a connection, but I don’t even know where to start. For everything we learn, the mystery and the possible answers become more convoluted.”
Should she tell him and add to his stress? “I think my memory is returning,” Gwenyth blurted before she’d even answered her own question.
“What have you remembered?” His expression had gone blank, and she could merely guess at what was running through his mind.
“There’s an ominous presence hovering in my memories. I can’t decide if I’m scared or angry or something in between. This specter makes me uneasy.”
Leo sighed and settled on the floor of the cave in a reclining position. He arranged her body until she sprawled on top of him, and they were face-to-face. “That word describes everything rattling around in my head. None of the clues are aligning and it’s frustrating as hell.”
“Yes.” Idly, she played with the ends of his hair, smoothing and tugging the strands.
“The one agreeable thing in this situation is finding you,” he said, and he kissed her.
The meeting of their lips, the sweetness, and tenderness in the exchange had everything inside her softening. A yearning grew and bloomed. One Leo seemed to share.
“I want to make love to you,” he whispered. “If you’re too tired, we can wait.”
“No. I mean yes,” she said, cupping his face. “As long as you think we’re safe.”
“For now,” he said. “Few people know about this cave. I discovered it while hiding from my brothers. They never found me.”
Reassured, she kissed him, letting her actions do her talking. Each kiss, each caress was slow and unhurried. A silent exchange of what they’d become to each other. Languorous waves rolled through her as he kissed her neck and nibbled hard enough to spike both pleasure and pain.
“Gwenyth,” he purred in her ear.
The stubble dusting his jaw dragged across her chest, and the upper swells of her breasts. She clenched her thighs together, wanting to hold onto the delicious tickle of heat.
Leo lifted her tunic, the pads of his work-roughened fingers dragging across tender flesh. The decadent abrasion had wetness pooling between her thighs. Her breathing went shallow, and the muscles of her inner legs clenched. She kissed Leo’s cheek, his shoulder, and wished they could disrobe and explore each other without hindrance.
His fingers skimmed her breasts, and he lifted his head to kiss her. His tongue stroked hers, keeping time with the rub of his thumb over her nipple. She squirmed against him, rubbing her lower body against his rigid shaft. His masculine groan thrilled her and sent an answering tug deep into her belly.
