Magnus reluctantly released her, keeping the cloak wrapped around her shoulders. He moved quickly to where Ada's mare stood cropping grass, retrieved the blanket from the saddlebag.
When he returned, Ada was still shaking violently, her knuckles white where she gripped the cloak.
"Here." Magnus wrapped the blanket around her over the cloak, then pulled her back against his chest. "This'll help."
"Ye're—ye're shakin' too."
"I'm fine."
"Ye're nae fine. Ye're as wet as I am." Ada's teeth chattered. "We—we should both dry off."
"I'll dry off once ye're warm." Magnus rubbed her arms again, felt her lean more heavily against him. "Just let me take care of ye."
They stood like that for several minutes. Magnus holding Ada, rubbing warmth back into her frozen limbs. Ada pressed against his chest, slowly—so slowly—stopping shaking.
And somewhere in that time, Magnus became aware of other things.
The way Ada's body fit against his. The soft sound of her breathing. The curve of her waist beneath his hands, the way her hair smelled even soaked with stream water.
The fact that she was naked. Right there. In his arms. Nothing but wool and his own failing self-control between them.
His body responded before his mind could stop it. Heat flooded through him, pooling low in his belly. He felt himself hardening against her, felt desire spike so sharply it nearly stole his breath.
No. Not now. Not like this.
Magnus pulled away abruptly, putting distance between them before she could feel what was happening to him.
"Magnus?" Ada's voice was confused. Hurt. "What’s wrong?"
"Ye're warm enough now." Magnus turned away, adjusting his wet clothes to hide his body's reaction. "Get dressed. We should head back before ye catch a chill."
Behind him, he heard Ada's sharp intake of breath. When she spoke, her voice was small. "Did I—did I dae somethin' wrong?"
"Nay."
"Then why did ye dae that?"
"Just get dressed, Ada."
Silence. Then the rustle of fabric as she moved to gather her wet clothes.
Magnus focused on his breathing. On the cold wind against his face. On anything except the woman behind him struggling back into soaked garments because he was too much of a coward to admit he wanted her so badly it hurt.
"I'm decent," Ada said finally.
Magnus turned. She stood wrapped in the blanket, her wet dress clutched in one hand. Her hair hung in dripping tangles around her face, and her expression was carefully neutral.
But he could see the hurt in her eyes. The confusion.
She thought he'd pulled away because he didn't want her. Because touching her had been distasteful somehow.
The exact opposite of the truth.
"That wasnae a fair race," Magnus said, forcing his voice to remain steady. "Yer horse stumbled. We should try again."
Ada shook her head. "Ye won fairly. I was the one who challenged ye, and I was the one who fell. That's on me, nae ye."
"Ada."
