Page 34 of Wolf's Redemption

She gave a startled gasp and back-stepped hastily away from him until the rope played out and pulled her to a stop. “You know, I thought, after all we’ve been through together, you would trust me by now. I mean, I didfollow you from the village of my own accord.”

He paused, a knot in the rope half-formed. She had, and she had stayed with him all day, not once attempting to escape him. He took in the weary slump of her shoulders and the drooping of her eyelids. Her body was tired, more so than his.

“Are you going to run?”

She threw her arms into the air. “Where? The villagers would barely look at me and the forest has wolves that will eat me. You’re the only one who’s offered to help.”

Ulrik considered her words. “Very well.”

He loosened the incomplete knot and let the rope slip from around her waist, then coiled it and set it aside. He unbuckled his sword and it joined the rope, then he lay down, stretching himself out.

“Come. Lay beside me.” He patted his surcoat. “Between this and my body heat, it will keep you warm.”

She huffed and rolled her eyes. He rested his hands beneath his head and watched her debate what to do. She scoped out the surrounding ground, then settled herself in the dirt.

He rolled onto his side, observing her as she fussed about getting comfortable. “You will get a better night’s sleep over here where you can be warm.”

“That’s debatable.”

He allowed himself a grin, knowing she could not see well enough to catch his amusement. “Very well, then.”

He rolled on to his back and stared up at the stars through the leafy canopy. She patted the dirt, brushed aside a few leaves and dislodged a few pebbles. He waited. Rebekah rolled over. She wiggled about, shifting position and tugging at her dress. She turned back over. With a muffled curse, she shifted closer. Ulrik continued to stare at the night sky. A wolf, a real wolf, howled in the distance.

She froze and her heart skipped, then beat a staccato rhythm loud in his ears.

“Fine. You win.” She shuffled over to him. “But you keep to your side, and I’ll keep to mine.” She drew an imaginary line between them. “You stay over there.Capisce?”

Again, he patted the space beside him. “Come lie down, Rebekah. I am a man of my word. I have told you I will not touch you unless you ask.”

“Yeah? I might have believed that if you hadn’t already kissed me back at the village.”

“A momentary lapse. For which I apologized. And you seemed to enjoy it.”

“Ha. That is irrelevant.”

Not to him. Nor was her lack of denial of her enjoyment. “All the same, it will not happen again. Not unless you ask.”

She jutted her chin out at him. “Don’t hold your breath, buddy. Those words willnotpass these lips.”

He released a chuckle, low and dirty. “Oh, how wrong you are, Rebekah.Youwillask.”

She snorted. “Don’t bet on it.” She turned her back to him and lay down, resting her head on her hands. “Arrogant asshole,” she muttered, barely above a whisper. “I’ll show you.”

Ulrik suppressed his mirth, ensuring he kept on his side of her imaginary line. It was early autumn. The temperature would drop as the night progressed. As a betting man, he knew the odds were in his favor. Before long, she would be in his arms, seeking the warmth he could provide.

He would not deny her. No, he would pull her in close and hold her soft, lush curves tight against his body and imagine what it would be like to have her naked beside him, skin to skin. It was the closest he could get to having what he wanted, and it would be enough. For now.

He settled in to wait, as content as he could be given his current circumstances. Not so long ago, being captured by Renaud, confined by Lothair, his chances of living had narrowedsignificantly. Now, here he was, free in the forest with the most interesting woman he had met in a long time. He smiled, strangely content for the first time in years.

Chapter Sixteen

Bek’s eyelids fluttered, and cold seeped into her back. She shivered, and snuggled deeper into the warmth of the mattress, her legs clenching around… Her eyes popped open.

Oh, God.

Beneath her cheek was a warm, naked chest. Wrapped around her, keeping her in place, were two muscular arms. Between her legs…

Fuck.

---