Hers had been a restless night, filled with fitful tossing and turning. Her naked body lay tangled in knotted sheets, the light coverlet long since relegated to the bare floor. Dawn's pale light peeked meekly over the horizon, filling her tiny room with a hint of morning's glow.
Staring blankly at the ceiling, she lay nearly motionless, drawing in slow, deep breaths as she attempted to clear her troubled mind, reeling from the previous days events and thoughts of what was to come. It was to be a nearly impossible task.
A deep sigh escaped through her soft lips as she finally forced her body from the bed to dress with a deliberate slowness. Although not looking forward to the day, she was unaccustomed to being this anxious and nervous. Her intuitive instincts screamed out that her normal way of life was about to be turned upside down.
With her clothes hugging her firm body, she brushed her hair back and tied it in place, suddenly aware of a persistent tremor in her hands. Her blades securely in place, she slipped her traveling satchel on, cracked her bedroom door slightly and pushed it slowly and carefully open, unsure of what she expected to see. Chiding herself for being so paranoid, she slipped from the room to walk stiffly down the stairs, ignoring the innkeeper completely as she walked out the door. The air was cool in the bright sunlight that revealed Jude standing just to the right of her, brushing down her stallion. She wanted to tell him he had no right to touch what was hers, but the words seemed to die on her tongue as she silently watched him. He had his back to her, his clock draped over Beast's back as he brushed the horse s long mane of hair, murmuring something that made her usually loyal companion's ears twitch. The traitorous beast even turned to nuzzle Jude's arm a time a two. Biting her tongue, her gaze shifted back to the man who seeming had captured her mounts gratitude. Even from the back, Jude held an air of confidence and authority, holding his back straight, broad shoulders back. His was the look of lean strength, without any of the bulk that many men carried, yet he carried his power in a way that was not intimidating or threatening.
Forcing herself into a casual walk, she strolled toward the duo and cleared her throat, gaining his attention. Twisting his body to see, he flashed her a charming grin that dropped her stomach somewhere near her knees and sent her nerves into a rapid flutter.
"Good morning, I'm happy to see that you did not run off last night."
"I didn't see the point," she replied. Although she had certainly been tempted time and time again to bolt from her bed for a fast getaway. The urge had been resisted though it remained to be seen if it was a wise choice or not.
Jude let out a soft grunt and finished his last brush strokes, packing away the brush into his own traveling sack. He straightened, brushing long strands of blond hair from his eyes. The move was not unnoticed, her eyes, straying to his hands. Large, long fingered and strong.. Her body burned from the memories of what they had done what they could do to her willing flesh. She shivered and frowned, irritated the her lack of control over her senses.
"Where is your mount," she finally asked, shifting her weight restlessly from one foot to the other.
"I don't have one," he stated lightly, his voice as smooth and rich as the softest velvet. The look on his face could not hide the fact that he was finding amusement in her discomfort, not in a mean or leering way, but in a way that kept her pulse skittering, her nerves high. He motioned for her to move closer but she wasn't moving, her body frozen in place.
"What do you mean, you don't have one? We're not . . . you can't," she stammered, then took a defensive stance as she had on the previous evening. His deep chuckle first made her angry, but then her body intervened and she wanted to melt into him all over again. "Damn," she muttered, racking her fingers through her hair, mussing up the tightness of her braid.
