A Knight in Central Park(59)

Three pairs of curious eyes looked intently at him, eager to hear what he planned to do to their sister.

He knew what he wanted to do to their sister. He wanted to find Alexandra, take her over his knee and...

Damn it. He’d done everything he told himself he wouldn’t do. Not only had he kissed Alexandra, he’d made love to her, and now he was thinking of her at the oddest times. He had no idea how she’d managed to get inside his head, hanging on to his every thought like a blood-sucking leech.

My God, he thought next. What if she was pregnant? What was wrong with him? It was as if he was put in some sort of trance when she was around. Here he was, out in the woods, surrounded by a bunch of kids, and he was lusting after a woman who had left him high and dry. He was a fool. He kicked another clod of dirt onto the fire for good measure. It wasn’t his tooth or the coyotes or even the kid’s bickering that had kept him up last night. It was Alexandra.

The intimacy they had shared changed everything between them. He’d seen it in her eyes, felt it in his chest. Looking down at his hand, he remembered the silkiness of her skin beneath his palm.

Grunting, he headed for the horse. He needed to find Alexandra and help rescue her sister before it was too late. Before he did something really stupid like fall in love with the medieval woman. He would keep his distance. No more love making, no kissing, no gallivanting in the lake. No talking unless completely necessary.

“What are you going to do to Alexandra?” Susan asked, her voice quivering.

“You have naught to worry about,” Garrett said snidely, answering for him, “when Sir Joe finds our dear sister he’ll most likely pull his sword from his sheath and then kiss her soundly instead.” Garrett visibly shuddered. “Though the deed ’twould be punishment enough for our dear sister, I admit.”

Joe didn’t bother looking Garrett’s way. If nothing else, the boy provided a nice distraction from the pain in his tooth.

Susan frowned. “You are limping, my lord. Can you ride?”

“Sure, yeah, I’m a regular Shoemaker.”

Susan cocked her head. “You are a shoe maker?”

He shook his head, not wanting to bother explaining the famous horse jockey. “No, never mind.”

Susan’s puzzled expression disappeared as she hurried to gather the rest of his things.

“Help me with this saddle,” he said to Garrett.

“What do I look like, a stable boy?”

Joe smiled. “Yeah, you kind of do.”

“I shall help you,” Susan quickly offered in an attempt to keep peace between them. “How will you find Alexandra without a guide?” she asked in all of her sweet innocence.

Joe crossed his arms. “Nice try.”

Susan tossed a blanket and the lightweight saddle over the horse’s back, then untangled the straps and tightened the cinch.

“Alexandra knows these parts like the back of her hand,” Garrett said. “She probably took a shortcut. You will never find her without our help.”

Joe looked at the boy. “Why would you want to come with me? You’ve made it clear you don’t like me.”

Garrett shrugged. “Why were you kissing my sister if you have no plans to stay?”

“Do you always answer a question with a question?” Joe asked.

“Do you?”

“Stop it you two!” Susan’s cheeks blossomed with color. “If we plan to find Alexandra we must set off.”

“What do you mean if we find Alexandra?” Alexandra questioned as she came through the dense brush with a dead pheasant slung over her shoulder.

Joe narrowed his eyes. “Where have you been?”

Garrett gestured toward the pheasant. “’Tis obvious, is it not? I knew full well she’d be back.”

Joe felt a wave of impatience as he studied Alexandra critically. For the life of him, he could not recall ever feeling so frustrated, so damned angry. “Why didn’t you tell anyone where you were going?”

She looked tired, her face pale and drawn as if she were close to falling to her knees in exhaustion. “What if you had gotten hurt? We had no idea where you’d gone.”

“I apologize.” She plunked the dead bird to the ground. “Everyone was fast asleep and I could not find sleep myself. We needed food and so off I went. I did not mean to cause you worry.”

“Well you did and if it happens again...” He stopped at the first sight of blood on her torn skirt. “What happened? Are you hurt?”