Unfortunately, the stable master called the start of the ride and moved forward, just as Tasim urged his horse towards her.
“Is something wrong?” he asked as he rode along beside her.
She didn’t even glance in his direction. “Why would you say that?”
“Because you’ve been avoiding eye contact with me all morning. And because you skipped breakfast this morning. Were you afraid you might have to talk to me?”
She bristled at his implication that she was a coward. She was, but that didn’t mean she wanted him to point it out.
“I’m not afraid of you, Your Highness,” she said with her nose a bit too high in the air. Because she felt silly, she pressed her knees together, silently asking her horse to speed up. She didn’t want to talk to Tasim. Not now when she still felt too…vulnerable. After last night’s kiss, she’d berated herself repeatedly over what she’d done, what she’d revealed about herself to this man, who she knew was her enemy. But…he hadn’t felt like the enemy last night! When they’d been talking, he’d felt like a friend. And when he’d kissed her…well, it was pointless to spend any more energy analyzing last night. They thought about that interlude differently and it was time to put that kiss in the past.
Unfortunately, he sped up too. “I think you’re afraid of me.”
“I’m not,” she asserted again.
“Really? Then why are you trying to get away from me?”
Darn it! She really hated this man! No, that wasn’t fair. She hated how she reacted to him. But she wasn’t going to tell him that! Not a chance!
Luna took a moment to glare at him, but since he wasn’t looking at her, the effort was wasted. “Look, I heard this morning that the European Union is about to change the monetary findings on several issues. Since I also know that your country bases a lot of your economic regulatory efforts on European policies, that seems like a perfectly acceptable topic of conversation. So, how about if we avoid the personal stuff and dive into a heated political issues instead?” she asked, turning to glance at him with a challenging glare.
But instead of waiting for an answer, she again pressed her knees together. Instantly, the horse put in a burst of speed, eager to let loose.
Unfortunately, Tasim had been given one of the stronger horses in the stables and he was an excellent horseman. He sped up as well, keeping pace with her beautiful gelding.
When they were once again neck and neck, he looked over at her. “Why would we argue?”
Luna didn’t bother to look at him. She knew he was watching her. “Because that’s what we do, isn’t it?”
“That’s not all we do,” he countered.
She heard the amusement in his voice and gritted her teeth, furious with him for laughing at her! “Well, that’s what we’re doing today.”
“And if I don’t want to argue?”
She flipped her braid over her shoulder, irritated that he’d so easily kept up with her. “Then perhaps we should race to the picnic area? That way, we don’t have to talk at all!” And with that, she leaned over the neck of her beautiful horse and released the reins. A moment later, they were speeding across the desert, her braid flying out behind her as the hard ground became a blur. She laughed, delighted as always when she felt the power of his muscles underneath her, the strength of his stride that was always longest in the stables. Not compared to her brother’s horse though. And obviously, not the horse that Tasim was riding! He was right behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, but she was still several paces ahead of him. Grinning, she urged her horse faster, leaning closer to his neck and whispering encouragement. His ears twitched and she laughed, delighted to be besting the man behind her.
Or beside her. Darn it! He was good. He glanced over at her and she smiled, ready for the challenge.
“Come on, Big Guy!” she whispered.
Luna reached the picnic area a whole head ahead of Tasim and laughed, praising her horse who pranced around, knowing that he’d won and feeling proud of himself. “You’re wonderful!” she cooed to the gelding, walking him along the edge of the river to cool him down. “Yes, you’re the best horse in the whole world!”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tasim doing the same, making sure that his horse cooled down and, reluctantly, she had to respect the man for taking care of the animal. Most people just jumped down off of the horse and let it cool itself down. But Tasim took great care to let his horse wander slowly as he approached the river. Only then did he dismount.
That’s when she knew she was in trouble. He let the horse drift over to the soft, spring grasses that grew along the riverbanks, and stormed over to Luna. Grabbing her upper arms, he spun her around. “Okay, what the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know what you mean!” she snapped back, the word “stupid” flashing through her mind.
“Last night, you were soft and sweet in my arms. You wanted me as much as I want you! But today, you’re acting as if I insulted you somehow. What the hell is wrong?”
“Seriously?” she snapped, attempting to shrug out of his grip. “You tell me that we were about to do something ‘even more stupid’ and you don’t understand why I might not like that description? You can’t kiss
me, then tell me I’m stupid, or what we’re doing is stupid! No one would like that!”
He stared down at her, stunned by her words. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. She tried to pull away, but his fingers tightened, holding her still.
“You thought I called our kiss last night stupid?” he asked, his voice softening slightly.