“God, Kashif, we’re going to freeze on the way back!” She unlocked her legs and tried to move away from him, but he wasn’t about to let her go that easily.
“It’ll be cold, but we’ll be fine. Our clothes are dry, and I’m here to warm you up if you need it.”
Slapping his chest, she glared at him. “Now is not the time for jokes. We need to get back. I need to check on Arella, and I wanted to spend some time with the dogs.”
It was obvious that she wasn’t going to mention anything about the past few minutes. He was tempted to push her, but one wrong move, and he’d never be allowed to touch her again. Sighing inwardly, he released her.
“Turn around,” she commanded. “I’m going to climb out.”
“Really? After all that, you want me to…”
“Do it!”
Holding up his hands in surrender, he turned his back to her. Listening carefully to make sure she didn’t slip in again, he heard the rustling of clothes as she hurriedly dried off and dressed.
It was clear that she was going to be difficult to sway, but he was a patient man, and he didn’t have anywhere to be any time soon.
He’d seduced her once. He’d do it again, and this time, he wasn’t going to let her go.
After a warm shower, Kashif lounged by the doorway and watched from a safe distance as Kristy and Arella worked on their wreaths. He knew that she hadn’t noticed him, and he didn’t want to interrupt.
“All right, now we tie the twine around them, and voila, we have a wreath!”
“Volla,” Arella mimicked pushing her hands up in the air.
Kristy laughed and emptied the rest of the basket. “Now, let’s see here. We have branches of pine, berries, pine cones, and holly. Pick out what you want on your wreath and where you want it. I’m going to get the hot glue-gun, okay?”
As Kristy rose from her chair, Kashif quickly moved
back to the stairwell. He understood perfect moments, and Kristy and her daughter were sharing one. He didn’t dare interrupt her. As he mounted the stairs, he thought about growing up and his mother’s excitement over the holidays. She’d always made this time of year feel so special. He hadn’t realized how much he missed her until this moment.
Back in his own room, he leaned back against the headboard and stared out the window. He could still remember the first time he’d brought Kristy to his room. She’d been so nervous and so passionate but once she relaxed and opened up, she was wild and carefree; unlike any woman he’d ever met. She saw magic in things most people took for granted. And when she looked at him that way, she even made dog sledding look like a jog around the park.
It broke his heart to know that he’d never get that Kristy back. Even if he did regain her trust, their past would always come between them.
He wasn’t sure why he was even bothering trying to win her back. She was right. In the end, he would leave, and nothing would have changed.
But something spurred him on. There was something that he didn’t quite understand happening here, and he couldn’t abandon it. Or her.
Now that he’d tasted her again, he wasn’t going to let anything come between them.
10
Even though it was late, Kashif had wanted to spend some time with her, so he’d asked Kristy to join him for dinner at the diner but she declined telling him that Arella was getting over a cold. Since she didn’t want to ask her Aunt Julia last minute to watch her, she worried that in the event she started coughing, she would be disruptive to the other diners.
As far as excuses went, it felt pretty lame since Arella didn’t seem to have any symptoms of her cold during the day, but she was glad when he didn’t push. His eyes had searched her face, but she steeled herself against him. She wasn’t ready to talk about what happened in the hot springs. Maybe not ever.
Still, in her own bed, she couldn’t help but remember the way it had felt to have his fingers inside her, stroking her. All the promises he’d made about what he wanted to do to her echoed in her head, and she tossed and turned restlessly for most of the night. By the time she got up the next morning, she felt like she’d barely gotten any sleep at all.
Damn him. Her life was so much simpler before he came along.
But you weren’t happy.
The silent accusation surprised her. Of course, she’d been happy. She had Arella, and she had the farm. What else did she need?
She needed Kashif. Shaking her head, she pushed that thought aside wondering if what he had told her was true. If it was, she didn’t understand how someone who was destined to lead his own country wouldn’t know that she had been trying to reach him. Why would his family push so hard to keep them apart? Was Arella really that much of a hindrance to his future position? If she was, then maybe it was best that she not tell him so as not to force him to choose.
Pushing her nagging thoughts away, she hurriedly dressed and went to check on Arella. The little girl was already up and playing with the dogs in the middle of the floor.