And yet, she looked at the path he had taken. He was so handsome. She could barely argue when he stared at her with those eyes. And his hair was so thick and wavy. All she wanted to do was run her fingers through it.
And his kiss. She inhaled slowly, deeply, closing her eyes to remember his moist caress.
She ground her teeth and mentally shook herself. This forest must be enchanted. There was no other logical reason for her reaction. She took a deep breath and pushed herself from the tree to return to camp.
He had kissed her.
Raven awoke to find Landyn across from her. He had finally fallen asleep. She had a moment to examine his peaceful face. He slept on his side with his arm tucked beneath his head. His jaw was square and strong and stubbled with morning’s growth. A straight nose lined the center of his face. Long, thick lashes rested against his cheek. His hair crowned his head in a layer of dark waves.
He was handsome; she would give him that. And after the night before, she knew he was strong and muscled and…knew how to kiss. She grinned and again touched her lips, recalling Landyn’s heated caress.
She inhaled a deep breath and closed her eyes, imagining Landyn’s touch, the feel of his skin beneath her hands, the way he had ignited her body with his kiss.
She snapped her eyes open. This was dangerous—she couldn’t like him. Focus, she told herself. She had to get her father’s key back and deal with the man who had killed him.
She moved to the spot she slept in and picked up her sheath, silently sliding her sword free, glancing at Landyn to make sure the soft hiss hadn’t woken him. She had just enough time to care for her sword before they continued tracking Boucher. She inspected the blade for knicks or breaks from the fight. Its surface was smooth and sturdy.
Removing a cloth from her saddlebag, she ran it over the edge.
A rustling caused her to lift her gaze to see Landyn sitting up and watching her. Heat inflamed her, and she quickly looked down at her sword again.
He traversed the area and took a seat beside her, crossing his legs. He held his sword in his hand.
She glanced at it. The metal gleamed in the morning sun. “How is your head?”
“Well,” he answered. He withdrew a cloth from his bag and pushed it over his sword.
She stared at his silver blade. She knew she should say something about their kiss. They should talk about it. She should tell him that it didn’t mean anything. But the only words she could find were, “That is a fine weapon.”
“It does what it should. But it is nothing compared to my first one.”
“Your first sword?” she asked.
“The one that was stolen.” He rubbed the cloth along the edge, cleaning it. “It was made of Damascus steel. It was beautiful.” He grinned and lifted his gaze to her.
Her heart did a little flip.
“Perfectly balanced and sharper than any sword I’ve seen,” he continued.
The tender way his lips formed each word as he spoke captivated her. She couldn’t tear her eyes from his lips.
“The grip was wrapped with alternating colors of leathers. But the pommel…” He inhaled in awe. “The pommel had a ruby the color of a rose, inlaid with an elaborate metal scrollwork surrounding it.” His finger traced the remembered details.
She gazed at his strong face, his black eyes, the way his dark hair caressed his shoulders.
He raised his stare from his weapon to her. “And what of your sword?”
“My sword?” Raven asked, having forgotten that she held it.
He reached out and tapped the metal blade. “This one. Where did you get it?”
She shifted her focus to her sword. It was safer than looking at him. “Father gave it to me. We each received a real sword when we turned ten summers. I remember the day I got it. We all had wooden swords first.” She looked at him. “For practice.” Her gaze traveled to his lips. Again. They settled there for a moment until she dragged her stare to her weapon. “When he gave it to me, he said there were three rules. Never use it against family. Care for it. And only use it if you can win.”
“Wise rules,” Landyn said.
Raven scrubbed the cloth over the blade. “I suppose a weapon is much like a kiss.”
“Raven,” Landyn said with a sigh.
