“Perhaps,” she whispered, reaching up to brush the hair back from his temple with her fingers. “I suppose it depends.”
“On what?” he demanded.
“On whether or not you truly mean it.”
An enigmatic look swept over his face before it was replaced by a smile. “The answer to that is better shown, I think, than spoken.”
Before she could say anything further, he took her hand and led her from the field, releasing her only long enough to approach his squire near the end of the lists and murmur something to him. Returning to her, he lifted her to sit upon another horse Bernard was holding in wait for them there. Then he swung astride behind her, wrapped his arm around her middle, and set their mount to a lively gallop…
Riding with her off the lists, away from the knowing stares of the stamping, cheering multitude that filled the scaffolding around the field.
Chapter 18
Alissende felt a lurch of surprise as Damien cantered with her down the path of silk pavilions leading to their own…and then rode by the gold-and-blue tent they shared. She twisted halfway in his arms as they passed it, glancing behind him for an instant before swiveling her gaze up to meet his.
“I hate to mention the obvious, Damien,” she said, “but our pavilion is back there. And what is also peculiar, your squire Thomas is trailing us several lengths behind. Where are we going, pray tell, and why?”
He offered her naught but a smile, the expression sending a melting sensation through her at the same time that it made her want to kick her heel back into his shin.
“Patience, Alissende.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “You shall see.”
She made a disgruntled sound that seemed to only make him smile more broadly before she faced forward again.
“I recall that you used to enjoy surprises,” he murmured, and the warmth of his breath brushing over her ear sent a tingle through her.
“Perhaps.” She squirmed, her hips shifting against his groin as she sought a more comfortable position in the saddle. Her unexpected movement made his breath catch, and his arm flexed against her belly, even as she added somewhat crossly, “But more oft than not that was because I was the one doing the surprising.”
“You have not lost your touch in that, lady,” he said on a laughing groan. “Pray take pity and cease wriggling like that. We’re almost there.”
They had left the main path a few moments earlier and passed through a wooded area before entering a cool, green glade bordered by a pond that sparkled in the sun.
“This is it,” he announced, reining in their mount.
“What?”
“Our destination.”
She waited for him to elaborate, but he remained silent, helping her dismount before he began to stride away. Frustration bloomed as she glanced back toward the wood and then glared at him again. “Just where are you going, Damien de Ashby—and where is Thomas?”
Damien did not seem to notice her irritation, glancing over his shoulder and telling her as he approached the water, “I am going to bathe away the dirt of battle. And Thomas is standing guard at my command, just beyond the copse of trees we passed through earlier, to ensure that we are not disturbed.”
“Disturbed fromwhat?” she demanded, putting her hands on her hips. This time her voice held enough of an edge, apparently, that Damien paused and turned around, smiling, though he was shaking his head.
“Ah, Alissende, try not to fret so. It is nothing disagreeable. I’ve arranged for us to share a light repast, away from prying eyes, if that meets with your approval. You’ll find the basket and a large blanket right over there”—he pointed to a mossy area beneath a towering oak that spread its branches in a lush canopy above—“and if you’d consent to arrange the things while I clean up, I promise to show you my appreciation most thoroughly when I am through.”
She just gaped at him. “You mean you planned this ahead of time? But how could you be certain of the battle’s outcome today? Or that you—or that I would even—?”
He shrugged. “I did not doubt my ability to match Hugh on the lists. It was your reaction afterward that I was not certain about.” He grinned. “I am glad I wagered correctly on that point.”
His teeth flashed white, and the expression on his face was both playful and devastatingly handsome. But she had no time to form a reply, for at that moment he turned back toward the water and started pulling off pieces of his armor-plates and clothing, dropping them to the ground next to him. In the space of a few heartbeats he stood completely naked at the edge of the pond, the sunlight washing over him in a play of gold and shadows.
Then, reaching into the long fronds near the water for something—a chunk of soap, she guessed when he straightened—he stretched his arms up and dove in, the sight of his powerful body as he moved nothing less than breathtaking.
She had actually stopped breathing, she realized, as she’d watched him disrobe; now she was forced to take in a deep breath as he resurfaced, giving a shout and brushing the wetness from his face before shaking his head to release a spray of glittering drops.
“It’s cold,” he called up to her, laughing.
“Do not linger too long, then.” She smiled back at him in spite of herself. Something fluttered to life inside her when she looked at him, and the tingling up her spine made her wish she could simply stand there and watch him all day. But he had asked her to ready the basket he had prepared, and she saw no reason not to comply with his request.
