AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Then, she began to kiss him back. Her fingers threaded through the curls in his hair, gripping lightly as she moved into the kiss. Stephen couldn’t contain the passion coursing within him, the need to pull her into his lap and kiss her senseless. Had it not been for her bad ankle, maybe he would have. He certainly knew he was capable of it, capable of anything with her heady scent filling him.
She pulled away first, folding her lips back. But she didn’t move far, not completely. She simply put her hand on his chest, taking a few moments before her eyes flickered up to his.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “My ankle is just…”
“I understand, I understand.” He shot to his feet, shame washing his cheeks red. “I shouldn’t have…I’ll go get fetch the physician. If you need water, there’s some by the end of the couch.”
Hannah looked down at the pitcher of water he’d brought with him last night before settling down to ease her fever. She nodded, folding her hand to her chest. Her face was blank, simply staring at him. The shame deepened.
He raised his hand awkwardly as he made his leave, resisting the urge to take off running.
How could I have done something so stupid?
She was a stranger to him, for God’s sake. He was a stranger to her! Whether she was beautiful or not, it was foolish to kiss a woman he’d only just met in the middle of the woods. A woman who had a bad ankle and couldn’t get away from him.
What was I thinking?
Gritting his teeth, Stephen made his way to the barn and went straight for his horse. Shadow, as Hannah claimed her horse’s name was, neighed angrily at him when he drew near and Stephen took a moment to study her. She was a well-bred mare, her coat shiny and beautiful, rivaling the quality of horses at Dunleer Manor.
How did she get her hands on a horse like that?
Shaking his head, he decided not to think much about it. Other than the admission that she was a lover of riding, Hannah hadn’t said much about herself last night and he wasn’t going to pry, no matter how curious he was. He didn’t want questions about his own upbringing either. He found it refreshing to speak with someone without titles and etiquette in the way.
Focusing on the task ahead of him, he tried to forget the kiss and rode out into the woods in search of help.
