Heart of Fire (14 page)

“What is it?”

“Nothing. Follow me.”

He led her to a wide fissure in the
side of the ridge. “We camp here.” He alighted Dragon and took the
reins in his hands.

“Where?” She hoped he didn’t mean
there on the ground. They would be soaked by morning.

“In here.” He motioned behind him
with a tip of his head and began leading Dragon through.

Jessalyne’s eyes went wide. “You
don’t mean...but it’s dark in there and probably full
of...creatures!” She couldn’t see past the jagged
opening.

“There’s nothing in there. I’ve been
inside already. Trust me, my eyes see what yours cannot. The ground
inside is soft sand, and there are breaks enough to let out smoke
from a fire.” Thunder growled and the sky opened, soaking
them.

Jessalyne yelped and jumped off
Petal. “Fine, fine, before I’m washed away.”

She pulled Petal through the twisted
gap and found herself in complete darkness. Soaked to the skin and
shivering, she pressed against Petal’s side. “I can’t see
anything.”

“I’m trying to start a fire. I
gathered brush and branches earlier but my flint is wet and won’t
spark.” His repeated attempts failed. “We’ll have to do
without.”

She faced the direction of his
voice. “No! It’s too dark. Please, come here. Quickly.”

She felt him next to her. “Point my
hand toward the kindling.”

He did as she asked.

“Leave hold of me and step away.”
When she no longer felt his presence, she summoned her
magic.

The distinct crack of fire
splintered the stillness and flames shot up from the stacked
tinder.

Dragon reared and Ertemis grabbed
his bridle. “You spook like a colt, Dragon. Be still.”

A yellow glow filled the hollow and
Jessalyne caught the amazement on Ertemis’s face. “Well done,” he
said.

Water dripped from several openings
in the cavern ceiling but the sandy floor was mostly dry. Plenty of
open space remained between the boulders scattered across the
ground. It would do for shelter.

Ertemis removed his leather
breastplate and hooked it over his saddle horn. He yanked his shirt
off and stood bare-chested in the firelight. “You cannot stay in
those wet clothes, no matter how nicely they cling to
you.”

Jessalyne hugged her arms over her
breasts. “I’m fine.”

“You’re shivering. Take those wet
rags off. Or do you wish help?” He raised a brow, his mouth curving
seductively.

“No.” She moved to the other side of
the cavern, away from him. The firelight set his skin aglow,
defining every muscle. He looked like living stone. How would it
feel to be held in those strong arms?

Ertemis picked up a branch the
thickness of a man’s arm and snapped it like a twig before tossing
the pieces onto the fire. With some of the longer branches, he
built a tripod at the edge of the fire. He draped his cloak and
shirt there then began unbuttoning his trousers.

“What are you doing?” Jessalyne
yelled.

“I’m not sleeping in wet clothes.
And as you still haven’t taken a stitch off, I’ll be over to help
you when I’m through.”

“You will not!” She turned around
and stared at the rugged cavern walls. Beast. Must he carry on this
way? Nice one moment, barbarian the next. Obviously, he enjoyed
torturing her. She would never be able to sleep in the same room,
or cave, with a naked man. Even thinking the words made her cheeks
warm. Especially since she knew exactly what that naked man looked
like.

Something pulled her off balance.
She gasped. He was unlacing her bodice.

He whispered into her ear. “I
wouldn’t turn around unless you wish to see for yourself how
impressive I am in my all-together. Again.”

His hot breath sent a shudder down
her spine. “You’re shameless and wicked.”

“Aye.” He tugged once more and the
bodice came loose. “That I am.”

Once the bodice was off, his hands
went around her waist. He held her for a moment, the warmth of his
skin sinking through the damp fabric. Then his fingers spread over
her hips possessively. She inhaled hard. A thick, liquid heat
gathered in her belly. He pulled her close, removing any space
between them. The contact was so sweet it hurt, but the pain was
worth the pleasure. Rational thought disappeared. Every inch of him
was hard, hot muscle. No wonder few women ever refused
him.

* * *

He brushed his lips against the
curve of her neck and she mewed. The woman filled him with uncommon
urges. He wanted to hold her and kiss her and protect her and yet,
he longed to give her good reason to cry out his name.

“Jessalyne,” he murmured, his lips
still on her skin. She shivered and he pulled away.

Her hands covered her face. He tried
to turn her around but she resisted. “You have no trousers
on.”

He sighed. “I have trousers
on.”

She peered over her shoulder through
her fingers. “You said you didn’t.” She turned and thumped his bare
chest with her fist. Tears glistened in her eyes. “Why must you
bedevil me?”

“I bedevil you? Is that why you’re
crying?”

She shook her head. He brushed a
tear from her cheek with his knuckle.

“Why then?” He asked.

“No reason.” She dug at the sand
with her toe. “We should—”

“I would believe pointless weeping
from most women, but not you.” He cupped her chin and tipped her
face toward him but she kept her gaze lowered. “Jessalyne, look at
me.”

Through a veil of lashes, she met
his eyes.

“Explain your tears.”

“I don’t know what to say.” She
paused, her voice almost a whisper. “You…make
me...ache.”

He closed his eyes. Maybe if he
didn’t look at her, the desire would fade away. It didn’t, so he
opened them. If he must suffer, he was at least going to enjoy the
view. “I’m the cause of your weeping?”

She nodded.

“You make me ache as well.” Again,
he found himself confessing feelings he had no intent to
share.

Her eyes rounded. “I do?”

“Aye...like no woman I have ever
known.” He caressed her bottom lip with his thumb. Her very soft,
full, kissable bottom lip. She was so warm, how could she not be
feeling what he was?

Tortured by her nearness, he bent
his head and captured her lush lips with his, kissing her as gently
as he could manage. He sucked her bottom lip between his own. She
was so soft, so warm. His hands swept down to her waist and he
pulled her hard against him. Her breasts pressed against his bare
chest, scorching his skin through the damp fabric of her
dress.

She let his lips lead, holding tight
to his forearms. His mouth moved tenderly against hers, teasing and
taking. Tentatively, she kissed him back.

Rivulets of sweat trickled down his
spine as he slid one hand to the small of her back, bringing her
feverish body closer. Hungrily, he devoured her hot mouth,
wondering if every inch of her tasted this sweet.

The heat of her mouth was almost
more than he could take. She moaned against his lips. The
vibrations rippled across his skin and into his center, shaking
him. He craved her so badly, her touch burned him like fire. She
put her hands on his chest and broke the kiss with a sob.
Reluctantly, he released her.

“I didn’t mean to make you weep
again, but I’m not sorry for kissing you.” He exhaled as he braced
one hand against the stone behind her. For the first time in his
life, he was losing a battle and didn’t care.

“Ertemis?” she whispered
weakly.

“Aye, lelaya?” He used the elven
endearment without thinking.

“Does the ache ever go
away?”

He smiled. “I don’t know. I’ve never
felt such an ache before.” More confessions. He was well and truly
gone.

“Truly?” Flames from the fire danced
in her eyes.

“Truly.”

She pressed her fingertips to her
mouth. “So that’s kissing.”

Ertemis cocked his head to the side.
“What did you say?”

“I’ve never been kissed
before.”

“Never?” He raised his eyebrows. No
other man had touched her? Hot, possessive desire thickened his
blood.

“Not by a…a man.” She lowered her
eyes. “It was agreeable.”

“Agreeable? My kisses have been
called many things. I don’t recall agreeable being among them,” he
teased. “I promise a better attempt next time.”

She gave him a curious
look.

“Aye.” He nodded. “There will be a
next time.”

Dragon whinnied. She looked over
Ertemis’s shoulder. “What’s the matter, Dragon?”

“He’s hungry. And Petal as well, no
doubt. I’ll feed and untack them if you’ll lay out our
supper.”

“I will.” She walked with him toward
the beasts.

“One more thing.”

“Yes?” She looked up from the
saddlebags.

“Those wet clothes.”

She glared at him.

“Change into your long tunic. On my
honor as a gentleman, my eyes will be averted.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Your honor
as a gentleman?”

He shrugged, grinning. “It was worth
a try.”

* * *

She pulled her old clothes out of
her pack and untied Chara’s knot. While Ertemis tended Dragon and
Petal, she snuck off behind an outcropping of rock to
undress.

He’d held her and kissed her. She
licked her lips to see if the taste of him remained. When she
closed her eyes, it was like he was kissing her again. Heat burned
her mouth. Her knees weakened and she leaned against the
rocks.

Her only shame was her tears, but
how could she not weep at the sensations he’d spun through her? His
kiss was a magic all its own. And to be held in those arms…amazing.
He hadn’t been afraid to touch her, of course, he hadn’t known
better, but she’d stopped the kiss anyway. If she’d burned
him...she shook her head. Don’t think of it.

Her skin was wrinkling with the
damp. She pulled her tunic over her head, knocking the clips from
her hair. It tumbled free and she ran her hands through the damp
strands, happy to have it down again. Her scalp ached from the
weight of it piled atop her head. She gathered the combs and went
back to the fire.

The warmth beckoned and her stomach
begged for food. She hung her clothes as Ertemis had on the tripod
of branches. The hair combs went into one side of her saddlebag and
she dug food out of the other. She took out hard cheese, a sour rye
roll and an apple for each of them.

Ertemis nodded when he saw her. “You
look like you again.”

“I knew you didn’t like my new
clothes.”

“I meant your hair. I like it
down.”

“Oh.” She handed him his dinner.
What else did he like about her?

They ate by the fire, neither saying
much. Ertemis fed the apple cores to Dragon and Petal. He returned
with their bedrolls. “Have you ever slept outside
before?”

“No. This is truly an
adventure.”

He laughed. “Aye, an adventure.” He
spread out their bedrolls on either side of the fire, first the
canvas on the sand, then the blanket on top for a
covering.

“Be warned, these damp trousers are
coming off. Before you protest, I’ll get beneath my blanket as soon
as they’re hung so you needn’t see anything that might drive you to
temptation.” He paused, wickedness glinting in his eyes. “Of
course, if you want to look, I’ll gladly leave the blanket off
until you’ve had your fill.”

“Beast.” She turned abruptly, but
now she faced the drying rack. Ertemis would have to walk directly
in front of her to get to it. She buried her face in her hands
instead.

In a few moments, he called out,
“The cave is safe for fair maids once again.”

He lay on his side, head propped on
one hand. The coarse blanket bunched around his waist, leaving his
broad muscled chest exposed. Indecent behavior obviously pleased
him. With the firelight gleaming off his dark skin, she couldn’t
help but think he looked very much like the silky chocolate cakes
Valduuk had served them as a dinner sweet. Her mouth
watered.

She situated herself into the bed
he’d made for her. Not greatly comfortable, but it would suffice.
She wiggled a bit, trying to shift the sand beneath her into a more
agreeable sleeping surface.

“So? What do you think?” he asked,
gesturing with one hand.

She turned to face him, blushing as
she spoke. “I don’t know why you need to ask such things but yes,
your chest is very nice to look at.”

Ertemis snorted. “I meant about your
bed.”

Mortified, she ducked her head under
the blanket. He laughed louder.

“Come out before you suffocate
yourself.”

She uncovered her head. “It was
getting stuffy.” She rolled to her side and propped herself on her
elbow, mimicking him. “Why are your ears and back marked with those
runes?”