How far did the blush spread?
He groaned.
He wanted to find out.
And he would, too. But not here.
Before he could investigate her body, he had to bid the Roma goodbye. Later he would have her, if he could control his desire long enough to get back to the Manor.
She approached, out of breath, the brightest, most sensual look upon her face. She was enraptured, just as he was.
“That was amazing.” She beamed.
Clearing his throat, he struggled to keep the hitch from his voice. “You looked as though you enjoyed yourself.”
She smiled up at him. “I did. I love dancing. I feel alive when I dance—so alive I could take to the sky and fly if I tried.” She laughed and twirled in place, her skirt flaring out, and then twisting around her legs when she stopped.
He loved the sound of her laugh, and he loved it even more when her smile broke through the usual mask of haughtiness she wore. It transformed her. Morphed her from an anxious ghost to a carefree woman of spirited delight. He wanted more ofthisHaven.
“It’s time to go. We need to get back.”
Expelling a sigh of disappointment, she went in search of her belongings while he retrieved the horses from where they’d been grazing by the creek.
Tightening his grip on the horses’ reins, he peered after her as she moved through the crowd of excited Roma, and prayed to God he wouldn’t die before he had a chance to taste her again.
Chapter Forty-Five
The sounds of the Roma camp faded as they slid through the darkness of the forest. Though the horses whinnied for action, Logan chose to walk. He wanted to spend a little more time with her, under the spell of twilight, before ducal duty and estate obligation burdened him again.
Pulling the reins of his horse, he murmured, “Come along, Gehenna, I don’t want to lose you out here.”
“You named your horse after Hell?” Haven’s incredulous tone made him smile.
“She is as black as the pits of hell, and she was certainly one hell of a horse to tame.”
She laughed. “Do tell.” Her sarcastic tone was light and filled with amusement.
“When I first purchased her, she would buck and scream when anyone got near. It took me nearly a year of persistence and stubbornness to get her accustomed enough to let me touch her face. It took another six months before she’d let me put a saddle on her back. Within two weeks, I was riding her, and we’ve been together since.” He ran his hand along Gehenna’s flanks. “You gave me hell, but I stuck it out, didn’t I, girl? Youmay wear my saddle, but you’re still as wild and spirited as you were when I first set eyes on you.”
It tookHaven a second to realize he was speaking in deep whispers to the horse. She shivered. What would it have been like for him to speak those words to her?
Wait…wasn’t he?
Glancing up from where his hand caressed the skin along the horse’s nose, she caught a look of blatant mischievousness in his expression.
That tricksy devil.
Well, two can play at this game.
“Sounds like you’re skilled at taming spirited creatures.” Her tone was playful, inquisitive, but she thrummed with excitement.
“I believe I’ve proven such on several occasions.” His deep voice thickened, and a wicked gleam darkened his face.
“Oh? Do you have any other skills I should know about?” Placing her hand on her hip in a very twenty-first-century manner, she cocked an eyebrow, daring him to move their innuendo-laden conversation into deeper, more dangerous waters.
A slow, sensual smile spread across his face. “Not many. You’ve already experienced many of my skills first hand. In depth.” She shuddered. “I believe you’ve witnessed my talents with the rapier. Many of my female admirers have gushed profusely about myfencingskills—my deep lunging thrusts, and my lively parries.”
Choking back a bark of laughter, she looked up from under her thick black lashes. “Oh, I will admit you have the deadliest thrusts, and most masterful of parries.”
