“That is understandable.” Carlos nodded.
Felix handed him the torch. “After we are inside, make sure everything is clear.”
“Yes, sir,” Carlos said.
Motioning his hand inside, Felix gave a small bow. “After you, my dear.”
She crouched and crawled in on her knees, inching her way to the bed of blankets. Where would he sleep? Her heart skipped a beat. Perhaps she didn’t need all of these blankets and she could allow him to use a few. After all, it was still quite hot and the closed tent would make it that much warmer, she was certain.
Felix followed inside. Carlos went to work assisting Felix in tying the tent closed. While the men were busy, Katrina quickly moved some of the blankets and made another makeshift bed. Unfortunately, the space wasn’t very big and the only other place to put his bed was right next to hers.
The men said their good-nights and she scrambled to her blankets, plopped down and sat up straight. Felix turned. His gaze moved to the empty bed. The corners of his mouth stretched wider.
“I thank you for thinking of my comfort.” Without looking her way, he moved to the blankets and lay down on his back, folding his arms behind his head.
She cleared her throat. Good grief, if her mouth grew any drier, she might become worried that she was ill. “Mr. Knightly, should I—”
“Katrina, please. You have called me Felix several times already today. Why stop now?”
“Um, yes. You are correct.” She glanced at her pack resting in the corner. “I was just going to ask if you think I should change into my night clothes.”
He chuckled loudly. In fact, it sounded almost as if he blasted a laugh.
“Katrina, since you are the only woman in a camp full of men, I suggest you remain in your clothes. You can change into fresh clothes in the morning, after I leave the shelter.”
Heat crept up her neck to her face that had nothing to do with the humidity in this tent. “Point well taken.” She scooted down, lay on her side, and faced him. He still stretched out on his back, looking up at the top of the tent.
Silence lasted a few minutes. The night sounds she’d heard earlier weren’t as loud now, and thankfully, the pop of the fire sounded close. It was a comforting feeling, but not as comforting as having Felix so near.
It was hard not to look at him. Perhapslookwasn’t the right word, because she was doing so much more than looking.Devouringwas more like it. Yet with such a robust man lying next to her, what else could she do?
With his arms folded behind his head, his chest appeared so much wider, and his muscles so much more pronounced. His hair brushed against his arms, and may the devil take her—she thought he looked so much better with a small mustache and beard than he had when he was clean shaven.
Tonight would be torture!
How could she sleep with such a fine male specimen lying next to her? How could she erase from her mind those moments when he’d taken her in his arms—and especially when he’d kissed her? Plain and simple, she couldn’t. If she did surrender to sleep, he would certainly be in her dreams, and she would love every second of them.
“Is there something on your mind, Katrina?”
His deep voice startled her, mainly because he hadn’t even turned to look at her when he spoke. Yet now she noticed that self-assured grin she had seen a lot lately stretched lazily across his face.
She couldn’t confess she enjoyed staring at his handsome profile. Instead, she must let him believe something else was going through her head.
“Umm... actually yes, there is something on my mind.”
Finally, he turned his head and met her stare. “What is it?”
I want you to kiss me.Blinking, she quickly pushed that thought out of her head. “I really don’t know you very well.”
“No, you don’t.”
She waited for him to continue, and when he didn’t, she rolled her eyes. “Will you tell me about yourself?”
“What do you want to know?”
Everything!She wanted to know about his family, his likes and dislikes. Had he been a sweet little boy, or a holy terror? She wanted to know the experiences he’d been through in his life that made him the man he was today. More importantly, she wanted to know if he could ever love a woman like her, a woman who had lived in squalor all her life and worked with her mother in a tavern for a living. “Tell me about your family, and what you usually do around Christmastime.”
Several long moments passed before he released a defeated sigh and rolled on his side, facing her. His head rested in the crook of his arm, still folded behind his head. Goodness, his eyes were so wistful. She could stare at them forever.
