hypersensitivity. An inner darkness swirled through her. She felt as if she was falling from a tall cliff, floating endlessly toward some destination she couldn’t begin to guess at.
A vast sense of disappointment filled her, though, when he wrenched his mouth from hers almost as abruptly as he’d claimed it.
She sensed an inner struggle as he stared down at her face and held her breath, afraid to move, although she wasn’t certain whether her anxiety was that he’d abandon her or continue until he moved away. She knew then, without any doubt, that it had been his withdrawal she’d dreaded. A sense of abandonment followed the disappoint, and confusion. She wasn’t certain what the kiss had meant anymore than she understood why he’d stopped.
For several moments, she lay perfectly still, shaken, hopeful that he would do or say something that would help her to understand, struggling with the impulse to turn to him and try to urge him to give her more, to fulfill the need drumming through her and making her ache. The fear that he’d thrust her away finally surmounted it.
Struggling with the urge to cry for no reason that she could completely grasp, she finally rolled onto her side away from him, curling tightly into a miserable ball and trying to find the blissful unawareness of sleep.
* * * *
At dawn, the women came once more. Tempest eyed them sleepily, uncertain of whether to be relieved or sorry that Kiran had risen and left the tent while she still slept.
They dressed her once more in the garments she’d worn the night before and escorted her out of the tent. There, she saw that an aquestan outfitted with some sort of enclosure waited. The aquestan , a hulking, mostly hairless beast with a row of three horns growing out of its forehead, had been forced to its knees, but even so it was almost as tall as she was and she wondered how, and if, she was expected to climb up. Two men that she recognized from the group that had captured her and Kiran, stepped forward, bowed and then, each taking an arm, lifted her into the strange convenience.
It was a chair of sorts, she discovered, padded with pillows. The seat was set inside a box of sorts, the roof supported by posts, the sides, front and back open. Sheer fabric had been draped all around and once she was seated, these were released, shielding her from sight, cutting off most of her view.
She grasped the edges of the seat as she felt the beast heave beneath her. Her belly clenched as it rose abruptly.
Through the veiling, she saw that the beast she rode was surrounded by a dozen or so others, each bearing a plain saddle. Kiran had been given one to ride, as well, and as they started out, he guided his beast to walk beside hers.
He was still too far away to allow for comfortable conversation. She had a feeling he would be disinclined to talk anyway after what had passed between them the night before.
It puzzled her. He hadn’t been at all willing to allow her to follow him off to begin with. That had been her idea and he had made it clear that he wasn’t pleased and that it was only because of his good nature that he allowed it at all.
He hadn’t really had to do anything at all to make her aware of him sexually. It was more than enough that he was extremely physically appealing, but he hadn’t left it at that. He had teased her into heightened interest by appearing to be interested in her.
What really confused her was that he had implied that his restraint was self-imposed. Could it possibly be true? Or was it just something he said to take the sting out of rejection because he really wasn’t that interested? Surely, if he was very attracted to her in a physical sense, it would take more than words to hold him back? Particularly when nobody would know but her that he’d broken his vow?
Either it was a prime example of just how different their cultures were, or he was just being kind because he knew she was attracted to him.
She sighed, dismissing
A vast sense of disappointment filled her, though, when he wrenched his mouth from hers almost as abruptly as he’d claimed it.
She sensed an inner struggle as he stared down at her face and held her breath, afraid to move, although she wasn’t certain whether her anxiety was that he’d abandon her or continue until he moved away. She knew then, without any doubt, that it had been his withdrawal she’d dreaded. A sense of abandonment followed the disappoint, and confusion. She wasn’t certain what the kiss had meant anymore than she understood why he’d stopped.
For several moments, she lay perfectly still, shaken, hopeful that he would do or say something that would help her to understand, struggling with the impulse to turn to him and try to urge him to give her more, to fulfill the need drumming through her and making her ache. The fear that he’d thrust her away finally surmounted it.
Struggling with the urge to cry for no reason that she could completely grasp, she finally rolled onto her side away from him, curling tightly into a miserable ball and trying to find the blissful unawareness of sleep.
* * * *
At dawn, the women came once more. Tempest eyed them sleepily, uncertain of whether to be relieved or sorry that Kiran had risen and left the tent while she still slept.
They dressed her once more in the garments she’d worn the night before and escorted her out of the tent. There, she saw that an aquestan outfitted with some sort of enclosure waited. The aquestan , a hulking, mostly hairless beast with a row of three horns growing out of its forehead, had been forced to its knees, but even so it was almost as tall as she was and she wondered how, and if, she was expected to climb up. Two men that she recognized from the group that had captured her and Kiran, stepped forward, bowed and then, each taking an arm, lifted her into the strange convenience.
It was a chair of sorts, she discovered, padded with pillows. The seat was set inside a box of sorts, the roof supported by posts, the sides, front and back open. Sheer fabric had been draped all around and once she was seated, these were released, shielding her from sight, cutting off most of her view.
She grasped the edges of the seat as she felt the beast heave beneath her. Her belly clenched as it rose abruptly.
Through the veiling, she saw that the beast she rode was surrounded by a dozen or so others, each bearing a plain saddle. Kiran had been given one to ride, as well, and as they started out, he guided his beast to walk beside hers.
He was still too far away to allow for comfortable conversation. She had a feeling he would be disinclined to talk anyway after what had passed between them the night before.
It puzzled her. He hadn’t been at all willing to allow her to follow him off to begin with. That had been her idea and he had made it clear that he wasn’t pleased and that it was only because of his good nature that he allowed it at all.
He hadn’t really had to do anything at all to make her aware of him sexually. It was more than enough that he was extremely physically appealing, but he hadn’t left it at that. He had teased her into heightened interest by appearing to be interested in her.
What really confused her was that he had implied that his restraint was self-imposed. Could it possibly be true? Or was it just something he said to take the sting out of rejection because he really wasn’t that interested? Surely, if he was very attracted to her in a physical sense, it would take more than words to hold him back? Particularly when nobody would know but her that he’d broken his vow?
Either it was a prime example of just how different their cultures were, or he was just being kind because he knew she was attracted to him.
She sighed, dismissing
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