Page 27

Andor could not. Should not. If he started anything with her, he would want to protect her, and what if he was not able to?

Not for a second time.

He swallowed. With an effort equal to pulling a whale from the sea, he turned around and left.

CHAPTER NINE

“That yoga you were doing,” Andor said as they continued north through the woods. “Is it a dance?”

Cathy glanced at him, surprised. This was the softest voice he had ever used with her.

“Did you see me do yoga, too?” she asked.

The memory of him staring at her naked body sent her pulse racing.

Earlier this morning, it had felt so good to do her yoga routine again, to calm her mind, to connect to her body. Afterwards, washing in the stream, even if her skin ached from the cold, was so invigorating, so refreshing that for the first time since she’d arrived in this time—maybe even since Brad’s accident—she felt strong, she felt like herself.

She’d even asked herself if she really needed that jerk, Andor, to find the way to York.

Bliss had evaporated when she’d seen him watching her. The heat in his eyes could have boiled the icy water in the stream. It had certainly set her blood simmering. Her knees had gone weak and her heart had pumped harder and her mouth had dried. The world had stood still as their eyes locked. If either of them had lifted a finger, the air between them would have crackled like a ball of lightning.

No one had looked at her that way—ever.

Not even Brad.

“I saw you,” Andor said. “I have never seen anything like what you were doing.”

Her cheeks were warming, a smile threatening to appear on her face.

Oh, what was wrong with her? She was enjoying the attention of this arrogant Viking.

Stupid, pathetic, and needy. A little male attention, and she was ready to swoon. She had Brad to think about, the only man who loved her and whom she loved.

Get your shit together, you wimp. You cannot start developing feelings for a Viking only because he saw you naked and seemed to like it.

“Well,” she said, “you haven’t seen it because you guys have probably not even heard of India yet. But in the future, the whole world is connected. Globalization brings everything together. Japanese sushi, clothes made in China, French wine available in every supermarket. So yoga has become popular all around the world.”

Andor hemmed, clearly confused.

“Why? Did you want to try?” she said.

“Try?” he laughed. “No. I do not dance.”

Typical man.

“It’s not a dance, Andor. It could only do you good. Calm you down. Maybe even help your leg heal a little faster.”

He shook his head. “It reminded me of a völva I’ve seen who was doing a dance by the fire to connect to the gods. But hers was wild and chaotic. Yours—it was different. There was no chaos in it. It brought—”

He stopped talking, as if searching for words.

“Peace?” Cathy said.

“Yes. Peace. Peace spread through me from just looking at you.”

Cathy smiled. “Yes. Yoga can do that.”

Andor chuckled. “I forgot what peace was.”