A Knight in Central Park(55)

His eyes squinted against the sun’s rays. “I don’t see it.”

“’Tis a shame,” she said, still looking upward.

“Why?”

“Because so many people in your time seem to have their eyes wide open and yet they are blind.”

“Blind to the sights and sounds before them?” he asked.

“Blind to immortality,” she said. “In the end, life is but a blink of an eye. Short, but long enough to give us a glimpse of all the possibilities.” She peered into his eyes. “Every day, and every moment should be appreciated.”

“Every second,” he added, his fingertips brushing over her shoulder.

“Aye,” she said, his touch causing goose bumps to crawl up her arms. “Shelly believes it is easier said than done, but I disagree.”

“What is easier said than done?”

“Appreciating the things around you. For instance, when you look at a flower, is it not simple to see its beauty? Until I visited your world I never saw so many people looking into the face of happiness and yet failing to see it at all. What stops so many from seeing it, I wonder?”

“Maybe they don’t know they’re looking into the face of happiness because they have never seen it before.”

As the lion cloud blended in with the others, Alexandra pondered his words, wondering if he spoke of himself. Mostly he seemed confident and secure, but at times it appeared he wore a mask, as if he were hiding his true feelings from the world.

“What is it?” she asked Sir Joe when he grew quiet. “Verily you look perplexed.”

“Why me, Alexandra?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

He loomed over her, his broad shoulders shadowing her from the sun. A tingling sensation swept over her, starting low and working its way rapidly upward.

“Why did you choose me?” he asked again.

“Because the instant I looked into your eyes, I thought you looked empty and lost. I knew then, in my heart, that you were the man who would return to help me and my family.”

“Empty, huh?”

“Aye,” she said, her gaze pulling away from dark eyes that were no longer empty, but now filled with an awareness that made her knees weaken. “If I could send you back, I would,” she said, not wanting him to know he had been right about last night. That she was no longer sure she could handle this shared intimacy between them only to have him leave her in the end. She didn’t want him to know how close to the precipice she dangled, how close she was to throwing her pride to the wind and falling to her knees and pleading with him to stay with her forever. She did not want him to know she could hardly breathe when he touched her as he was doing now, drawing his fingers to her face, tipping her chin upward until she had no choice but to gaze into his eyes.

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

“You jest.”

“I’ve never been more serious.”

Water dripped from his shoulders and down his chest. She refused to let her gaze follow the droplets. A hawk flew overhead and a breeze swept across the lake, whispering in her ear. Shivers coursed over her, her insides fluttering like butterfly wings let loose as his lips descended upon hers. She settled a hand on his chest, reveled in the solid feel of him beneath her fingers, wondering if touching him would always feel like the first time.

’Twas a kiss like no other, tender at first, and then erupting into an eager, impatient need that ignited the smoldering sparks within. She was on fire. Naught could ruin this moment.

“Alexandra! Is that you?”

Except for that.

Alexandra tore her mouth from his and jerked about, her mouth falling open the moment she spotted Garrett, Susan, and Rebecca standing at the lake’s edge, watching her with all their wide-eyed innocence.

“Go away!” she cried. “Go to where the horses are tied and wait for me there.”

Garrett gave her a disapproving frown before Susan nudged her brother and sister along. As the children disappeared through the high grass and shrubs, Sir Joe looked hopeful as he said, “Maybe they have news of your sister.”

She nodded, then watched Sir Joe swim away until he reached the edge of the lake, leaving in his wake, ripples of disappointment. What were her siblings doing here? How could they have found her unless...unless they had been following them all along?

By the time Alexandra dressed and reached the campsite, she could hear their bickering. Sir Joe was fiddling with the items inside his leather case. His hair was wet and combed away from his face. Two days of growth shadowed his jaw.