Bound By Honour (Book 1)

Chapter 36

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He cannot believe it; she is actually kissing him back. Her lips are against his, soft and yielding. Her fingers curl into his shoulders and he moves back, not too far. They both take in a breath of air and their lips, once again, collide. She tastes of the strawberry sorbet from desert. He drinks her in bit by bit. His hand lifts from her waist and his fingers wind themselves in her hair, some of the braids unravelling and falling down her back.

Two owls call to each other but both Wolfe and Sparrow are far too preoccupied to notice.

Their lips break apart for a moment and the words that condemn him leave his lips. Her senses return to her and colour floods her cheeks, her ears tinge red and the unflattering shade blotches her neck. Before Wolfe can continue the kiss she pushes against him and stumbles backwards. He remains where he was, hands hovering in the air, not yet comprehending that she has gone. Her fingers brush her lips and her breath comes out in unsteady, anxious pants.

He expects her to hit him, slap him, and harm him in some way. She does none of that. The voice, that has suddenly returned, shouts at her to do so. He took advantage of her, it says. He deserves to be punished, he was trying to trick her, it persuades. She blocks it out. He took no advantage. He does not deserve to be punished. She did not stop him and he gave her every opportunity to escape. Even just now he let her go the minute she pushed away.

She had kissed him back. She wraps her arms around her waist. How could she have done that? No wonder he said those words. She cannot meet his eyes that watch her ever so carefully now. His hands have dropped down to his side. She forces her eyes upwards, they land on his lips. Her gaze drops again. Where exactly did these feelings come from? The words that left his mouth echo in her mind and she grimaces.

"Sparrow, please." His words are a faint, desperate whisper. They show just how much damage he knows he has caused.

Her mouth opens and closes and she squeezes her eyes shut momentarily. She opens them and is thankful and relieved that he remained where he was. If he got any closer she is sure her legs would turn to jelly. She shakes her head and sprints away. Her legs pound against the ground as she clutches onto her dress and lifts it away from the ground. She leaves him behind. He does not chase after her. He has already lost her and there is nothing he can do to get her back. The cold rushes against her face but the heat radiating from them doesn't die down. If anything, it gets stronger as flashes of his face moving towards hers run through her mind.

She runs to the only place she knows she can be alone, the one place where no one will be in the middle of the night. She pushes the doors open to the stables and slips inside. Shadow immediately pops his head over his stall door and whickers gently to her. Sparrow runs to him and buries her head in his neck. She buries her hands in his mane and allows his strength to support them both.

She curses herself for making such a foolish mistake. How can she see him now tomorrow? How can she face his family or hers? This is all her fault. This was never what was supposed to happen. She was not meant to develop any form of attachment to him. She kissed him! That has broken every single one of her rules. Oh but she enjoyed it. The blush coating her skin refuses to settle.

She lets herself into his stall and begs Shadow to lie down. With some persuasion he does as she asks and she lies beside him, her head against his flank. Tiredness overwhelms her and it is not long before she falls into a deep sleep.

The stable hands wake her up as they drift in and see to the horses various needs. Sparrow stands and a young lad, barely 15 summers, jumps and then laughs at himself. He tips his hat to her recognising her from the night before. "Good mornin Miss." He leans against the door, while keeping a wary eye on Shadow. Sparrow brushes the straw from her dress and she knows what she must do. She forces a smile.