Page 69 of Ella’s Desire

However, Ella was not directly behind him as he’d anticipated. She was slipping into the forest they had recently searched through. Had she seen something?

He almost called the rest of the guards to follow him, but then thought better of it. They were still farther ahead and if he rode to catch them first, he might lose Ella in the thickness of the woods.

He turned his steed and followed her into the forest. Rain pattered on the leaves around him in soft pops and slaps. He pushed his horse faster to ensure Ella did not slip from his view. She turned suddenly in her saddle and stared at him from over her shoulder.

“Leave me,” she said sharply.

“Not out here,” he called back. “Not on your own.”

She picked up speed and his horse matched the pace, keeping her in his line of sight. The rain fell harder now. It ran down his helm and into the neck of his armor, trickling icy water down his back.

Together they raced through the woods as the rain pelted down on them. The wet cold chilled Bronson’s hands within his gauntlets and though he could not feel his grip on the reins any longer, he still held tight. Finally, Ella stopped in front of a cave and leapt from her horse.

“Leave me be.” She jerked a bag from the back of her horse and left her horse beneath the lip of the cave to keep it from the rain.

Bronson pulled his steed to a stop. “You know I cannot do that.” He tied his horse beside hers and followed her into the cave.

She’d tugged off her helm already and the hair that had come loose from her braid fell in wet waves around her face. “Why did you follow me?”

“Why did you leave?” He drew his helm off as well and tucked it under his arm. “To get away from me?”

She studied him and the hardness of her gaze softened somewhat. “To get away from them. We’ll never find anything in a group. Not on this side of the border.”

The roar of the rain increased and echoed off the stone around them.

“You mean to go into Scotland?” He spoke over the storm. “Are you mad?”

“I’m desperate.” She lifted her chin up at him in that elegant, stubborn way she did. “To save our sisters. My father’s soldiers can’t go into Scotland, but a woman on her own can.”

It was the perfect solution; one the earl could not have suggested. Not when he was a Border March Warden. But it was certainly something one could do on their own.

Or with someone else.

“A man and woman alone can as well,” he said. “I’ll join you.”

“I’ll do better without a courtier at my side, thank you.” She turned her back to him and swept her braid aside. “Help me remove my armor.”

The back of her neck was creamy white where it rose from her cowl. He had kissed her there so many times before, each one eliciting a breathless gasp of excitement. His groin tightened.

“You know I’d be helpful.” He pulled the gloves off his hands and set them aside along with his helm. “The same as when we were attacked before.” He reached up to stroke her warm skin at the back of her neck and stopped. “Pray tell, why am I removing your armor before we cross the border into Scotland?”

“When I cross the border into Scotland.” She took a step backward to encourage him to remove her armor. “Because riding into the debatable lands looking like a knight is a fine way to get killed.”

He unfastened her plate-lined gambeson and carefully removed it from her torso. She rolled her shoulders back, no doubt savoring the respite from the heavy armor.

“Your cowl as well?” He traced his thumb along the edge of the chainmail where it met her damp skin.

She gave a sharp intake of breath. “Aye.”

He lifted the chainmail over her head. “I’m coming with you,” he said when the metal had lifted from her face.

She gazed up at him with her wild, half-unbound hair. Rainwater had spiked the lashes around her large blue eyes. Beautiful. She was simply beautiful.

Without the frippery of powders and charcoal, without silk and gilding or scented oils. Natural and as she was: perfect.

Only he knew telling her as much would break the careful moment growing between them and chill the heat growing in her eyes. For he knew that heat well.

“Will you help me with my armor?” he asked.