kidnapped or tried to hurt him, they wouldn’t have found it easy.
Hour after hour she traveled, stopping to study the brush or searching for evidence of traveling horses. Most of her time was spent cursing because she was so unsuccessful.
She couldn’t find Claray’s stalker, and she couldn’t find her grandfather. Part of her had hoped she might run into her sire, that he would have good news to share or an idea of where his father had gone, but it hadn’t happened. She’d be sleeping alone this night, something she wished she’d given more thought to when she’d galloped across Grant land with no destination in mind. Although she prided herself on her keen mind, sometimes her impulsivity put her in danger, or so her sire had always said.
She didn’t feel safe at the moment.
Dusk was nearly upon her when she decided to find a cave for shelter. She knew of one not far ahead, so she made her plan to stop there. On the morrow she’d return to Grant land using the unpopular trails, hoping to unearth some clue to the location of her grandsire. And if she and her sire crossed paths along the way, she’d be pleased.
She hadn’t gone far when her horse’s ears perked up, so she slowed to see if anyone was within sight. Up until now, she’d been fortunate enough not to run into any reivers, but the danger was undeniable.
The distant sound of a single horse’s hooves finally caught her ears, so she found a spot off the path and hid her horse to the side to allow the rider to pass. This was exactly the kind of situation her sire would rail at her for, being alone with no guards to protect her.
She’d pay the price later, but she had to find her grandfather. Then they could all yell at her as much as they wished.
What if it was too late? What if Grandsire was lying dead somewhere? What if he’d been robbed and beaten by reivers, and they’d left him to find his way back without a horse? He wasn’t as strong as when he was younger. She fought the desire to panic. Her horse snorted as if to remind her they had more important issues at hand.
They could be facing a brutal attacker.
Holding her breath, she waited for the horse to pass. Quite certain it was only one horse, she readied her bow just in case she needed to attack.
To her complete surprise, the rider was someone she knew. Derric Corbett flew past, but then he stopped, almost as if he’d caught her scent. She brought her horse out into his view and
Derric dismounted immediately, tossing the reins over a bush and running toward her. “What the bloody hell are you doing out here alone, Diamond? I traveled to Grant land to find you, only to discover you’d run off brazenly on your own. Your clan is searching for you everywhere.”
She reacted the only way she could. Jumping from her horse, she ran straight into his arms, and his lips found hers before she could answer. His heat warmed her and she tugged him back into the woods, away from the view of anyone who came along. His lips descended on hers and she moaned, not caring if he heard her. How she needed him right now. She needed him to make everything better.
He angled his mouth over hers, and their tongues dueled in a savage dance she wanted everywhere. Before she knew it, she was tugging at his tunic, yanking it up over his arms and his head, her hands landing on his bare chest as soon as she tossed it aside.
“Just say aye, Diamond. Tell me you want this as much as I do,” he whispered, pulling her tunic over her head, grasping at the binding around her chest and tearing at the rough cloth. When the mounds fell into his hands, she moaned again, his thumbs teasing her nipples to a hardness that she liked even more.
“Aye, please. I need you, Derric. I need us, please.” What had possessed her to say such things? She didn’t need him.
Did she? Before she knew it, she was lying on top of her own leggings, and he was doing things to her that would drive her to madness, she was sure of it. “Derric, please finish this. I need…” His hands caressed her bare bottom and she arched against him until his mouth descended on her nipple, suckling her until