Page 134 of Forcing Fate

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I blinked, and my feet grew invisible roots, grounding me in place. I stood frozen as I gawked at the large man in the lake.

He was a fair hundred paces away, far enough that I didn’t think he heard my steps over the low crash of waves. He faced away from shore with his muscular, barren back to me. Not a stitch of fabric covered those rugged shoulders, nor the valley that ran down the center.

My mouth went dry and my heart raced.

I knew that back.

Not only because I’d seen it bare once before, but because I was so familiar with it clothed in a sleeveless tunic.

He ducked his shaven head down and plunged into the water, coming up a few paces deeper. That movement startled me and a blush heated my cheeks. Here I was, a grown woman, ogling a man like some love-struck puppy.

He turned, now chest deep, and I noted something different. His broad stature was familiar, but so was the cloth over his eye… that was missing.

I couldn’t see it clearly enough to make it out, but it appeared as though his eye survived the injury. Perhaps he was blinded and kept it covered. However, he didn’t seem like the type to shy away from any shock factor he might cause.

Curiosity drew me in and bolstered my resolve.

I was not just a woman—but a soldier. I’d been looking for him anyway and simply found him in a place I hadn’t expected. If I were a man, I wouldn’t have thought a thing of it. Only my gender made me think twice.

Boldly, I struck out a foot and continued, all the while my heart raced. The butterflies in my belly refused to let me ignore the fact that I was a woman, regardless of occupation, walking upon a man in a state of undress. Ignoring the flutters, I made as much noise as possible while approaching. I didn’t walk straight toward him, but rather angled myself to a stone’s throw away. I watched him out of the corner of my eye and waited for him to notice.

A deep chuckle reached me, and I turned to give him my full attention. His shoulders and head were above water, but the rest was hidden under the blue waves.

Thankfully.

“Cadet,” he greeted with a dark smile. He kept his damaged eye closed, but his right eye sparkled with a glint of danger.

“General Rafe,” I replied, taking a seat on the warm sand.

He grinned and started for the shore. I glanced at his pile of clothing as his chest rose out of the water. Diverting my gaze, I focused on the water, the clouds—anything else. He was messing with me. He found pleasure in pushing people over the edge. To be honest, it was growing on me, and I knew to expect it. He didn’t push too far, just enough to rouse me. He did certain things to make me fight and better myself. Other times, I got the feeling he was rude or brash simply to push me away. As if he wouldn’t allow people to get close to him.

I thought back on our first meeting and granted him some leniency. He was a soldier, rough and rugged. He was bristly and hard. Anyone on the front would have to be to watch their friends and fellow soldiers die.

I heard more about the horrors on the front and wondered how I would react to it. Some became softer, kinder. Some didn’t seem to be affected. Others, like General Rafe, hardened, cut deep by the cruelty they lived through. Almost as if they had to be sharp and cut back to avoid getting hurt. If they kept people away, they wouldn’t get hurt when something inevitably happened to the people they knew.

Being a General, he not only saw men killed, but led them to their slaughter. That level of responsibility and guilt would weigh on anyone, no matter how strong they were.

I learned to brush off his barbs and taunts. It took some time, but I was beginning to understand how to read him and what he wanted without him using words. The world would be a much simpler place if he decided to use more of his vocabulary, with the exception of curses.

His feet sloshed through the lake, and I kept my eyes forward. The sun was still high in the sky, casting a glare on the water, which I squinted against. Low waves lapped at the shore, bringing stringy bits of plant life and driftwood with them.

I focused on a particularly interesting twig when he lowered himself beside me.

I glanced at his bare feet and smiled as his toes dug into the warm sand. He was human, after all. Even the tops of his feet were scarred, and I followed his ankle to his trouser-covered leg. Braving my gaze higher, I held in my breath of relief that he had his tunic on. It wasn’t fastened, but at least it was on.

I had to be thankful for the little things.

The butterflies in my belly opposed this thought.

My gaze traveled to his face, which was directed toward the lake, ignoring my study of him. He had wrapped the cloth around his wound again, covering his left eye.

“I—ah,” I cleared the tightness from my throat. “I came because I couldn’t find you, sir.”

His head turned, so he could take me in with his good eye, and he smirked. “Enjoy the show?”

“I wouldn’t know. I only caught the end act.”

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