Page 61 of Cavern of Silence
"You had more than horses?"
"Chickens. A few sheep. Nothing major."
"That sounds nice." She pats Sweetpea again. "I wish we had time to ride."
I'm tempted to tell her to saddle up her horse and have a final hoorah, but we need to get to Omoa, and staying in any place for long isn't a good idea. "Sorry, but we really should get going."
She takes a deep breath and gives Sweetpea a final stroke and then walks to an area with shelves. She points to the top. "The tarp is up there. Let me grab a ladder."
I step in front of her. "Hey."
She raises her eyebrows. "Hmm?"
"New Zealand has some pretty amazing horse treks from what I've researched."
"It does?"
"Yep. You haven't said you'll go with me yet, but maybe I can bribe you to say yes by offering horse rides?"
She tilts her head. "You're serious about taking me?"
"Of course I am. I wouldn't have asked you if I wasn't."
She bites her lip, and her eyes shift across my face.
My nerves flutter in my stomach. I'm not trying to pressure her, but I want to take her with me. And maybe I should have waited to ask her until we've been together longer so I don't scare her off, but I don't know what the rules are for dating anymore. Not that I even paid attention to them when I courted Maureen. I saw her again in Italy, wanted her, and pursued her. I was barely a man back then. Now, I'm forty-five and have first-hand experience regarding how precious and short life is. And the intense feelings I have toward Julieta aren't going to go away. I know myself.
But the longer Julieta stays silent, the more my nerves grow. I wonder if I freaked her out and if I should back off a bit.
"Okay. I'll go with you."
My heart soars. "You will?"
She smiles. "If you change your mind, though—"
"I'm not going to change my mind."
"If you do—"
I slide my hands into her hair and kiss her with everything I've got. The minute her lips part, I glide my tongue in her mouth and claim her as mine. "I'm not going to," I murmur, and she returns my kisses with fervor, riling up the blood in my veins.
When I finally let her go, she's breathless and flushed. "I can't get over how sexy you are."
"You’re ruggedly hot," she blurts out.
I'm unable to stop a perma-grin forming. "Rugged?"
She bites her smile. "You're a super-rugged stud."
"And I'm a stud?" I tease.
"Yep."
"Well, then, show me where the ladder is and let me flex my muscles for you."
She laughs and points to the ladder.
I get the tarp. "Tell me again why we need this?"
