Page 35 of Winter's Scorching Kisses
Then her eyes flickered over the strands of his silver hair. It wasn’t white like an old man’s and almost had a reflective quality to it. The firelight glinted off the strands, causing his hair to look like the flickering flames of the fire.
No, he definitely wasn’t ugly by any standards. She wondered what the fire giant women thought of him. If she weren’t a human or he wasn’t a giant, she would definitely be interested in pursuing him.
Though maybe that shouldn’t deter her.
Adorra knew several women at court, like Matilda and Beatrice, who wouldn’t care that he was an ice giant. They would still invite him to their chamber for a night of fun and be done with him the very next day. Even Isabel was known to entertain other men than her husband.
A lot of women at court got desperate for some fun since a lot of them were married to older men who had a bit of difficulty getting it up. But a giant… she wasn’t sure it would be the same as simply taking a human man as a lover. He didn’t look much different so far. She felt her eyes drift a little lower, toward the front of his pants, before she ripped her gaze off of him.
As the fire died down to hot coals, the cold crept back, and she wrapped the fur a little more tightly around her frame.
Mathar glanced over at her. “Are you ready to sleep? We will have an early start to the morning. The less time we waste out here, the better.”
“I agree with you on that.” She didn’t want to be traveling with him any longer then she had to be. He didn’t disturb her and had so far been pleasant, but she was eager to see Jasmine and plot their escape.
Pushing herself up, she rose, stretching out her long limbs. Then Mathar stood, and she eyed him. She wasn’t considered a short woman by any means, but Mathar was still taller than her, and it felt nice to be near a man who she didn’t have to worry about dwarfing. She could wear the fancy heeled shoes that were coming into fashion without feeling like a giant herself.
Adorra shook herself mentally. She wasn’t about to stay here with Mathar, so it didn’t matter how tall he was and what shoes she could wear around him. She was letting his strangely good looks get to her lonely mind. She needed to put up a barrier and quick.
He strode over to the tent, and then turned and motioned her forward. “Come on then.” He held open the tent flap with a hand.
Adorra had a moment of panic streak through her. Her heart thundered in her ears as she eyed him and the tent. Sucking in a breath, she then let it out slowly. She was a strong woman who’d face more hardship than a lot of people her age. She could do this. Her sister was at the end of all of this, and she had to see Jasmine again.
Steeling her spine, she strode forward, her head held high and marched right inside the tent.
Then Mathar followed her in close on her heels, and she felt some of her resolve die a bit.
Adorra backed away from him, although the small tent didn’t allow her to put much room between them. “We can’t sleep in the same tent.”
He smirked at her in the dark. “Yes, we can.” He strode further into the tent, not fazed at all that they’d be sleeping in the same tent. “I only brought one tent and one fur as a cover from the chilly night air.”
Then she caught his gaze flickering down to her chest in the darkness. Her cheeks heated. He was clearly admiring what she had going on under her dress. Damn the current fashions at court, and damn her for keeping up with the fashions. Her dress might cover most of her, but it still had a low cut over the bodice.
She threw her arms up, folding them in front of her chest. She didn’t want him ogling her breasts, even if they were covered by a couple of layers of fabric and the darkness of the night.
“You will be sleeping next to me.” She could hear the grin in his voice like it pleased him to no end that he was bothering her delicate sensibilities.
Adorra found herself speechless. Her mind raced away as it tried to think of what to do about this new situation. “Can’t you sleep elsewhere?” She waved to the tent around them. “It would be indecent for us to sleep this close. We might even touch.” She hissed the last part.
“Because I’m an ice giant. You’re afraid I’ll taint you.” He filled in.
“No, it’s because you’re a man.” She corrected him, her eyes narrowing. It didn’t matter if he was an ice giant, he was still a man, and she was still an unmarried woman who was trying to keep some sort of decency.
“Afraid I’ll bite?” Mathar snapped his teeth shut with a click.
Adorra snorted. “I’m not afraid of you biting. I’m afraid you won’t be able to keep your hands to yourself.”
He chuckled. “You might be beautiful,” her cheeks heated at his compliment, “but you aren’t the type of woman I’d be interested in.”
The heat disappeared from her cheeks just as quickly. He’d just given her a backhanded compliment. She frowned at him in the dark.
“I thought that would please you.” Mathar shrugged as he read her expression in the inky dark tent, “But it doesn’t matter. I am sleeping in here with you. I feel the need to keep my eyes on you in case you get any ideas.” When he saw she was still standing rock still he continued, “The nights up here get a lot colder than you’re used to down where you live. You’ll be thankful for me being close. I’m made from nothing but hot flesh.”
Her cheeks burned brighter at the mention of hot flesh. An image of him naked in front of her flashed through her mind. It was shocking for her to realize that just imagining him naked had her longing for the dream to come true.
She gulped. Something was wrong with her. There had to be something wrong with her. She was fantasizing about a naked ice giant.
“Fine. But I want to make sure you keep your distance.”
