Page 24 of Borgaz

And then she was gone, leaving him amused, aroused, and entirely too happy to be staying.

CHAPTER 11

Aweek later, Mary stood to stretch and ease her aching back. She’d spent the morning working on the ancient irrigation system and she was hot, frustrated, and sore. The day was usually warm and the pipes were choked with rust and neglect.

I should have waited for Borgaz.

The insidious thought snaked into her mind but she immediately rejected it. No. She was still determined not to depend on him. The last week had been…confusing.

She hadn’t been surprised when she woke the morning after she’d invited him to spend the night in the farmhouse to find him gone. He’d obviously had his doubts about remaining. But a little after noon he’d come riding back and returned to plowing the field. He’d stayed for dinner that night and once again stayed in the farmhouse, and that had become the pattern of their days.

Because of his help she’d made much faster progress than she’d hoped, but although she’d stopped trying to prevent him from helping her, she didn’t want to rely on it. He’d never given anyindication that he intended to do more than help her get the farm running. Even though he spent each night in the other bedroom, he left no traces of his presence when he left each morning.

He’d opened up a little more during their long nightly conversations, but only a little. He told her more about his childhood - a childhood very similar to her own - but less about the clearly troubled time after his parents died. He talked about his fellow warriors, but never about the war, shutting down completely the one time she tried to bring it up.

But despite the separate bedrooms and the distance he clearly tried to keep between them, there was a constant and increasingly frustrating thread of sexual tension running between them. She could see the hunger in his eyes when he looked at her, and she was far from oblivious to his powerful body or that rare, wicked smile. And then there were the kisses - three to be exact.

The first had occurred when she had tripped over a hidden root as they inspected the plowed field. He’d caught her, those big arms pulling her tight against his body. Her nipples instantly stiffened, turning to aching points, and he’d noticed, amber eyes gleaming before he groaned and kissed her. The world went up in flames as soon as his tongue delved into her mouth, and when he’d lifted her into his arms, her legs had automatically wrapped around his waist as he settled her over a huge, perfect erection. She’d been rocking desperately against him and he’d been helping her move when he suddenly growled and raised his head.

“Temel is coming,” he said, his gaze fixed on something in the distance, before looking back down at her. “Perhaps it’s just as well.”

“Easy for you to say,” she snapped as he put her back on her feet, equal parts aroused and embarrassed.

“No, fojii, not easy at all.”

He pressed her hand briefly to the very apparent evidence of his own arousal. Her fingers tightened automatically, trying to grasp more of him, and he growled again before turning away to go and greet Temel.

She’d half-expected the commander to be displeased that Borgaz was spending so much time with her, but instead he looked… satisfied. She wasn’t sure she liked that either, but she made polite conversation as she served him tea and he told her more about their progress on the main farm.

After he left, she’d hoped that Borgaz would kiss her again, but instead he’d gruffly excused himself and gone off to muck out the cow’s stall.Not that I care if he’d rather deal with cow shit than kiss me, she thought defiantly as she went about her own chores.

Both of the other kisses had been similar - accidental touches that flared quickly and wildly out of control - and each had been interrupted. Once by more visitors, Rosie and Harkan that time, and as much as she enjoyed seeing her friend she could have wept with frustration.

The second time had been more troubling. He’d actually gone as far as pushing her shirt aside that time, his mouth closing over her nipple with a wonderful wet sucking heat as she clung to her horns. Then a low rumbling had come from overhead, and she was on the ground, Borgaz crouched over her, his eyes on the sky as his fist clenched at his waist, clearly reaching for something that wasn’t there.

“What is it?” she whispered, her heart pounding as she pulled her shirt back together.

“Enemy ship. Remain still.”

Enemy? She managed to peer over his shoulder to see the stubby winged transport that Artek had arranged to visit twice a year. The cost of air transport was normally prohibitive, but the ranch had established a trading relationship with the port that made the biannual visits worthwhile.

“It’s just a transport ship.”

He didn’t seem to hear her, his face harsh and his eyes fixed on the disappearing ship.

“Borgaz,” she said gently, grabbing his wildly thrashing tail and giving it a gentle stroke. “You don’t need to worry about that ship.”

He turned and snarled at her, his fangs flashing, and she was almost afraid but she refused to let go of his tail, stroking it again.

“You’re safe.”

Her words finally penetrated, but instead of relaxing he only looked appalled. He’d muttered an apology and left, not returning until that night. He refused to discuss the incident and refused to eat dinner with her. He’d even slept in the barn that night, and she’d spent half the night awake and worried.

The next day he acted as if nothing had happened, and for once she’d chosen not to confront him, happy when he joined her in the kitchen as usual that night.

“Definitely a confusing week,” she muttered to herself as she sighed and returned to the irrigation system. Confusing and frustrating. She’d been desperate enough to try relieving the pressure herself, but her own hand was a poor substitute for what she really wanted.

That frustration resulted in a particularly forceful tug, and the pipe unexpectedly gave way. She stumbled backwards, then caught her foot on a concealed rock and tumbled to the ground, a sharp pain shooting through her ankle.

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