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“You surely have much to say this morning,” he said. The saddle in place, he faced her fully, crossing his arms. He didn’t bother to hide the fact that he was drinking her in this time, enjoying the way her cheeks grew red and her eyes slid away.
“You cannot be the only one with an opinion,” she mumbled, licking her lips. “It’s time you learned that.”
Without waiting for him to respond, she made her way over to the horse, taking care to position herself so that the horse stood between them. A sliver of mirth raced through him at the sight. “We will not get anything done, Beth, if you are so hell-bent on bickering with me.”
“I am not bickering with you. I am simply not sitting back and allowing you to push me around.”
“You have not allowed me to push you around since you came here,” he pointed out, his tone casual enough to incite more frustration in her.
Elizabeth lifted her eyes to him, somewhat glaring at him from over the horse’s back. “Enough,” she said. “I do not want to talk about it anymore."
"You do not want to talk about what exactly?” William probed. In a slow saunter, he went around the horse, a part of him amused by the way she stiffened. “The way you shouted at me earlier or the kiss we shared last night?”
“Neither!” she said breathless.
William hid his smile. It was one thing to have her upset with him. It was another thing entirely to watch her breathing grow labored, and her cheeks redden, when she was flustered. Much like last night.
The memory made his groin grow tight, and standing next to her now, William wanted nothing more than to finish what he started. He wanted to cup her chin in his hand, to tilt her head towards his and watch as longing spread through those brown eyes. He wanted to taste her lips again and feel the press of her bosom against his chest, to hear her whisper his name on her lips.
Above all, he wanted to ask her what had made her run, so he could make sure nothing like that happened again.
No. He almost shook his head at himself. I shouldn’t ask. If I do, I’ll only grow more entangled with her, and she with me. That is the very last thing that should happen.
“Shall we get started?” he asked her.
Elizabeth swallowed and nodded jerkily. “Very well. What should I do?”
“You’ll be riding the horse today.” William couldn’t stop himself from putting his hands on her small waist and lifting her up onto the back of the horse. Elizabeth gasped.
“William!”
“I told you, did I not? You would have to mount the horse today.”
“I did not think you would toss me up here on your own!” She sounded exasperated and horrified, which surprised him.
William took two steps back, taking in her rigid posture. If the horse moved, she would surely fall off. “If I didn’t do that, you would not have been able to mount the horse on your own. You should say thank you.”
“I should pinch you right now is what I should do!” she exclaimed.
William’s brows shot upwards in shock. Elizabeth seemed too preoccupied by her fear to have noticed what she’d just said. When they were younger, she would say that all the time, constantly acting on her anger or frustrations without thinking things through. As a result, they would butt heads often, and when caught by her parents, she would often be punished for her unladylike behavior.
The shock seized every inch of his body, his heart thudding so madly that William couldn’t move. He could only stare at her, watching the way she trembled as she sat as still as she could on the back of the horse. The way she looked around as if searching for a way off. The way her words hung in the air with as much passion as before.
What is…what is happening to me? He didn’t simply feel tense with need, a constant underlying yearning to touch her, to taste her, to feel her. He felt a rush of warmth spreading throughout him as well, a lightheaded feeling that suddenly made the world seem brighter. Samuel’s earlier visit, the many matters that he needed to take care of, even the ever-present reality that Elizabeth’s father or betrothed might come here in search of her…they all faded to nothing. It was as if only the two of them belonged in this little world of theirs, as if no one else mattered.
“William?” Her voice brought him back to reality. William blinked, realizing that she was staring at him. “Why are you just standing there? Surely, you have a plan?”
William shook his head slowly, still trying to make sense of his odd reaction. “I do not.”
Elizabeth’s shoulders sagged, despondency filling her face. “Surely, you jest?”
