Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 118860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
A blush stole up her neck into her face. That dusting of freckles stood out against the soft rose color. “Weirdly, I was never attracted to any of the men I was around. I traveled quite a bit, and mostly, the groups I went with were all men. I can’t remember a single time I found any of them physically attractive.”
He gave her an old-fashioned bow. One that was courtly and showed respect. “I believe we were created for each other. Every man wants purpose. I thought it would always be my duty to our people as a hunter. But since meeting you, I realize my purpose on this earth was to be your man.”
She pressed her hand over her heart. “One would think you were very experienced in the art of seducing a woman. Everything you say makes me want to stay with you.”
“Don’t sound as if that’s a bad thing. I swear to you, I’ll make you happy you chose me.”
“The strange thing is I feel like I’ve known you all my life, that we’re close and that I can totally trust you, but the truth is we’ve only known each other a couple of days.”
Tomas didn’t correct her language. The Carpathian people would use the term risings for the passage of time. “You have known me all of your life. T. Smolnycki Sr. was me. I just changed from father to son when it became clear that my findings were being viewed as academic, and I began to make a name. You wrote to me when you were just a very little girl.”
“That seems so strange.”
“Carpathians do not keep anything that would identify age. No photos, no letters, nothing that would allow anyone to think they lived longer than a normal human. I have every single letter you sent me. I keep them in a cave deep beneath the earth, not yet discovered by humans. Those letters were sacred to me, and I did not want to give them up.” He gave her another faint grin. “That is kind of silly when I could quote each letter word for word. I carry them here.” He put his hand over his heart.
That meant something to her; he could see it on her face. She walked past him, her fingers brushing his face. He followed her to the hammock in the bedroom. “When you say things like that to me, I don’t know what to do with you.”
“Fall in love with me.” He said it before he could censor the words. There was no taking them back, no hiding the longing that weighed down every word.
She stood beside the hammock, fingers of one hand tangled in the weave, and studied his face. “I think it would be very easy to fall in love with you, Tomas. You seem to know when to say the things I need to hear. You don’t push me the way the others are urging you to do. You take care with me when I’m falling apart. Those are all the things that sneak up on a woman and capture her heart. You see me. You seem to see what I need. I can feel there is urgency in this situation. The others know you have to leave here soon and hunt the enemy threatening to destroy your prince, but you refused to listen to them in regard to me.”
Her eyes met his steadily. “I felt as if you stood up for me, even when they were deliberately trying to make you feel as if you weren’t taking care of me.”
Tomas could see his decisions had meant a great deal to her. “We’ll sort it all out between us,” he assured her. “We don’t need the others to interfere, although they will continue to do their best to try.” He stepped closer to her, one hand tucking stray curls behind her ear. “You know why, don’t you? Lojos and Mataias feel the same driving need to protect you and keep you from harm. Like Luiz, they just feel they should put you somewhere safe and ensure nothing harmful can get near you. They actually are able to feel through you. That’s the gift you’ve given them. You are their sister, and they would lay down their lives for you.”
There was shyness in her eyes when she looked up at him, turning his heart over. Her expression was soft and open. Her mind was open to him. “I’m aware they do so out of affection, even when they are not,” she confirmed.
Chapter
17
Sarika collapsed back onto the hammock, her legs shaking too much to hold her up. Tomas was the most attractive man she’d ever met. Everything about him appealed to her. She couldn’t help feeling nervous. He had a way of looking at her as if he might devour her entirely. The saddest part of that was she didn’t think she’d mind.