She heard the voices then and they were getting closer. The fear of discovery propelled her away from the wall. Marc had already laced the front of his pants and run his hand through his hair. He looked the same as always except for the satisfied gleam in his eyes.
Thoroughly disgruntled, she frowned at him as she searched for her pants. Spying them, she bent down and grabbed them, barely stifling a shriek when he patted her on the behind. She shot him a dirty look as she shoved her feet into the openings and tugged her pants over her legs.
Whipping her tunic down, she finger-combed her hair as best she could, though she knew it was a useless endeavor. Anyone with a grain of sense would know what they had just done. Kathryn was sure she looked as if she’d just been tumbled in a stable.
What was done, was done. And besides, she wasn’t ashamed of what had just happened. It was just awkward. She didn’t want to meet someone she knew, having them speculate on what she and Marc had been doing.
As if sensing her unease, he smiled at her, stroking her hair from her face. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She glanced at the open door of the stall. The voices were almost upon them.
“Wait until the coast is clear and then head back to the castle. You could use another bath.” He plucked a strand of straw from her hair. She had no idea where it had come from. Before she could agree or disagree, he planted a rough, quick kiss on her mouth and was gone. He strode from the stall, pausing long enough to grab his sword.
She stood there, her fingers touching her lips. She could feel the heat of his mouth on hers and it sent a sweet pulsing to her core. “Stop it,” she muttered under her breath.
That’s what had gotten her in trouble in the first place.
The men hailed Marc and she heard the low rumble of his voice returning their greeting. Creeping over to the door, she sneaked a quick peek. Two of the men she’d met yesterday—the head of the castle guard and the stable master—were talking with Marc. As she watched, he nodded and motioned to something outside.
When they finally began to move off, she heaved a sigh of relief. Something hit her shoulder and she whirled around. Destiny was right beside her, poking his large head out of the stall. “They’re gone, which means I have to go to.” Unable to resist, she stroked the horse’s head one more time. Sighing, she patted his side and slipped from the stall, closing the door behind her.
The men were barely beyond the doors of the stable but their backs were to her.
Swiftly and silently, she headed toward the castle door. All she wanted to do was make it back to her room without running into anyone.
When she finally made it into the cooler, darker depths of the castle, she sighed with relief. She could hear voices in the great room but figured she could slip up the stairs unseen. It would be close. As she passed the opening to the room, she glanced inside. Jarek and Christina were talking with Tienan and Logan. As if sensing her presence, Tienan looked right at her, his sharp green-eyed gaze missing nothing of her disheveled state.
Kathryn shivered. Wrapping her arms around herself, she hurried up the stairs, not stopping until she closed the door of her room behind her.
Chapter Fourteen
Marc was still reeling from his sensual encounter with Kathryn in the stables. He could still taste her sweet essence on his tongue, still feel her heat wrapped snuggly around his cock as he thrust into her.
With a muttered curse, he brought his attention back to the men beside him, ignoring their startled gazes. He’d sensed Kathryn hurrying from the stables and while he understood her reticence at being caught making love in the stables, he resented it all the same. He wanted everyone to know she belonged to him.
One thing was certain, she would never forget the first time she saw a horse.
He chatted a bit longer and then headed to the castle. His long legs ate up the distance, his boots raising puffs of dust as he went. His first instinct was to seek out Kathryn but he knew she would want some time to compose herself. Besides, he would have forever with her. Right now, he needed to spend time with his family. As of tonight, they would be lost to him.
He swallowed hard at the thought of never seeing Jarek, Christina and his nephews again. Then there was Mara, his friends and all the men and women who were part of his daily life. For the first time, he understood the sacrifice that the tapestry brides made when they chose to remain in Javara. He admired their tremendous courage. To leave behind all that you knew and face the unknown was indeed a challenge. But it was worth it for love.
Tienan and Logan were seated in the hall along with his family. His nephews, Baron and Derrik played quietly on the floor beside their father’s chair, their wide eyes never leaving the men. Marc felt a pain in the region of his chest and rubbed it absently.
He would miss them all more than they would ever know.
He straightened his shoulders and strode forward, determined to spend the rest of the afternoon soaking up every single moment with them and storing it away in his memory for the years to come. Only for Kathryn would he leave them behind. They would miss him but they would be fine without them. Kathryn, on the other hand, needed him. And he needed her.
Acting as normal as possible, he joined the conversation. Jarek gave him a searching stare but Marc gave a small shake of his head. His brother bowed his head briefly before turning back to Logan. Christina gave him a quizzical look but he merely offered her a smile and a shrug. Then Mara called out to her, informing her that the baby was awake and demanding to be fed. She excused herself from the group and hurried off to feed her daughter.
Marc watched her leave, glad that she was here for Jarek to help ease the pain that his leaving would cause. He and his brother had always been close. A tug on his pant leg interrupted his dark thoughts. Baron leaned into his leg, watching him.
“Uncle Marc, what’s wrong?” The boy had always been sensitive to the moods of others and saw way more than a child his age usually did.
Marc crouched down beside his nephew, who was really his son, and ruffled the boy’s hair. “There is nothing wrong. I have a lot on my mind.” Pain filled him at the thought of never seeing the boy grow into manhood, never seeing him swing a sword or ride a horse on his own. Baron had just begun to ride a pony and had taken to it with a natural ability. Marc’s chest had almost burst with pride the first time he’d watched the boy trot around the courtyard on his own.
He would also miss watching the other children grow and change and he would never see any other children Jarek and Christina might have.
“It’s about the woman, isn’t it?” the boy persisted.
“Aye, it is.” He patted the child on the shoulder as he stood. “But there is nothing for you to worry about.” Taking him at his word, Baron went back to play with his younger brother. Marc leaned against the wall and watched them in their innocent play until he became aware of Tienan’s presence beside him.
“They are beautiful children,” Tienan remarked.
“They are.”
“The eldest is your son.” It wasn’t a question. Marc inwardly cursed the fact that both the strangers from Earth were blessed with a keen intellect and eye.
“He is of my body but he is my nephew. Jarek is his father.” Tienan crossed his arms, his legs spread wide. There was nothing relaxed about his posture. “That must be…difficult.”
“It is, but it is our way.” He turned to face the other man. “I know what I am leaving behind when Kathryn chooses to leave but he will be loved and cared for by his parents.”