Page 32 of Veiled Flames
I moan at the luxurious sensations. My scalp has long been covered by that cap and strained by the tight braid. The feeling is akin to when Nurse washes my hair, but much better. So muchbetter. His strong fingers instinctively know all the places where my scalp most needs attention.
As he returns to fondling my long tresses, I slowly turn to face him. His gaze, at first on my hair, rises to meet mine, and his expression, fierce and hungry, heightens all the sensations churning inside me.
His eyes seem darker in this low light, and his golden hair dances like the candle’s flame. He’s looking at me the way stable cats stare at a cornered mouse. Focused. Determined. Ravenous. Merciless. Saxon wants todevourme.
Excitement and pride churn along with the unfamiliar feelings inside me. Iwantto be devoured by this commander. I want to devour him too.
“Rosomon.” My name flows like honey through his lips. “I mean,Rosshall.” The edges of his mouth turn up in a slight smile. “Do you wish to travel with us all the way to camp?”
“Very much.” Did he plan to kick me out? “I…I don’t have anywhere else to go.” I hate being wholly at his mercy, but I’ve lived my entire life at the mercy of men.
“In that case,” he says, wistfully, “I think it’s best to cut your beautiful hair.”
Gratitude swirls inside me. I’ve been wanting to do that since I first left the castle. But haven’t had the time to risk using one of my daggers to do it myself.
“Can you help me?” My voice is scratchy, as if I haven’t had a sip of water in days. “I’ve been terrified my cap might fall off, or that someone might remove it.”
Two of the men in particular, Egon and Amis, relentlessly pick on the smaller men, including my friend Samyull, but I’ve stayed clear of them.
Prince Tynan is also cruel enough to remove my cap on purpose.
“I’ll cut your hair,” he says softly. “But only after I admire its beauty one last time.”
A smile rises from deep in my chest to meet the blush on my already warmed cheeks. My hair has been praised in the past, noted as my single best feature, but I won’t feel any loss when it’s cut. The only thing I’ll feel is relief that my hair won’t be the reason my identity is discovered. Saxon’s hair brushes his shoulders, but I’ve never met a man who wears his hair longer than that, whereas mine extends past my waist.
Master Saxon gathers my hair and draws it to the front. Lifting it to his nose, he inhales.
I cringe. “My hair has not been washed in many days.” Days we’ve been traveling over dusty roads, and it’s been trapped tightly against my head.
“Your hair smells delicious. It smells of fields of flowers and grasses. It smells of the Great Beyond.” He bends to place a soft kiss on my lips. “It smells of you.”
I lean forward, eager for another kiss, but he shifts away.
“Roso—Ross,” he says. “When we are alone, I think I shall call you Ross. Is that acceptable?”
I nod. Saxon can call me anything he wants. Although I do fear him using my true name.
“Ross,” he says, “I’d very much like to continue on with what we started here tonight.”
My heart skips a few beats and then fills with joyful anticipation, wondering exactly what he means. If he means more of the kissing, then I very much want to continue that too.
“But I don’t think it’s wise,” he says softly.
I drag in a ragged breath as if I’ve been punched. “Why not?”
Once again, I’m left feeling as if I’ve done something wrong. Like I’ve failed to please him. And at this moment, I’d give everything I possess to please this man.
“My reasons are many and complicated.” Removing his hand from my hair, he rakes his own back from his face. Suddenly, I want to bury my fingers, my nose, my whole body in his golden hair to better learn the scent of him.
“For one thing,” he says, “I’m much older than you.”
“You’remuchyounger than the man I was meant to marry.”
He chuckles, but then his expression turns serious again. “And I assume you are a maiden?”
I tip my head to the side, not certain what he means. He already knows my secret; he knows I’m not a boy.
“What I mean is,” he continues, “I assume you haven’t…have not yet beentakenby a man…” He runs his tongue over his teeth. “Do you even know what that means? For a woman to be taken by a man?”
