Page 103 of The Robber Knight's Love
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Stopping in front of the door, Ayla took adeep breath to compose herself. Now she was going to get heranswers! She tried putting on a stern expression. Sister Priscillaat the convent where she had been educated had been very good atstern expressions, which she utilized in extracting all kinds ofguilty confessions from the novices. Hoping hers would be half aseffective, Ayla pushed open the door.
“Now listen here, Reuben, I want toknow...”
Her voice died away as she saw him lying inbed, staring into the air with intense concentration, wildlyswinging a candlestick from left to right. His head whipped aroundas he saw her, and the candlestick dropped from his hand.
“Ayla.”
“Err... yes it's me.” She regarded him,concerned. For a moment, her gaze flickered to the candlestick onthe floor. “Reuben, um... are you all right? Are you feeling quitewell? Has the fever risen again?”
“What? Oh.” He chuckled, following her gazeto the candlestick. “No, I'm not crazy with fever and trying todrive invisible demons away, if that's what you think. A fly wasbothering me, that's all.”
“Must have been a ferocious fly,” Aylamuttered and carefully approached him. She was still slightlyapprehensive. The way he had swung that candlestick around hadlooked as if he had been doing battle with a deadly enemy. Hismischievous grin soon made her relax, though. It always had thateffect on her.
“It was, Milady. A terrible beast. But nowyou're here to protect me.” He winked.
She stopped a foot or so away from him.Gazing into his stormy gray eyes, she wondered why exactly she hadcome here. She had wanted to ask him something, right? Yes, thathad been it. But it couldn't have been that important, couldit?
Slowly, Ayla sank onto the floor besideReuben, not taking her eyes off him. And he, in turn, didn't takehis eyes off her. They silently gazed at each other like this for aminute or two.
“I was slightly worried,” he finally admittedin a low voice, as if confessing to a terrible sin. “For a fewminutes, I thought you were going to die out there and I wouldnever get my compensation.”
Ayla bristled, and he winked again, causingher expression to soften instantly. Oh, he was so teasing!
“But I need not have worried, it seems,” hecontinued, pointing to his bandage. “Your skills at protecting yourlands against robbers, raiders, and mercenaries seem to haveimproved since my unfortunate experience.”
She nodded, trapped in his gray gaze.
Slowly, he extended one of his over-hot handsto her and grasped her slender fingers. Sighing, Ayla closed hereyes. Being held by him... It felt so right, so secure...
But closing her eyes had been a gravemistake. Before, she had been distracted by him, by his devilish,enchanting grin. Now that her eyes were closed and she didn't havea continuous stream of images to distract her mind, she felt otherimages coming to the forefront. Images that she had tried torationalize and repress during the battle, long enough to save herpeople. Images of boats burning and men screaming in terribleagony.
What was the matter with her? She hadn't evenseen one drop of blood today. It had all been smoke and fire. Sheshouldn't feel this horrible.
But she did. The absence of blood didn'tmatter. It was the presence of violence that preyed on her mind andher conscience. The presence of death. God, what had she done?
She opened her eyes again, desperate toreplace those ghastly images.
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Reuben saw the panic and pain flare up in hersapphire eyes as clearly as if it had been written on her face. Hisgrip on her hand tightened instinctively. “Ayla, what is it?”
“I... Oh Reuben!”
And suddenly she fell forward, throwing herarms around him.
To say that Reuben was startled wouldn't evencome close to expressing what he felt. All right, he admitted tohimself, he had certainly thought about the possibility of such amoment—Ayla throwing herself at him and lacing her arms behind hisneck—but in his imagination, there had always been fewer tears anda lot more passionate romping. This was confusing. She was just...lying there, crying her eyes out. What was he supposed to do?
He carefully reached out and stroked Ayla'shair. That only seemed to increase the number of her sobs, however,so he stopped quickly and attempted to push her away.
“No,” she choked. “Don't stop. Hold me.Please.”
She didn't have to tell him twice.
Carefully, Reuben put his arms around her andpulled her close. Her slender body felt incredibly soft against hishard-muscled chest—particularly in a certain upper area. Reubentried not to concentrate too much on that. He needed to thinkstraight right now, to find out why she was sobbing into his tunic.And thinking about that particular soft area would be sure todistract him from that.
“What is wrong?” he asked. Then suddenly anidea entered his head and his voice rose in anger. “Did they hurtyou? Are you wounded?” He hadn't seen any wounds on her as sheentered, but that seemed like the only reasonable explanation.
