by Nikki Landis
He laughed again and stepped back. “I wish we could…” He didn’t finish.
He grabbed my hand and we ran over to the horses to set up camp. A little while later the tent was up and Kellen was building a fire pit. He was going to hunt for our dinner. I watched him take a bow and a quiver of arrows off the horse. He put his finger to his lips and crouched down looking toward the trees.
I thought I could make something out, a small rustling sound. He pulled an arrow slowly out and nocked it, quietly bringing the string back. He was aiming. A few seconds later I saw the arrow leave, making a slight whoosh through the air. It hit something hard and I heard a thud. A fairly large thud.
“I’ll be right back,” he told me with a grin.
Kellen returned with a large deer over his shoulders, a buck. The antlers were huge.
“I have to clean it and get some meat for us. It’s fairly dirty work, you may want to look away,” he warned me.
I nodded. I was about to look away when I saw him yank his shirt over his head. My eyes took in the wide chiseled chest and strong muscular arms. I couldn’t look away. He was beautiful. My eyes roamed over his pecs and abdominals noting the defined muscles. They rippled and moved as he set to work on the deer. His stomach was so…sexy. I couldn’t help but think so. It made me blush.
That’s how he saw me when he looked up. His eyes looked surprised and then his wide grin spread across his face, his dimple appearing in his cheek.
“What is it Rhiannon?” He asked, teasing me.
“Um, I was just thinking…how…” I shifted uncomfortably on the ground and didn’t continue. My blush deepened.
“Rhiannon, do you think I’m handsome?” He was grinning like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. It was taunting and teasing at the same time.
I grew a little bolder. “I was thinking how…sexy your muscles are…and how much I like them.” I shrugged my shoulders.
He laughed out loud so hard that I just stared at him.
“I knew you thought so. It’s very satisfying since I think your body is about perfect too.”
I blushed even deeper if that were possible. That seemed to amuse him a great deal. He was whistling while he finished the deer. He set to work making us a hot meal to eat. I realized I was starving by the time it was ready and ate more than usual. He noticed and smiled, raising an eyebrow in silent question.
“I think it is something about this place that makes me enjoy and want everything so much more. I seem to be hungrier too but more than that, my emotions are so much stronger,” I told him trying to explain.
He looked at me, teasing again. “And your desires? Are they stronger too?”
“In every way but one. When it comes to you, it’s pretty much the same.”
He laughed again, this time not quite so loud. “I love your openness and honesty, Rhia darling. It is so refreshing. That’s why you always surprise me,” he told me seriously.
We sat down on the ground together near a fallen tree. He leaned back and pulled me close to him, putting his arm around me. My head fell back against his shoulder and we watched the sun setting across another beautiful sky, relaxed, no tension or anxiety like last night. It was a long time before either of us felt like talking.
I finally got curious about something.
“I’m curious,” I told him, breaking the silence.
“Hmmm…” He responded.
“You told me to tell you when I was curious again. Well, I am.”
He laughed, remembering. “Yes, what is it?”
Silence.
“How much longer is it to the portal?” I asked a different question than the one I was going to ask, chickening out.
“We’ll be there tomorrow afternoon way before the portal closes. We stopped far away since I didn’t want you close to it when it gets dark.”
I thought about that. “What about the horses? How will they get back to your house?”
He sighed. “Rhiannon, do you really want to know about the horses? Why don’t you just ask me what you want to know?”
I looked at him innocently. “But I do want to know about the horses.” Ok, so that was a half-truth there.
“Tristan will take them home when he goes back to see Kayleigh, which I’m sure you already figured out.”
I didn’t say anything. I just sat there quietly thinking. Kellen shifted his weight and started to thump his fingers on the ground. I got a kick out of that.
“Am I boring you?” I asked him, my voice full of humor.
He grumbled a little in his throat. I laughed, thoroughly enjoying myself.
“You are so impatient,” I told him.
He pulled me into his lap and took my shoulders in his hands. His eyes looked deep into mine. Oh yeah, he was very impatient. I shifted my body since I was uncomfortable and sat with one leg on each side of him. That was better.
“So…I was wondering…why you didn’t say anything about making the journey alone.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “That’s not your question, though, is it?”
“Um, why didn’t you say anything about…Seasnan being with us?” I hesitantly looked at his face.
He was scowling. I’m sure he knew I would ask eventually. What was he thinking?
“You’re not saying anything,” I pointed out.
His scowl deepened. He grabbed my hips and pulled me close against him. Our chests were touching. His was still bare and I tried not to be distracted by that. I put my arms around his neck and waited. He stayed quiet for a while. Then his hands tightened on me.
“I don’t like you thinking about him,” he spoke sullenly, “or any man for that matter.”
I ignored the implication of that statement and any reference to Baylor.
“Oh, Kellen, I’m not. I was only curious because you didn’t say anything to me. That’s all.”
He just stared at me. Didn’t he believe me?
“He forced a kiss on you. I know you were angry. You’re not…” He didn’t finish.
I was furious at him thinking I might have liked it or something. I leaned all the way forward until I was just about two inches from his eyes.
“I am only interested in and attracted to you. Let this jealousy go. I’ll prove it to you.”
I brought my lips to his and lay my fingers on his chest, running them down along his perfect abs. He returned the kiss with a fierce intensity, his hands holding onto my waist, gripping me tightly like I might get up and walk away. He moaned softly and his lips began to move along the delicate spot below my earlobe.
“Oh, Kellen,” I said thickly, “I love only you.”
His kisses trailed down the column of my throat. He gently pushed my shirt aside and pressed his lips to my bare shoulder, shoving the material lower.
“Rhiannon, Rhiannon…I love you so much.” His voice was raspy, deep, husky.
Suddenly the sound of thunderous hooves approaching made us both snap back into awareness. I realized I was sitting in a compromising position, so I started to move. Kellen held me there. For some reason he thought I should stay like that.
I frowned.
We both looked up to see Seasnan on his horse. He galloped up fast, pulling the horse to a stop only ten feet away from us, holding tightly to the reins. He noted the way Kellen was holding me and the fact that he was shirtless. His eyes showed his surprise and then narrowed. His face he kept carefully blank.
“Was there something you wanted?” Kellen asked casually as he let his lips come back to my collarbone and along my neck.
“I came to make sure you were settled for the night and that Rhiannon was safe.”
Kellen’s hands tightened around me and his whole body flexed. His face he kept carefully relaxed.
“As you can see, we are fine and quite ready for the night. We’ll see you tomorrow after we’ve rested.”
He let the bait sit. I saw Seasnan’s body go rigid. His face also stayed smooth. He nodded.
These Guardians were masters over their facial expressions but terrible at hiding their emotions. Their body language gave everything away. Such little school boy games. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, slightly irked that Kellen chose to use me like a shiny new toy that Seasnan wanted and could not have. It was ridiculous.
“Oh, Seasnan, I killed a buck. You guys could use the meat. It’s over by the tent.”
Seasnan nodded and jumped off his horse. He took the animal and tied it on. Then he jumped back up on his horse and nodded to Kellen. His eyes turned to me and I saw the naked desire there for a brief moment before he hid it and rode off. Kellen had noticed it too. His whole body was rigid and stiff, like the moment before a cobra strike.
I was very surprised when he suddenly relaxed and laughed heartily. Maybe it was getting to be too much for him. Did he finally snap? No longer able to handle the stress?
I looked at him curiously. He smiled my favorite grin.
“I might be jealous but I get to be with you. He never will. He got to see what he is missing just now. It didn’t make him very happy.”
Kellen continued to laugh for a long while, chuckling every now and then at the thought. I just shook my head at him and leaned against his chest totally content to stay there, at least until my thoughts wandered.
And I told myself it did not matter that the last person I thought of, the last eyes in my memory, belonged to a man I promised not to forget, and not the one who was with me.
Baylor.
Chapter Twenty Two
We slept in the tent as the sun was rising. Kellen lay on his back and I was lying with my head on his chest, in my favorite spot, in the crook of his arm. I had slept peacefully with him next to me all night. He was a perfect gentleman. We were all alone and it would have been very easy to take advantage of that. Neither of us spoke about it.
We had some pretty passionate moments at times but both of us knew that our relationship was not ready to go that far yet. I think he was trying to protect my innocence and I loved him even more for it. I had been raised on good old fashioned morals and he knew that. He was very patient. It meant a lot to me that he considered my thoughts and wishes above his own.
This trip together had been pivotal in our relationship. We had only said we loved each other the day before we left. So much had happened since we came here. The moment that stood out in my mind the most was his declaration of love to me at the waterfall. I had been so happy.
It made me happy now just thinking of it. I turned my face to place a kiss on his chest and looked up at him. He was staring down at me with a curious expression on his face.
“What was that for?” He asked me, intrigued.
“I was thinking of when you told me I had your heart by the waterfall.”
“Truly you do,” he replied warmly.
“I was also thinking about what a gentleman you are and how much I love that.”
He pulled me up so that my face was directly in front of him, his fingers lightly brushing the hair out of my eyes.
“Thank you, my darling. That means a lot to me. I respect your decisions.”
I ran my hand along his cheek and up through his hair, inching slowly across his chiseled jaw, past the masculine arch of his brow, sweeping up and then back down to the back of his neck. His eyes closed briefly and then they reopened. Desire creeped into them. A sigh of pleasure escaped his lips. The corners turned up, betraying the extent of his emotion.
I smiled in return, having thoughts that went along the same lines. He caught my expression and his arms tightened around me unconsciously. A small low laugh escaped from my chest. He raised his head, the hesitation lingered in his eyes for only a few seconds, then his lips met mine for a long minute. When he finally pulled back, I was breathless against him, my chest moving against his quickly.
“My thoughts aren’t very gentleman like right now,” he told me, breathing heavy.
“Kellen,” I responded, my heart racing in my chest, the fast beat matching his.
He pressed his lips to mine again, a tremor running through his muscular frame, and then sat up, pulling me with him. His voice was a little tight when he spoke.
“My self-control is not very strong right now in this tent with you. Come on. We need to get ready to leave.”
He kissed me again briefly, his eyes refusing to meet mine, and then brought us both up to our feet. He left to let me dress while he packed up the camp outside. All the while my thoughts kept returning to him again and again. I closed my eyes, feeling the heat of his kisses still upon my lips. With reluctance I pulled off my nightgown, determined to let the fires raging in my blood cool to a tolerable level.
I yanked on the riding pants and white blouse, pausing to tug the black riding boots onto my feet. These had been a gift from Kayleigh and his parents along with all of the other dresses she was keeping for me in the wardrobe in Kellen’s room back in Karmelo. I knew they would be waiting for me when I returned. When not if. I would be there again soon, I was certain of it. The thought made me smile. We would go back when we could. I was already anticipating another visit here.
I set to work folding blankets and rolling up the sleeping bags and was almost finished when Kellen walked in to check on me. I was bent over in front of him trying to get the zipper up on the last sleeping bag. It had been stubborn. I was tugging on it. I sighed and sat back just as he grabbed me around the waist. We tumbled over on the floor laughing in each other’s arms.
He suddenly stopped laughing as his hands clenched and unclenched around me. His sudden struggle broke through my own carefully constructed wall of control. It fled, in an instant, desire overriding logic.
“Rhiannon, I’m not handling this tent thing well. I just keep thinking about-”
My lips on his silenced him. We were facing each other on the ground. Our limbs entwined from tumbling down on the floor, our bodies flush, close enough to feel the pounding of our hearts, the heat of our embrace fusing like iron in flame. I ran my hands along his chest, through his shirt I could feel the strength and power of the muscles there, the raw physicality that made me weaken with just one touch. Yanking on the soft material, he pulled it over his head.
I moaned softly and his resistance shattered. In that instant I was hyper aware of every breath, every moan, every slightest touch. His lips became hard and demanding against mine. His hands seemed to be everywhere, along my waist and into my hair. He reached toward my hip and slid his hand slowly down to my thigh and yanked it up over him.
My back lowered to the tent. He arched as he pushed into me, the need of his body overriding his mind. His fingers gripped my thighs, intimately grasping my flesh, the heat penetrating the thin material of my pants. I felt the warm wet softness of his lips against my neck, exploring and teasing.
“Kellen!” I yelled passionately.
He pressed his lips back to mine forcefully while he clutched me to his chest and grabbed my other leg. Both of my knees clutched at his waist. His body drove into mine once, twice. Liquid fire plunged into my core. What was this feeling? A tightening in my stomach, a pressure in my groin? Whatever it was I never wanted it to stop…
Kellen sat us up, our limbs entwined, and broke the kiss. He stared at me with an intensity I had never seen before. He was breathing so hard with his teeth clenched that the muscle in his jaw twitched, while the muscles in his arms shook lightly with his effort to control himself. His eyes seemed half wild as he continued to stare at me. We said nothing, both of us trying to breathe, and neither of us wanting to let go.
It took him a very long time to compose himself. Long after his breathing slowed he continued to fight for control over his body. He didn’t move, even when he was able, and I stayed pressed against his chest and resting against his knees. His hands still held me as tightly as before. Never releasing.
I was fascinated by his struggle. My eyes stayed locked with his. I watched for what seemed like an eternity as his eyes slowly lost the wild,
frenzied look. Finally, his hold began to loosen. He still didn’t let me go. Smugly I let my arms rest around his neck. Amusement creeped back into his eyes.
I smiled widely at him in response.
“Was it close this time?” I whispered.
He spoke with great effort, trying to keep his voice even. “You have no idea.”
I felt bad for his struggle but then I thought about his muscles again and lost my concentration.
“Rhiannon, stop looking at me like…you want me to devour you…I almost…we just about…” He couldn’t finish and ended with a small growl.
The growl was deep and…sexy. Just thinking the word made my thoughts wander again.
“Rhiannon, please.” His breathing was accelerating again along with mine. “I don’t want it to happen like this. I want it to be special. It needs to be right. You deserve that.”
“I’m having a hard time caring about that right now,” I admitted. My voice was so thick and deep and full of emotion I hardly recognized it.
“Damn,” he swore softly, “that’s the last thing I need to hear.”
Kellen jumped up fast, almost knocking me over backward. He scooped me up and marched right out of the tent. He practically ran to the horses and set me on one so fast I hardly realized what he was doing. He stepped back about ten feet from me and stood there breathing fast. His whole body looked tense and ready to snap like a rubber band.
I looked at him sheepishly. I was a tiny bit sorry for going overboard but not enough to say it. He struggled for a few minutes and regained his composure. He walked slowly back toward me, a small smile on his lips only a minute later. He looked thoughtful as he considered the situation in his head.
“Rhiannon, I think things are moving very fast for both of us. It’s not fair or right that I am having so difficult a time and making you do more than you are ready for. I’m going to cool it down a little.”
I nodded and tears welled up in my eyes. He was so good for me. He really did respect me.
“Please don’t get upset or your feelings hurt, ok? Because baby I love you and I want you more than anything in this world but I’m not going to steal it from you. I value you way too much for that. Do you understand?” His voice was so soft, so gently pleading, and full of emotion that the tears fell down over my cheeks.
