way of strategizing your response. So you simply have to wait and deal with it if it occurs.”
He was right. This was logical and wise.
“That’s logical and wise,” I told him.
He grinned at me.
“I’m still going to worry,” I admitted and he chuckled.
I smiled at him because it felt good to unload that, even if I didn’t have any firm answers, and I turned to face forward.
We fell silent for awhile before I broke it.
“There’s something else.”
“Yes?”
I stared at the scenery. Then I swallowed.
Then I shared on a whisper, “I don’t know if I want to go back.”
Tor’s body went completely solid behind me and even Salem missed a step before righting himself.
“Pardon?” Tor asked.
I pulled in my lips and bit them. Then for some wild, crazy, insane reason, I kept right on talking.
“It’s beautiful here. Horses communicate with you. Birds talk to you. It’s unpolluted. Life is simple. I would never, not in my life, have guessed that I wouldn’t miss cars, cell phones, microwaves, martinis and high-heeled shoes. If you told me I would come to a place such as this but if I did I’d have to stay, I’d say no way. But now that I’m here, I want to explore. Every sight I see, I like. Every village. Every flower. Every beast. Every blade of grass. Sure, a curse is pending, but you’ve got that under control, right?”
“Right,” he replied, humor in his tone.
“So,” I whispered, “if I’m stuck here, when your brother saves Rosa, I think I’m going to go. Travel. Experience this world to its fullest, something I never did in my own.”
“Two points to make, Cora,” he said in a voice that now held no humor and I twisted to look up at him again. His eyes dropped down to me. “One, I would ask, is there nothing you would regret leaving behind?”
I bit my lip and turned forward again.
“Yes, my parents and my friends,” I admitted and whispered, “I’ll miss them, a lot. Losing them would suck. Especially since, by all reports, Cora of your world won’t be such a great daughter or BFF and they’d wonder what the hell was going on.”
I pursed my lips on this thought then kept sharing.
“But I don’t like my apartment, my job. My life is colorless. Brian and I broke up and I haven’t been asked out on one, single date. I’m not lonely, I don’t get lonely. I like my own company. But a lot of the time, I’m alone and, well, I’m getting sick of that. And, if I’m honest, I was getting sick of all of it… until this happened. And being here, seeing this… this place,” I threw out a hand in front of me, “it’s made me realize all of that.”
Tor made no response and spoke no further until I prompted, “You said you had two points to make?”
“Yes,” he replied. “The second point would be that when Rosa is saved, I’m afraid, love, you aren’t going to go, travel, experience this world to its fullest.”
This surprised me and I twisted to look at him again. “Why not?”
His eyes captured mine. “Because I’ll not let you.”
My head tilted to the side and I stared at him before repeating, “Why not?”
“Because, Cora, I’m beginning to like having you around. So I’ve decided to keep you.”
What?
“What?” I shrieked and Salem twitched under us.
Tor smiled. “It won’t be that bad, my sweet. When I travel, I’ll take you with me so you will experience this world. But when I’m home, you’ll be with me there too.”
“But we don’t live together,” I reminded him.
“That will change.”
“What?” I snapped. “Why?”
“As I said, I like you around.”
“We fight all the time,” I informed him of something he already knew.
“Indeed, and I like that too.”
I blinked at him. “You do?”
He nodded. “I do.”
“That’s insane.”
“Don’t you?”
“Hell no,” I clipped.
His arm gave me a squeeze, his eyes shifted over my head and he declared, “You will.”
“I won’t.”
“You will.”
“No, Tor, I won’t.”
He looked back down at me. “You will, Cora, because soon, when we argue, and you take it too far, which you do so you will continue, I’ll be forced to stop you.” He grinned. “And I like the ideas I have on how I’m going to stop you.” His eyes warmed. “All of them.”
“Ugh!” I grunted and faced forward again, noting, “You’re pretty sure of yourself.”
“Sweets, all I had to do was draw your nipple in my mouth and you were begging for it. Of course I’m sure of myself.”
Damn. I hated that that was true.
“Whatever,” I muttered, inching as best I could up the saddle to get away from him, an effort that was for naught when his arm tightened and he pulled me right back. “Release your arm a little,” I demanded. “I want to shift. I’m uncomfortable,” I lied.
His arm slid up so it was under my breasts and I felt his lips at my neck. “No you’re not.”
“I so am.” I kept lying.
His thumb started stroking the underside of my breast at the same time his tongue touched my earlobe and he changed the subject.
“If you want,” he murmured huskily in my ear, “I could pleasure you right here.”
Oh God. That sent a surge of heat between my legs.
“Thanks,” I tried to sound snappish and feared I failed. “I’m good.”
“I’ll give you the ten minutes you begged for in bed,” he coaxed and I steeled myself against his pull.
I was thinking those ten minutes would be the best ten minutes of my whole, entire life.
I beat the urge back and replied, “Thanks again but… no.”
His thumb moved up half an inch so it was stroking my breast right under the nipple.
Oh boy.
I couldn’t stop my lids from slowly lowering over my eyes but I fought back the urge to lift a hand to his and take him to target.
“Turn your head and give me your mouth, sweets,” he commanded softly.
“No.”
“Right, then lift your skirts so I can have the heat of you.”
Oh God.
I swallowed a moan and ordered, “Tor, pay attention to where we’re going.”
His tongue slid along the skin under my ear and then he whispered in it, “Salem knows the way.”
There it was. A decent excuse.
“Salem, right, he’s a good horse. I couldn’t possibly engage in any, um… naughty activities with him around.”
Salem snorted and I had no idea if it was a “go ahead, don’t mind me” snort or a “thanks for thinking of me, Cora,” snort.
“It isn’t his first time,” Tor told me.
Way, way, way wrong thing to say.
Way.
My back shot straight, my eyes shot open and Tor took his mouth from my ear.
