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"You don't like it up here?" I felt his lips nuzzle the back of my neck. But for the fact that I was high from the ground, I'd have jumped.
"Please," I begged. "You're too close."
"Am I now?"
He didn't release me from his touch or the heat that surrounded me, far more powerful than the Montana late afternoon sun.
"Please," I tried again.
He suddenly let go of me, and dismounted. After a moment, he helped me get off the horse. I pulled my hand away from his. I was way out of my depth.
"How far are we from the house?" I asked. I couldn't get back on that horse with him, I thought. I wouldn't last. I'd do something stupid like turn my face to his and kiss him, or worse, let his arms rub against my aching nipples. This man, his smell, his touch…it was making me lose my head.
I couldn't afford that. One of the things I learned at an early age was that you had to always be in control of yourself. In an orphanage, nobody gave a rat's ass about your tantrums or your nightmares or your fears. If you were a crybaby, like some of the kids, the others would make your life miserable. Weakness was not something you showed when you lived in a jungle where you were prey or predator.
That Rowan was disrupting my control was cause for concern. I let nothing ever affect me.
"Far, Isha. You're not walking back."
I smiled wanly at him. "I just was wondering."
"Sure, you were, darlin'. Wanna sit for a bit?"
"Yes, please."
Chapter 3
Isha
We sat on a stone at the edge of a cliff with Montana wrapped around us. This was the most beautiful place I'd ever been. I'd lived in a city my whole life, and the little of Cornwall I'd seen didn't have this majesty.
"What do you think of my land?" he asked.
My land. His possessiveness should sound facetious, but it didn't. He meant it. He had a kinship with his ancestral property.
"It's stunning," I admitted. "I've never traveled this far in my life. And this is just…I can see why people love the wide open spaces. I thought the countryside would be too quiet for me, growing up and living in London. But I could see myself living in a place like this, where the silence speaks volumes and gives so much peace."
His eyes softened, and he stroked my cheek with the back of his hand.
"Ace says you grew up in an orphanage."
I moved my face away from him. I didn't want him to touch me.
"I did." I wasn't ashamed of it and didn't mind talking about it, but I didn't advertise it or go into detail.
"When did you end up there?"
I gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"
"When did you start living there?"
"Since I was a baby. Since…before I can remember anything. I was left at a church when I was a couple of days old."
"Who raised you?"
"No one." I felt disconcerted by his probing eyes, so I looked around at the beauty of Montana instead of Rowan.
"Someone must've."
