Page 64 of Desire's Ransom
He stopped too. “The hell you don’t.”
“I don’t!”
“Like to wake the dead.”
She stared at him with her mouth agape. Then she muttered, “I’m certain ’twas one o’ the hounds.”
“That’s what I thought at first too.” He shook his head. “But nay. Your hounds were just as surprised as I was.” While her mouth was still open, he added, “Don’t let it trouble you. I’m sure you couldn’t help it. There’s really no need to apologize.”
She finally closed her jaw, compressed her lips, and gave him a scolding poke with herbata. “That’s not what I meant, and ye know it. I meant I apologize for doubtin’ ye.”
His slow, heart-melting smile told her he’d been teasing her. “I know. And I accept your apology.”
She nodded, still bristling from his accusation.
Then she returned to the subject at hand, raising herbatavertically and showing him how to slide his hands together for overhead and underhand strikes.
Once he could do that smoothly, she said, “I’m just glad Ronan didn’t share it with all the woodkerns.”
“Oh, I threatened to throttle him if he breathed a word,” Ryland confessed.
She stopped. “Ye did?”
He stopped as well and shrugged. “Of course.”
She thought that was terribly chivalrous of him.
Until he returned to practicing with thebataand said, “I couldn’t have him crowing all over the camp about how well-endowed English knights are.”
That made her laugh. She swatted his backside with herbata.
He yelped in protest. “Why are you laughing? Do you doubt it?”
“That ye’re well-endowed? I don’t know. I didn’t look,” she lied.
“The hell you didn’t.”
“I didn’t,” she insisted, although her giggles gave her away.
“That’s a lovely sound,” he told her.
“Stop it.”
“’Tisa lovely sound. You should laugh more.”
She shook her head. He was only flattering her.
“Enough o’ your nonsense. Try this,” she said, eager to change the subject. She demonstrated a two-handed swinging blow.
“Nowthat’slike swordplay,” he said, instantly mastering the technique. After a dozen downward swings that whistled forcefully through the air, he smiled. “Is this how yonder friend lost his head?” He nodded toward the practice dummy.
“Aye,” she said sheepishly.
His grin widened. “Maybe I should count my blessings you didn’t lop off my head when you had the chance.”
“Indeed,” she replied.
“Would you like another chance?” He turned to face her and gave her a wink.
