Second Debt (Indebted #3)(6)

No, I wasn’t ready. Not yet. Besides, I had more important things on my mind.

Such as hunting.

Leaping over the rock wall and tearing down the path, I put my head down and ran after my little Weaver.



A pitiful six minutes later, I gained on her.

Her stride and pace were impressive, and I had to appreciate her wily ways of trying to throw me off her trail by cutting across the driveway and disappearing into the woods on the other side.

But I was an experienced hunter.

Her clues littered behind her, leading me directly to my prey.

Her hair bounced, tendrils coming loose from her hair-tie. Her sculptured legs led to the firmest arse I’d ever seen.

My mouth watered.

I wanted to bite it. Bite her. Lick her. Fuck her.

“This seems all too familiar,” I muttered, pulling up beside her with a burst of speed.

She jumped, clutching her heart. “Shit, I didn’t hear you creeping behind me.”

“Creeping? I did nothing of the sort.”

She rolled her eyes, settling back into the punishing pace she’d set. I matched my stride to hers. Companionable silence fell as my attention turned inward again, focusing on the agony in my feet.

I really shouldn’t have chosen that part of my body—especially if running with her became a frequent occurrence. I’d have to find a new place in which to fix myself. The soles of my feet had been used for years—when I needed the extra buffer. No one could see the marks, no one would know, and the pain was constant whenever I moved.

A perfect place for secrets.

“Do you run?” Nila asked. Her breathing was heavy but even, her fitness level higher than mine.

I shook my head. “No. I prefer exercise where a horse does the hard work, or perhaps a punching bag that takes my fists.”

“You do that often?”

“What, ride?”

“No, assault an innocent punching bag.” Her dark eyes landed on mine, diving deep into my complexities before I slammed up my walls and prevented her from seeing any more.

“No more than usual,” I said, pulling ahead of her.

With a small grunt, she matched me, not letting me disappear. “I know you have issues, Jethro. But I’ll keep my speculations to myself…for now.” Running for a while, she finally asked, “What time did you wake up today?”

I frowned, gritting my teeth against the pounding pain in my feet. “What?”

“It’s dawn, yet you’ve already been for a ride. Are you an early riser?”

I snorted. You could say that. “I’m not good at sleeping. Wings is used to me.”

“Wings?”

“My gelding.” I threw her a glance. “The horse I was riding when I tracked you. Remember?”

Nila’s face shadowed. No doubt thinking of the hunt and the consequential amazing blowjob.

Sexual tension sprang harder between us, itching my skin, making my cock swell.

My voice turned gruff as I added, “Ever since he was broken in, Wings has been used to me sneaking into the stables and going for a ride in the dead of night. He got a small sleep in today. I didn’t saddle him up until four a.m.”

Nila nodded, soaking up my confession as if I’d announced the epicentre of why I was f*cked up.

“You didn’t have any shipments to take care of?”

I narrowed my eyes. “How do you—” I cut myself off. Kestrel. Of course. The weeks they’d spent together meant she would probably have a good idea of the sort of wealth we smuggled and the amount of shipments completed since she’d arrived at Hawksridge.

“Why can’t you sleep?” she asked. We ran side-by-side, leaving the gloom of the forest and trading mud for the gravel of a pathway.

I looked up. My heart clamoured.

Shit, we’re on the wrong track.

I didn’t want her to see what was up ahead. Not yet. I was sure my father had some sick agenda to show her when she fell out of his good graces, but I didn’t want to break her again. Not so soon.

I’d avoided the place most of my life. It held only terror. So, why the f*ck were we running toward it? It was almost as if she’d been summoned by forces outside my comprehension.

A chill darted down my back at the thought. I slowed my pace.

Nila looked back, decreasing her steps to match mine. “Are you going to answer me?”

What, why can’t I sleep?

“No.”

I had no intention of answering. There was no easy response, and she knew far too much about me already. Trying to distract her, I said, “Why do you have to run?”

She ran a hand over her forehead, wiping away glistening sweat. “To re-centre myself. At home, it was the only time I had to calm my mind. The deadlines, the demands—it all stole something that I only found again when I was alone with just my frantic heartbeat to keep me company.”

Shit.

Her answer was f*cking perfect.

I swallowed hard as a glow of more than just lust washed over me.

She understood. She dealt with the same pressures, the same expectations. Only her flaws were visible to everyone, while I hid mine as best I could.

Admit it. The moment you saw her on the catwalk in Milan, you knew.

I fisted my hands, trying to stop the conclusion from forming.