He leaned down to smell of it, and his stomach grew taut from the sensation that washed over him. What sort of oils and creations must she have access to in her own time to make hair smell so wonderful?
And her eyes, he couldn’t see them now, but they were eyes of such rarity that he need only see them once to remember them forever. They were the oddest combination of green and brown, each color so different and vibrant that from afar it looked as if her left eye was completely green and her right eye brown. In truth, at closer view, each eye had colors of both, and they were captivating and magical. They looked to him like the eyes that should be found in that of a mystical creature, not in an ordinary human.
Not that she was ordinary, she was anything but. Mitsy was loud, bold and, whether she intended to be or not, he found her quite amusing. He wanted to know more about her, more about her time and what had led her here. He hoped he wouldn’t feel the need to sleep too long so that he could spend the day talking with her.
“Are ye ready to wake, lass? Artair here needs to rest, and I’ll no deny that I do as well.”
She threw her arms up to stretch sending one of her hands right into his jaw. She instantly swirled around to face him, an apology mixed with a not-so-subtle hint of amusement dancing in her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She laughed and reached up to rub his jaw. “Does it hurt?”
He enjoyed the feeling of her hands on him. While it hadn’t really hurt him at all, he was no fool. “Aye, it does, lass. Ye have a strong hand.”
She glanced up at him knowingly, and his face warmed at the embarrassment of being found out.
“Well, here.” She stretched upward and planted a brief kiss on his jawline. “All better?” Every muscle in his body went rigid. “What was that for?”
She shrugged as she continued to look over her shoulder at him. “It’s just something that you do. Kiss a boo-boo to make it better. I don’t know. Sorry, guess that trend hasn’t caught on yet.”
“Ah, well I know that ye doona know it, but ye stretch while ye sleep. Ye hit me then as well. Many times.”
She grinned at him and laughed, turning quickly around to face the front.
What had gotten into him? He was jesting her and it would only lead to trouble for them both.
*
I couldn’t believe he’d actually ridden through the entire night. I knew that’s what I told him to do, but he’d been dead on his feet after traveling. I expected him to ride until I fell asleep and then stop to make camp.
Instead, when he woke me at dawn, we were surrounded by landscape I would not have recognized from later centuries. I was immediately grateful he’d seen me fleeing from the castle. While I would probably have been able to find my way to Conall Castle during my own time, there were currently no roads or landmarks to help me find my way. Each tree looked much like the last.
He’d flirted with me, whether it had been his intention to do so or not. I supposed I gave him reason to though when I kissed him on the jaw, but it just seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up. Any straight woman with normal levels of sex hormones would find their eggs quivering at the sight of my roadside companion.
As the horse came to a stop at Baodan’s chosen place of rest, I slipped off the side of the horse, rather unthinkingly. I didn’t take into account how numb my bottom would be, having grown so sore and numb that I couldn’t feel it at all. As soon as my feet hit the ground, my knees buckled.
Before I could stand, Baodan lifted me up by both elbows, my chest grazing his as he did so. If my bum hadn’t felt as if a thousand pin pricks were being stuck into it as blood found its way back to my rear, I would’ve found the touch quite flustering.
“Holy mother of crap! My ass hurts!”
Baodan looked down at me and laughed. “Ye have a penchant for swearing, doona ye? And ye are no accustomed to riding, or yer backside wouldna hurt ye so.”
He let go now that I had my footing and twisted to stretch, which emphasized every chiseled muscle in his stomach.
“Although, I’m a wee bit sore meself. ’Twas a long ride.”
I attempted to move around a bit, stretching and turning as much as the dress would allow, so that he wouldn’t see me staring at him with awe. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made you ride all night. You have to rest now. I’ll keep myself busy with something.”
He looked as if he could fall over at any moment. I wasn’t surprised that after riding all night, his need for sleep now outweighed his curiosity of finding out what happened to me the night before. “I’m sure ye will, lass. Ye doona seem like the sort of person to sit idly. Just stay close and doona get yerself into trouble, aye?”
I rolled my eyes and turned to walk a few trees down while he settled against the trunk next to the tree where he’d tied his horse. “Yes, sir. Sweet dreams.”