Page 16 of Ladybird

“It comes with time and a lot of hard work. And no, you will never be able to do what I do, you are right.” She gave Lightning another scrap of meat.

“Thanks for having so much faith in me,” he said leaning in closer to peruse the bird. He reached out to touch it but the bird squawked and opened its beak, letting out a rapid kak-kak-kak sound that startled Hunter. He quickly pulled back his hand. “Why did she do that?”

“Lightning is cautious since she doesn’t know you. Or like you,” she added under her breath, reaching out to gently stroke the bird’s back.

“How can you say the bird doesn’t like me?” Hunter scowled. “She’s probably just being territorial, that’s all.”

“Nay,” she answered. “Her territorial call is kee-kee-kee. You definitely made a bad first impression.”

“I give up,” mumbled Hunter. “How am I supposed to be a falconer’s assistant if the bird won’t let me near her?”

“You have to earn the bird’s trust first.” Regina looked over at him and directly into his eyes. “Just like with a woman,” she said in a mere whisper.

“I see.” Hunter found himself being drawn into Regina’s big, beautiful eyes. With the setting sun reflecting in her hazel orbs he saw small specks of green and even orange bringing them to life. “And how long does it take to gain that type of trust?” It took all his control not to reach out and cup her cheek or push back a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. But after that slap he received, he decided he’d better take things slow. Besides, if he tried to touch her, the damned bird would probably attack and sink its sharp beak into his flesh.

“It takes longer than you think,” was her answer.

“Do you mean…for the bird…or for a woman?” he asked in a deep voice, wanting her to trust him the way her bird trusted her. He longed for Regina to welcome him and fall into his open arms. He fantasized of her resting her head against his chest as he stroked her soft hair the same way she stroked the bird’s feathers.

With their gazes interlocked, the intimate moment lingered. Her stare was strong and brave. Surprisingly, she did nothing to break the connection between them. There was a curious nature locked deep within her eyes that called to him. Hunter found himself wondering if she was as intrigued by him as he was her.

“Where are you clothes?” she asked, nearly choking on the words, or so it seemed. Her gaze slowly lowered from his eyes to his bare chest.

“I was planning on taking a quick dip in the lake. Then I saw you.”

“A dip in the lake? Whatever for?”

He squirmed a little and then nonchalantly crossed his arms over his groin. The last thing he wanted was for her to notice the bulge growing under the fabric of his breeches.

When Regina’s eyes traveled lower, she almost gasped aloud by what she saw and quickly looked the other way. This man was filled with lust. The bulge in his breeches proved it. She shouldn’t be here alone with a lusty half-naked man when it was soon to be dark. Not to mention, she was with a stranger she barely knew and also unescorted. Regina didn’t know anything about this man at all. She wasn’t even sure she could trust him.

“I was hot,” he said, making her skin warm just hearing his words. Did that bulge in his breeches have anything to do with her? Deep down she rather hoped so. “I wanted to cleanse myself from the dust and dirt of my last trip.”

“Nobles do not bathe in the lake,” she told him, feeding more to her bird, trying her hardest not to look at him anymore. The more she did, the more she wanted him to kiss her like he did at the cabin. “If you want a bath, tell the steward. He will have servants bring up a wooden tub which they will fill with hot water.”

“Really? Where? To my bedchamber?”

“Of course. Where else?”

“I have never bathed indoors before.”

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and shook her head. “Then you’d better start. If you want anyone to believe for a moment that you are a noble, you had best act the part. That goes for your nephew, too.”

“Have no fear, I can do it, my lady. However, I am not so sure about Luke.”

“What do you mean?” She turned to look at him and instantly regretted it. His nipples were hard. Hopefully just from the cool night breeze. His chest was so wide and sturdy and his arms bulged with muscles. There was a small smattering of dark hair trailing down his chest and disappearing into the top of his breeches. The hair on his head was brown and hung down to his shoulders. He had a beard and mustache covering his face and craggy thick brows. His features were very handsome for such a rugged and unrefined man. Hunter stood much taller than most of the men at the castle. He still towered over her now, and he had bare feet.

“I have been having a hard time raising the boy,” he explained. “Luke doesn’t seem to want to listen to a word I say.”

“How old is he?”

“He recently turned thirteen.”

“That’s why. It is only going to get worse before it gets better. I know for a fact since that is how my brother Robin was at that age.” She walked over and sat down on a rock, removing a small leather hood from her side pouch and slipping it over the bird’s head and eyes. The falcon’s beak stuck out through the opening.

“What is that for?” Hunter still kept his distance.

“Birds of prey are easily distracted and startled,” she told him. “Having a hood over their eyes helps to calm them. You can come closer now, it’s all right.”