“Don’t eat any bread for a few weeks,” he suggested. “See if that helps.” There could be no harm in it. Her hands moved down to his hips as she pressed her body against his.
“I could try, though I’m not sure it would do any good.” Her hand wandered down his leg, and she brought her other arm around his neck. The posture brought her breasts into prominent view, and the distraction made him yearn to touch her again. He gave in to the urge and kissed one nipple, then the other.
She moved her leg over his hip and said, “I’m cold, Raine.”
“I know. That’s why I’m warming you.” He covered her body with his own, still paying homage to her breasts. “I want you to be burning hot when I’ve finished.”
She sent him a secret smile. “Have you decided to stay with me, then?”
He didn’t answer her question but drew her legs around his waist. His shaft was pressed against her intimately, and he rubbed against her. He didn’t want to face the fate that lay before them, and yes, he did want to stay with this woman. But it meant abandoning not only his sisters, but his lands and his people. He had to atone for his parents’ deaths, and he could not turn his back on them.
“Please,” she whispered, but he suspected she was not speaking of lovemaking. As he thrust inside her, she moaned, squeezing his length. Her blue eyes held his, and he slowed his pace, joining their bodies while he never took his gaze from her.
“You haven’t answered my question,” she prompted, raising her knees to take him deeper. He plunged inside her, using his mouth and hands to guide her toward the edge of desire, his fingers digging into her hips as she drove him past the brink of reason.
No, he hadn’t answered her question. For there was no answer to give.
Carice offered no conversation at all when they left on the following morning. She had tried everything to convince Raine to stay with her, but his silence was damning. He didn’t bother hiding their pathway now, and she was well aware of the sun spearing her eyes as they rode eastward.
She would have to confront him soon. Although she knew he cared for her—by the way he’d made love to her and the way he kept glancing back to ensure she was all right—he didn’t love her. Not enough to give up his purpose.
Her stomach ached again but not because of food. It was from the knowledge that she couldn’t change him. This man had stolen her heart, and now he was about to break it. Carice tried to tell herself that there was still time, but she knew the truth—it was over now. She had to stop Raine before they rode any farther.
Halfway along their journey, she drew her horse to a stop. The sun was bright in the sky, gleaming across shadowed hills. “I want to know why you won’t speak to me, Raine.”
“I find that there is little I can say to you,” he said. “Our time together grows short.”
“And you want to end it sooner by increasing the pace of our horses?”
His shoulders lowered, and he finally drew his own mount to a stop. “Were it my choice, I would not leave you, Carice.” Theweight of his guilt was evident in his tone. “But I have wronged you. More than you know.”
Her face softened at that, for at least he seemed reluctant to betray her. “Come and talk with me awhile, Raine.”
He glanced back at the path leading east and finally brought his horse closer to hers. His expression was shielded, though she saw a glimpse of emotion behind it. She beckoned for him to come nearer, and when their horses were alongside each other, she took his hand.
“I do not regret what happened between us last night. I remember every moment, and it makes me smile.” Her heart lay in her words, and she hoped he would feel the same.
Raine squeezed her hand, and admitted, “I will never forget you, Carice.”
His words were a physical blow, shattering her hopes. Her eyes welled up with tears, knowing that he really was giving up, and he intended to go through with this. With effort, she managed to speak. “Somehow, I wanted to believe that you might change your mind.”
“About what?” Though his tone was questioning, she heard the wariness in his voice.
She pointed skyward, toward the sun. “About taking me to Tara.”
The sudden transformation of his expression told her that she’d guessed correctly. His mouth tightened, and his eyes held a bleakness. When he didn’t speak, she continued, “We’ve been traveling east all day. And we’ve been going east since we left Laochre. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
A thread of ice ran through her veins, but he made no denial. He looked at her squarely and said quietly, “I hoped you wouldn’t.”
Her heart ached, but she forced herself to continue. “You knew those Norman soldiers,” she said softly. “That is why they didn’t attack us. Because they were your men all along, weren’t they?”
“My commander was there,” he agreed. “They’ve been following us.”
The coldness within her seemed to fill up every empty space. She was trying to keep from crying, but it took every effort to hold back her grief. “And that was why you weren’t at all afraid of disobeying orders,” she guessed. “Because you were following their commands the entire time.”
He took a step forward. “Carice, you—”
“I what? I wasn’t supposed to know about what you were really doing?” She pressed her lips together. “I suspected that something was wrong. But when you took care of me while I was ill, I wanted to believe differently. I wanted to imagine that you would keep your promises to me. But that was never a possibility, was it?”
