Working for Him
Page 6
“I don’t see how that’s any of your concern, sir.” Why was she playing into his ploy? She should just run, but her legs refused to cooperate.
Noticing her ambivalence, the man took his opportunity. Pushing a large branch from his way, he stepped towards the path from the forest edge, placing himself directly in the moon’s glow. The soft, sterling light illuminated his features, giving form to the haunting voice.
He peered back at her, his golden eyes holding a dominant gleam, assessing her in turn. His heated gaze ran the height of her frame. A responding ripple of anticipation feathered over her body. She grabbed the edges of her crimson cloak, gathering them around her for protection—from the man, rather than the cold night air.
He was everything she’d ever dreamed of. Bound by a short length of rough twine, his salt-and-pepper hair gathered in a knot at the base of his neck. Soft whiskers covered his face, sprinkled with more white streaks than his hair. No lines or wrinkles marred his complexion, conveying an age younger than his streaked hair suggested.
He smiled, and for a moment she almost thought his mouth would be filled with sharp, jagged teeth. It was a fanciful notion, even for her. “I wish only to help a fellow traveller on the road.”
His sophisticated air reminded her of the aristocracy, despite his simple leather and wool clothing. His stiff stance and challenging eyes detailed his ease at giving orders, and his confidence that they’d be obeyed. The impulse to give in to any commands he might order skated through her system. Her insides constricted, heat gathering in her centre. If he asked anything of her would she be able to say no? Do I want to?
“I need no such aid.” Abigail swallowed the lump forming in her throat beneath the stranger’s lecherous stare. If another man sent her such a licentious look, she’d slap him across his face. Yet, here in the moonlight, his critical gaze turned her knees to water.
“And what if I promised to be the most trustworthy of companions?”
She raised an eyebrow at him, surprised by the honesty in his words. “And how am I to accept the word of a stranger? What proof do I have you will keep your vow?”
“How am I to prove myself, my sweet, if you won’t let me near?”
The man stepped towards her. Her body locked down, frozen by intrigue rather than dread. But she stood still, allowing his progress, ignoring how she should pull back.
“I don’t need protection.” She tried to project a steely tone but failed miserably.
He stopped before her, not moving into the cleared walk, forcing her to make the final move to seek him out. He extended his hand, his fingers rough and callused against hers. Her muscles tensed, responding to the flare of tension his proximity created.
He didn’t touch her. Instead, he fingered the edge of her scarlet hood, tracing the ridge of fabric. His finger hovered inches from her skin, not touching her. His heat transferred through the thin air to tickle her.
Abigail shook at his near touch, her crimson cloak insufficient defence against the stranger’s seeking gaze and tempting promise. Her heartbeat sped up as she gasped for each breath. “I’ll be fine, sir, as long as I stay on the path.” She repeated her mantra, though it no longer held the same security.
Desires bloomed in her mind, filling her head with the craving to run her fingers through his thick hair and pull him towards her needy body. The temptation to feel his touch gliding along her skin or his taste along her tongue almost overwhelmed her sense of reason.
She silently cursed herself for these longings and her inability to be the upstanding child her grandmother wished for. For her failure to run from the possibility of injury, and to be the granddaughter who would be happy with the safe, secure life they’d been given.
She stepped towards the stranger and closer to the danger he might offer, the call of excitement too delicious to resist. All the passion and pleasure that existed on the edge of propriety and safety was now only a fraction from her reach.
“That may be, my sweet.” His nostrils flared, his chest puffing with his deep breaths. The soft breeze brushed across her skin as he inhaled the air around her. He enveloped her with a hungry stare, as if he wished to consume her whole, which only exhilarated her further. Blood rushed through her body, heating her limbs. “But do you want to settle for fine, my dear? Or do you want more?”
The statement rolled through her mind like a soft whisper spoken in a dream or the tangled desires of her heart never before fully voiced. His words stroked a familiar place inside her. Fine was what she’d been given. Fine was what she received and did not complain about, because that was all she’d expected. But a longing buried deep within her had always wanted something else.
It wanted excitement, passion, satisfaction. Beyond what fine could ever offer.
She shifted her hand on the basket handle, forcing her duties to the front of her mind. She needed to go home, to bring her wares to her grandmother. She needed to return to the safety of her quiet life before she no longer had the choice.
Her gaze moved to the stranger before her. A wicked grin spread across his face, making her feel dizzy. How simple it would be to give in, to take advantage of his intriguing offer. But what would happen next? Would she receive the thrill she had always sought? Or would she find something more sinister within the stranger’s suggestion?
“No. I can’t.”
The voice of obedience rang in her ears, imploring her to move, to follow the path her grandmother expected, regardless of her own wishes. A voice too weak to survive against the stranger’s continued onslaught.
“I must go.”
Fearing she might still be lost, despite her decline, Abigail gripped her basket tightly, turning from the mysterious man and the temptation he offered. Her crimson cloak swirled behind her as she ran down the twining dirt path. She was unsure if she raced from the man, or from the urge to turn back.
Wolf watched as the woman fled him, escaping in a flash of scarlet down the road. The moonlight beamed off the pale skin of her neck and cheek, shining like marble. His skin had never met hers, but he imagined her flesh would be warm and receptive beneath his hands. A woman that brave and curious would definitely be warm.
The earth crunched beneath his feet as he stepped from the forest line into the clear walk. He’d never intended to travel this path tonight, having more efficient routes to return home. He’d only come to town to sell his doe skins at market and spend the few coins he’d received on ale before heading on his way. But once he’d seen the copper-haired beauty, her eyes had captured him completely. So big and bright, they looked out on the world begging for more, for something the innocent maiden couldn’t name. Emanating a plea Wolf needed to answer. Just the simple look from her had him hard as an oak post.
There’d been no alternative. He’d needed to follow her. He had to know her.
He mindlessly kicked a rock out of his way. The stone hit something else hard, scattering the dead leaves around it. The sound reverberated through the otherwise quiet woods. He couldn’t believe the prize he’d found in the red-caped woman, when she’d wandered down the abandoned alley, where a couple rutted in the street like animals. The honest interest that had crossed her face had amazed and aroused him. Her soft pink lips had parted in a gasp, begging to be touched. His mouth had watered at the sight of those breasts, high and tight, heaving beneath her cloak with her deep breaths. The points of her nipples had poked out, visible through the cloth.
He’d never seen a woman so interested, not holding back her passion or hiding behind her inexperience. Instead, she had openly desired more. And he desperately wanted to give her all that she dreamed of.
Deep in the forest, an owl hooted, followed by a rustle of leaves as it flew from the trees in search of prey. He paid the animal no mind, his gaze focused forward on the last trace of red trailing through the woods. His own prey was still focused within his sight.
Watching her hadn’t been enough—he’d needed to talk to her, to know her, to see if she was trul
y as interested as she appeared. No, this short encounter on the road hadn’t been enough, not even close. The wanting and interest that had flickered in her eyes had only flared his need higher. His desire to see her give in to the craving she warred with, to give herself up to complete abandon overshadowed all else. Whether it was right or wise didn’t matter. Everything else fled in the face of the enticing woman. Not his family or the pain their loss still housed in his heart. No thought occupied his mind beyond her, reason replaced with a desperate need to know more.
He licked his lips and picked up his pace along the deserted lane. Determination filled his steps, dirt kicked up behind him with each of his strides. Everything he wanted was only yards down the path. Nothing would stand in his way to possess her.
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About the Author
Willa Edwards has dreamed about being a writer since she was four years old. When she picked up her first romance novel at fifteen she knew she’d found her place and she’s never looked back.
She now lives in New York, where she works with numbers at her Evil Day Job and spends her nights writing red-hot tales of erotic romance. When she’s not at her computer, you can usually find her curled up in bed with her two furry babies, her nose pressed to her ereader.
Email: willa.c.edwards@gmail.com
Willa loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.total-e-bound.com.
Also by Willa Edwards
Bound by Fairytales: Wandering Off the Path
Tied to the Billionaire: Working for Him
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