Sean exhaled his relief but he knew it could be just a matter of time before she may decide to make her confession. Then what? He preferred the pretending. Without the pretense, he traveled with a beautiful, desirable woman. He stomped about the small area picking up this and that.
“Canna be fast enough for me,” he said.
He shook out the soft deer hide, rolled it up, then carried it to the horse. He tied it behind the saddle followed by his shield. The animal had been fed and watered and seemed eager to be gone. He knew the feeling. The idea of havingTommypressed against his back, especially now that he knew exactly what lay beneath, rode him hard.
Maybe a little distance would help the situation. “Can ye fill the water skins?”
She didn’t move. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed she squared her shoulders and tipped her head back. All the signs of preparing for an argument.
“Never mind. I’ll see to it.” He yanked at the skins attached to the saddle but refused to look her in the face. He took two steps—
“I have done nothing to deserve such poor treatment from ye.”
Not quick enough.Poor treatment?
Well, if that didn’t sound like something a woman would say. She would have to promise not to talk when they were in the village.
“Please!” In that one word, she managed to convey the gut-wrenching emotion of one begging for mercy from an unjust punishment.
Sean pivoted to face her. He blew an exasperated breath and pressed his lips together not even trying to hide his anger. “Are ye joking?”
Her shoulders rounded. She shook her head.
“I was on my way to the village yesterday. A happy man. Happy to be seeing an end to this damnable trip. And I would have made it to the boat by today. My companion certainly will. He’ll soon be back in Eire. On his way to his home. His family. Me? Nae. I’m still here. I had expected to be able to make it with him. Certainly. After all I’d rightfully paid for the use of a horse that could see me there. But ye,” he jabbed his finger toward her, “had other ideas. Unbeknownst to me, my horse was stolen from some sap of a boy who thought to take it back. Probably the first manly act of yer life.”
The horse properly saddled, the skins still not full, Sean leapt onto its back.
“Give me yer hand now and get on this horse like a proper lad or I swear I will leave ye behind.”
Tommy moved at lightning speed to grab the last few items and reach up to him. Sean yanked at her arm knowing full-well such treatment would probably leave her shoulder sore. He rode to the loch, slid off the horse and filled the water skins himself.
Now ready to travel, he climbed onto the horse and headed back to the trail leading down the hill. Tommy’s small hands grasped at his sides before she slammed against his back, her arms wrapped around his middle, holding on for dear life. He refused to acknowledge his body’s reaction.
The trees raced past, mimicking the blood coursing through his veins. It felt good to be on his way. It felt good to have this little bit of release. It felt good to be getting closer to his home. The steady pounding of the horse’s hooves reverberated through him. The repetition of the weightless lift then slamming down eased his tension. One with the animal. This trip would be a memory soon enough.
The wide path they followed steepened then crisscrossed the mountain. It might ease the steepness but it also increased the distance. The miles dragged by. Sean had no patience for this and spoke little, alternating between a quick trot and a slow gallop. Best left to his thoughts, he was constantly reminded he was not alone by the ceaseless shifting behind him.
“Are ye unable to sit still?”
The lass cleared her throat. “I need to take a piss.”
Sean swallowed down the laugh that nearly erupted. At least she tried to sound like a lad. He eased the horse into a stop, trying to keep the smile from his face.
Tommy rocked behind him but didn’t move to jump down.
“What are ye waiting for?” Sean spoke over his shoulder to avoid looking directly at her.
“Oh.” She shifted first to the left then to the right. When she smashed her chest against him and dropped her legs over the side, he understood why. She was apparently trying to jump down without grabbing at him for assistance. She immediately ran off to the woods.
Her breasts were a problem. A problem to his focus because he couldn’t stop thinking about them. About caressing them. About suckling them. About crushing them against him as he impaled her with his rod that seemed no longer capable of becoming flaccid. No. Not a problem as far as lusting after her went.
They were, however, a constant warning of the dangers they would face when they arrived in the village. With every awkward jolt or sudden shift, he remembered. There would be no call for her to ride behind anyone else. Perhaps he worried unnecessarily. If he could set his lust aside and see her as others might...
When she returned a short while later, a big smile of relief on her comely face, he knew he worried with good reason. She was lovely when she smiled.
“Do ye always smile so after taking a piss?” He used his most belittling tone.
Her crestfallen face tugged at his heart. It was for her own good. He strengthened his resolve.
