Page 4 of Kissing the Kelpie

“Listen to that.” The way the man uses his violin to create some of the happiest and saddest sounds ears can hear is a testament to the hours he spent practicing. Further proof he holds no threat. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to watch him play.”

Watching him last time as he lost himself in the entrancing music stirred something in me. The look of exultation on his face as he cradled the instrument against his firm shoulder and firm jaw held my rapt attention.

Witnessing him stroking the violin and hitting notes that sounded more beautiful than anything I’d ever heard held an intimacy I never experienced before. His body moved in precision with the sounds, the two perfectly synched. The scene stoked a hunger inside me I thought I no longer had.

The thought, the memory of watching him stand under the moonlight at the spring, lures me to him. It’s not just the music; it’s the way he looks, strong and majestic. Comfortable and confident in an environment that should have terror rushing through his veins. Everything about this man fascinates me.

Why am I making so much out of this? Trying to explain myself to a cougar, no less. “Maybe I’m worrying for no reason, and Em and Erin will be there too. It will be like our own private concert. There’s no way they aren’t hearing the music.” I’m done looking for a reaction from Safra.

I blow out a breath, hoping to settle myself so I don’t act like a love-sick fool when I see the man. Love-sick? That’s ridiculous. The thought makes me want to puke. I’m acting strange because I’ve been away from men, from people, for too long. I need to get my head straight and stop allowing my imagination to run wild and make too much of this.

One minute, I act like he’s a cold-blooded killer and hide in my house, and the next, like we are going to have an epic romance. I need to stay grounded and in the moment. Right now, I’m safe and have nothing to worry about. As long as he plays, his hands and lips will be nowhere close to mine. Hmmm…Lips… I wonder what his soft, warm lips taste like?

The rich sounds of music continue to travel through the night air surrounding me, enveloping me like a soft blanket or a warm hug. I continue forward in a hypnotic state. How can anyone who can play such a plethora of cords and harmonies and provoke so much emotion be a threat?

I hum along as if I know what sound comes next and will myself to relax. The music takes over my body. It thrums through my veins. The tension I feel separates from my muscles and melts away like butter.

I can’t wait to see the fair-haired man again. This time, I plan to get closer. The anticipation has me giddy. I smile and fiddle with my plaited hair, unsure of what to do with it. I pull it forward and force my hands down at my sides.

No, this feels forced and submissive. Oh hell no. I keep my hands at my sides and stand straight, conscious of my posture.

His silhouette becomes clearer with each step. I lick my lips, completely enthralled.

“There’s no turning back now, is there, girl?” I say to my companion, suspicious of her aloofness and docile behavior.

Perhaps this is her way of disagreeing with me and telling me I should axe the idea? Then she should’ve put up a protest the moment I stepped out of my cottage. Not that it would have changed anything.

From the moment I ran away from this man, I knew that if he returned, I’d throw caution to the wind and seek him out. Like I’m doing now. While my daughter sleeps alone in the cottage.

“Ana,” I whisper, reminding myself what I’m risking.

What kind of mother am I, leaving Ana while I go rendezvous with a man? Not a responsible one, that’s for sure. I know better than to act like this, venturing out at night and leaving her alone. Although alone is relative. Ana’s sound asleep, and the cottage is being guarded by the wolves.

Ever since my brother came to the forest threatening all of us, Em has added extra layers to our protection delegation. I don’t think there’s a child anywhere in this world safer than Ana. She’s safer here than if we lived in a castle surrounded by an alligator-infested moat. Even when I’m not with her.

Still, we’re in the forest so I can give her a happy and stable upbringing. One where she won’t lose her mother to thugs the way I lost mine. I’m putting that at risk. All of it.

My feet stop for a fleeting moment. The right thing to do is run back home and lock the door behind me like I did the last time. I don’t because I fear if I do, I’ll never see this man again. I don’t even give the thought real consideration.

I need to understand why this man has my insides twisted in knots. I’ve never been like this, not even when I first met Mike. That was a slow burn over a few months, not an instant flame.

Now that I know my music man is here, I need to see him. Talk to him. I start moving again, continuing my walk into the fire.

It’s hard to swallow as his full figure comes into clear view. My eyes adjusted to the dark when I started walking, but seeing him in the ambient light hits me in a way that makes it hard to breathe. I pull in a long gulp of air, hoping it will feed my confidence along with my lungs.

I remember finding him attractive, but I didn’t expect him to be drool-worthy. He looks like he stepped out of the past—or maybe a movie— I do miss those. Like the hero, come to rescue the maiden trapped in a tower. Or in my case, the forest.

My pulse sprints fast and furious. I feel my heartbeat in my fingertips as I watch him play, oblivious to my presence and lost in the music. The look on his face makes me think he’s as entranced by what he does with the violin he holds as I am watching him. It’s so intimate, my pleasure feels perverse.

Resting his chin on the instrument, he cradles it. His whole body moves with each pull of the bow in time with the music. His face betrays nothing but joy and contentment. My heart lunges with each beat, struggling to get out of my chest and closer to him.

Standing on the far side of the spring, he doesn’t notice me as I stand still and watch. He tilts the bow and drags it across the strings, changing the tone to something more lilting and upbeat.

Two more steps forward, and I will myself not to go any further. Once again, I’m nervous. Nervous that I won’t catch his attention. Nervous if I do, that it’s been so long since I’ve spoken to a man, I won’t know how. I bite my lip, unsure if I want him to look up and discover me or if I want him to continue to play as if no one is there.

I look around the area, searching for Em or Erin. Good, there’s no sign of either of them. I expect the knot in my stomach to shrink in relief. Instead, it grows. Transforms into a boulder.

When Em finds out I’m here, he’ll scold me like a small child. He’ll be pissed off and explode, knocking down trees and causing devastation in the forest he loves so much. Then he’ll punish the man for daring to look my way.

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