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Bliss crashed over him, sending him spiraling into a joyful oblivion. Their bodies shook and writhed together, their cries of passion filling the room.

Finally, he collapsed beside her, their breaths coming in ragged gasps. He reached out his arm and collected his shirt to wipe his essence from her belly. He then cleaned his cock with the same garment.

Their breaths still loud in the silent inn, Ford snaked his arm over her waist and pulled her close.

She nestled her head against his hairy chest and rubbed her cheek against him, like a cat seeking affection. She let out a contented sigh before saying, “Hmm… I hope you have sufficiently warmed up.”

Ford chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

Chapter 22

The next morning, their clothes clean and dry after the previous night’s adventures, Ford and Grace set out toward Dover. Oddly, the empty inn where they’d sought refuge had no spare horses, leaving them no choice but to rely on their lone mount.

They had ridden on a single horse all the way through London. And although the sturdy animal was able to bear their weight, it was uncomfortable to say the least.

In stark contrast to their recent ordeals, the weather seemed to smile upon their journey. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the heavy clouds, creating dappled patterns on the road ahead. A gentle breeze at their backs seemed to urge them forward.

Grace sat between his thighs like the day before, her head nestled beneath his neck. Ford liked the fact that he could smell her scent mixed in with the fresh grass and earth. These were his favorite three scents.

It almost didn’t feel like they were fleeing for their lives. It was a wonderful journey. A road trip.

They hadn’t conversed since leaving the inn, the clickity-clack of the horse’s hooves against the ground and the howl of the wind restricting any meaningful conversation they might have had. But he did hear Grace humming something under her breath, her voice carried over to him by the wind.

They had changed horses a few times during the day, trying to finish their journey before sunset. And Ford thought they were right on track to do just that.

As hunger began to gnaw at his stomach, Ford steered the horse away from the main road, guiding them towards the spring. Grace stretched in her seat as the horse slowed its pace. “Where are we?”

Ford glanced at the sky. “Still a good few hours from Dover.” He helped Grace down and jumped off the horse himself. “We’ll need to change the horse soon, hopefully, for the last time. But I wanted to let it rest for a bit and have some food for now. I think it would be wise for us to do the same.”

Grace nodded and collected a little pouch from the back of the saddle, where the sandwiches and apples they’d bought from the inn were nestled.

Ford’s muscles ached and groaned. He hadn’t spent that much time atop a horse in a while. And if yesterday his body hadn’t felt the aches until they’d reached the inn, today he had woken up with pain in his joints and muscles.

Ford snatched one sandwich, popped it into his mouth and went to tend to the horse.

“How much time do we have to rest?” Grace called.

“A few minutes to stretch our legs and fill our bellies.”

Grace nodded. After the horse drank its fill, Ford led it to graze a few feet away. He looked back only to see Grace wade into the stream.

Ford frowned. What was she doing?

Turned out… Nothing.

She alternated between washing her feet in the cold water and hopping from stone to stone. Ford found himself unable to look away, a bemused grin spreading across his face. He couldn’t fathom why anyone would willingly subject themselves to the icy water, but Grace’s joy was infectious.

As he watched her, leaning against a tree, Ford marveled at the contradiction Grace embodied. Here was a woman who had seen the darkest sides of humanity, who had built a facade of stoicism and grim determination to survive in a harsh world. Yet underneath it all, she retained a childlike wonder, still capable of finding delight in life’s simplest pleasures. Given all she’d endured, how she had managed to keep that spark alive was a mystery to Ford—one he found himself increasingly drawn to solve.

Ford felt an odd sort of pride knowing she felt secure and comfortable enough to act like this around him—showing him all her quirks, divulging all her thoughts and opinions. This was not the Grace he’d known.

After finding out that she and Triss were the same person, he’d racked his brain trying to figure out which woman she truly was, and which one was a mask. And the more time he’d spent with her, with or without a disguise, the more he realized that she was both. She had never been playing a part. She was just suppressing one part of her while showing the other.

Now that she’d revealed the truth about herself, she happily showed him both.

And that woman… she was breathtaking.

After a few minutes of dancing in the stream, Grace dashed toward him, her boots in her hand, her teeth chattering from the cold.