Page 11 of The Warrior’s Forbidden Virgin

When it grew too dark to travel any farther, he stopped their horses near a small river. He brought Katherine to a copse of fir trees, a small haven of privacy.

Katherine dismounted, tending to their horses while he built a fire. He’d expected to spend the night alone and had only packed provisions for himself. With the last of the evening light, he set up the tent for her, placing the temporary shelter a safe distance away where it would still receive the warmth of the flames.

Ademar brought food for Katherine, offering her pieces of bread and cheese. It was meager fare, but it was all that he had with him. She held out a portion, but he couldn’t bring himself to touch the food.

“Ademar,” she murmured. “You should eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

She broke off a piece of the cheese and brought it to his mouth. He forced himself to taste it, but it could have been grass for all that he knew. Being here alone with her, knowing that she had given her agreement to wed him…it didn’t seem real. Almost as though he could close his eyes and she would disappear.

“It’s late,” he said. “You should get some sleep. We’ll continue searching in the morning.” Nodding toward the tent, he waited for her to go inside.

Worry lined her eyes, and when her hand moved to his temple, she examined the wound. “Does this hurt you?” Tenderly she smoothed back his hair.

It did, but he was so entranced by her touch, he didn’t care. He caught the faint scent of eastern spices—a hint of cinnamon with the tang of cloves—an exotic perfume he didn’t recognize.

“Do you know why I said yes to the betrothal?” she murmured, letting her hand fall to his arm.

He shook his head, unable to speak.

“Because I know that you care for me…the way Ewan never did. You look upon me the way I wanted him to.”

“You honor me,” was all he could say. And though he didn’t believe she would ever come to feel the same way about him, it was enough for now.

Her blue eyes were unfathomable in the twilight, and he was afraid to touch her. Afraid she would pull away from him.

“Aren’t you going to kiss me?” she asked.

He wanted to, but he didn’t trust himself. A single kiss would lead to more, and it would frighten her. But he brushed an innocent kiss upon her mouth, the kiss a friend might give to another.

She faltered, her lips pursing as if she were about to say something. Instead, she whispered, “Good night.”

He heard her approach the tent, but he granted her the privacy of a sleeping place of her own. Unbuckling his sword belt, he laid his weapon within an easy grasp, should it be needed.

“Are you going to sleep there, on the grass?”

“Yes.” He kept his gaze firmly upon the fire. At the moment, his imagination was rekindling the memory of the night she’d led him to his bed. He couldn’t stop thinking about the way she had responded to him, and even now, his body hardened to think of her.

Grimly, he closed his eyes, trying to shut her out.

“Is this the way it will be, once we’re wed?” Katherine’s voice held a note of disappointment, but God above, what did she want from him? He was trying to respect her needs, to let her have her own space.

He rolled over, resting his head against his palm. She was sitting down inside the tent, with the flap drawn back. Her black hair was unbraided, spilling over her shoulders like a river of ink. The veil she usually wore was folded neatly beside her.

“Share the tent with me,” she offered. He couldn’t say whether she was giving him a courtesy or a true invitation.

“I’ll be fine right here.” Where he would lie awake all night, dreaming of the taste of her skin.

“Ademar,” she whispered again. His name was a seductive command, and he could not ignore her siren call.

“I can’t, Katherine.”

“Why not?”

“Because if I get any closer to you, I won’t be able to stop this time. You’ll take me into your body and be a virgin no longer.”

To his utter shock, she smiled.