Beneath a Midnight Moon - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,22
back of her horse. She was like a feather in his arms, soft and light.
Swinging aboard his own mount, Hardane headed toward a verdant valley a short distance behind the castle.
Kylene held her horse back a little. She needed some distance between them, a space of time to collect her thoughts, to remind herself of her obligations, her vows to the Sisterhood—especially the vow of chastity.
She tried to concentrate on the beauty of the passing countryside, the lush grass, the flowers that grew in bright profusion on every peak and hill, the trees clothed in every shade of green imaginable—but time and again her gaze was drawn to Hardane—to the incomparable width of his shoulders, the way the morning sun made blue highlights dance in his hair, the way he rode his horse, tall and straight and proud, like the warrior prince he was. His sleeveless jerkin exposed his arms—strong, well-tanned, well-muscled arms. His legs, clad in supple black leather, guided his horse with the ease of long practice.
He was like a hawk, wild and free, master of his own life, his own fate, and she was like a wren, dull brown and ordinary, easy prey for cats and wolves . . . and hawks.
She drew her gaze from his broad back and began to mentally recite the rules of the Sisterhood, but, somehow, she couldn’t seem to concentrate on promises of obedience, poverty, chastity, and service to others. They were promises she’d made when she was hardly more than a child, when she didn’t fully realize that there was a whole world waiting outside the walls of the Motherhouse, when she didn’t fully understand the implications of chastity. She knew now that it meant more than staying chaste. It meant giving up all hope of a husband, a home of her own, children. . . . It meant denying herself the pleasure of a man’s arms around her, a pleasure she had never contemplated until she met Hardane of Argone.
Lost in thought, she was hardly aware that he had come to a stop until he reached out and grabbed her horse’s bridle, bringing the animal to a halt.
She blinked up at him, felt the full impact of his gaze as his eyes met hers. Those eyes, deep and dark, which were sometimes as gray as thunderclouds and sometimes the soft hue of a dove’s wing.
“We’re here,” he said, and swinging from the saddle, he lifted her from her horse’s back and placed her feet on the ground.
For an endless moment, they gazed at each other, a mere breath of space between them.
She saw the sudden heat that flared in his eyes, the fine lines around his eyes, the steady beat of the pulse in his throat. She hadn’t seen many men in her life. Those on board the Sea Dragon had been plain, of no consequence. Hardane’s friend Jared had been comely enough, but surely no man in all the world was as handsome as the one standing before her.
Hardane felt his body respond to Kylene’s perusal. The touch of her golden brown eyes was like the touch of fire, snaking along his nerve endings, igniting the coals of desire until he thought he might burst into flame. It had been sheer folly to agree to bring her here. He was a man grown, a man destined to rule Argone, and yet he had no more knowledge of women than a lad.
The fire in his body raged hotter and hotter, fueled by the faint hint of longing that sparked in Kylene’s eyes.
Take her now.
He clenched his fists to keep from doing just that, but he didn’t turn away. Fool that he was, he continued to stand close to the flame, tormenting himself like a moth that knows sure destruction awaits but is drawn closer and closer to the fire.
And then he heard his mother’s voice whisper in the back of his mind, warning him, reminding him of the promise he had made to her years ago.
Like a splash of cold water, it cooled the flames, though the spark still burned. With an effort, he took a step back, putting distance between them.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
Kylene released a deep breath, feeling as though she had just been rescued from the edge of a precipice. “Not yet.”
“Thirsty, perhaps?”
She nodded, her gaze following him as he removed a flask and two goblets from his saddlebags. He filled one and handed it to her, then filled the second for himself.