Page 37 of The Warrior's Innocent Captive

Cold air rushed over her body and she inhaled sharply.

Erik leaned over and pulled her cloak tight over her body.

‘You should get dressed,’ he said briskly. There was no sign in the tone of his voice that the last few moments had happened at all.

‘Erik—’

‘No, Linota,’ he shouted, pushing a hand roughly through his hair.

His gaze met hers. Fury burned in their depths. She stepped back against Cai, her heart pounding wildly.

‘Sorry.’ He reached a hand up to her cheek, but stopped just before he made contact. ‘I didn’t mean to scare you. I only want you to stop. This is hard enough as it is without you...’ He gestured to her body, which was naked beneath her cloak.

‘But, Erik, I—’

He held up a hand to stop her. ‘Linota, you will have to use your future husband to find passion. It cannot and will not be me.’

‘By husband do you mean the Earl of Borwyn?’

Erik rubbed a hand down his face and closed his eyes. ‘Yes, I mean Borwyn. He would be a good match for you.’

An icy hand clutched her heart. ‘Do you want me to marry your brother?’

Erik’s gaze met hers and she flinched at the anger she saw burning there. ‘He is not my brother, is he? He is my half-brother and therein lies the problem. An unclaimed bastard cannot have what he wants. Do I want you to lie with another man? No, the very thought makes me want to tear the world apart. Do I want you to be happy? Yes, and if that happiness depends on a good marriage to a decent man then I will make that happen even if it is the last thing that I want.’

She looked at him and for the first time she believed she was seeing the real man behind the tough, cynically amused façade. He might be a warrior, but he was as hurt by his parents’ actions as she was by hers.

She met his gaze. All the hurt coursing through her was reflected in his eyes. He was right—just because they desired one another didn’t mean that they should act on it.

This was an infatuation. She had to hope it would pass.

‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured.

He nodded brusquely and moved away from her.

She climbed back into her clothes. The high she had experience from washing herself in the icy water slowly ebbed away, leaving her empty and flat. Her clothes chafed on her newly sensitive skin.

She straightened after pulling on her boots. ‘I’m ready,’ she called.

‘Great. We should be able to get to Borwyn town before nightfall.’ His tone was light, but his eyes were bleak.

She wanted to reach out to him, but he had made his feelings clear. He thought the best thing for her was marriage to his brother. Katherine also believed this to be true. Linota wondered what Borwyn thought about it. Perhaps he, too, agreed on their mutual fate. From her brief interactions with the man he had come across as practical. The dowry would help him and the alliance with the influential Earl of Ogmore was something to be prized. He’d want the match for that alone.

Borwyn came across as an honourable man. She supposed she could be happy with him. There would be no passion in the marriage; there was no spark between them. He didn’t make her stomach churn with excitement whenever he came near; he didn’t make her laugh so much her sides hurt. But she knew he would treat her kindly and there would be no violence from him.

As Erik helped her back up on to Cai she told herself she was lucky. Marriage to such a man was a good thing; she’d heard of unions that were a living nightmare. Her new sister-in-law had been married to a man who had been staggeringly unkind to his young bride. His only saving grace was that he had died, leaving Ellena free to marry again. Borwyn would not be like Ellena’s first husband. He would treat her with respect because that’s how he was towards everyone. Linota should be glad.

Her heart didn’t appear to be listening to her head, though. A hard lump settled around it, hurting with every beat.

Chapter Nine

The journey to Borwyn’s township was exquisite torture. Erik’s body roared at him to finish what it had started with Linota while his mind urged him to climb down from Cai. He knew it made sense to walk alongside the horse rather than subject himself to more contact with her beautiful body, but he couldn’t quite force himself to do it. If their time together was going to be limited he would rather spend it torturing himself than miserably alone.

Every time Cai jolted, Erik’s body rubbed up against her. He had to tighten his jaw to stop himself from groaning out loud. He should have made her ride behind him, then he wouldn’t be subjected to her tantalising scent or have her silken hair brush his chin.

He wanted to run his lips down the length of her long neck and to trace the fine bones of her ribs. He was desperate to finish the exploration he’d begun, to have allowed more than his thumb to brush the underneath of her breast. It would have been the work of a moment to follow her curves with his fingertips, to brush over her exquisite nipples, to hear her moan as he did so.

She would have let him.

---