Caine's Reckoning by Sarah McCarty

Author:Sarah McCarty
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-02-01T00:52:11.866000+00:00

13

H e had her running scared. She’d taken the attempted kidnapping in stride, but he had her running scared. Caine set the bucket inside the kitchen door and leaned against the jamb, watching Desi in the bath. That hadn’t been his intention when he’d given her time, but it seemed to be what he’d accomplished. Instead of learning to trust him and appreciating the courting he was doing, she was just getting edgier and edgier. And while he couldn’t fault Desi for the effort she was putting in to being helpful, there was a desperate edge to her behavior that he didn’t like. He wanted her settled, not wearing herself out in exhaustion proving something that didn’t matter.

Her head lolled to the side against the high back of the copper tub. She was asleep. He shook his head. It wasn’t right that with the sun still shining, she was exhausted. He grabbed the bucket and carried it over to the side of the tub. Her hair was piled on top of her head, ruthlessly contained with an abundance of metal hairpins.

He touched a finger to a curl. As if anything could tame that wild mass. He followed the trail of that curl down her cheek. Her eyes were closed, and her face was flushed from the heat of the water. The water was clear, without a film of soap, which not only meant Desi had fallen asleep before she could clean up, but that he also had an undisturbed view of her body.

Those high-tipped, small but lush breasts with their soft nipples played peekaboo with the surface of the water. Farther down her stomach the points of her hipbones were visible—too visible—above the darker shadow of her woman’s mound. She was so small, she could stretch her legs out with just the slight bend of those cute knees necessary to accommodate her size, which pretty much left them lifted and spread as if she were thinking of tempting a lover. He dipped his fingers in the water. It was cooling. He picked up the bucket, careful not to bump the rim, and poured hot water down by her feet. Her head lolled to the other side as the stream of water disturbed her sleep. He stopped pouring immediately. He didn’t want to wake her. For the first time, she actually looked at peace.

I dream in my sleep.

He put the bucket down. He just bet she did. He knelt beside the tub and took the washcloth from her relaxed hand. It slid into the water with a ripple. He scooped up some of the soft scented soap Tia had given Desi. The smell of lilacs intensified. A fresh, delicate scent that made him think of spring and flowers strong enough to flourish in this harsh land. And Desi.

He worked the soap into the washcloth and then picked up her arm, keeping his touch light. Desi was a lot like a lilac flower. She looked all fine and fragile, but she had that inner strength that mattered more than outward muscle.

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