Knight Awakened by Coreene Callahan Read Free Book Online Page A

huge beast tossed his head but stayed true, obeying his master’s command to wait. The moment she came alongside them, he nudged his steed into a walk.
    He bumped her leg and her horse sidestepped, making room for him beside them on the trail. Muscled thigh a hair’s breadth from hers, his scent engulfed her, a subtle invasion of male spice and forest musk that soothed even as it unbalanced. Hmm, he smelled so good. She wanted to lean in and immerse herself in the pleasant complexities of his fragrance.
    She swayed in the saddle and, without thought, let her senses lead. Drifting toward instead of away from him, she watched his eyes flame as he raised his hand. His heat reached her before his fingertips, moving across her skin in a warm ripple of sensation. She sighed as he traced the ridge of her cheekbone then moved lower to brush the corner of her mouth. He paused, his gaze roaming her features before he cupped her cheek and made another pass, stroking her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb.
    Afina sank into the caress, parting her lips when he applied more pressure. His taste, salty-sweet, invaded her mouth and pleasure hummed, flooding her with delight. The unfamiliar sensation rocked her and awareness struck like a thunderbolt. She flinched. What on earth was she doing? Why was she welcoming his touch...encouraging his kiss? His kiss. She almost moaned, the idea of his mouth on hers sending her sideways into delight.
    Oh, no. She was in trouble. The serious kind that made girls act like fools and men like lechers. She needed to get a hold of herself and away from him before she did something stupid. Like offered him her trust—along with her body—on a silver platter.
    Heat pricking across her cheekbones, she turned her face from his hand. He made a sound of regret and leather creaked as he shifted in the saddle, putting distance between them.
    Scrambling for a distraction, she blurted, “I’m sorry, she doesn’t mean—”
    “Hi!” Mismatched eyes trained on Xavian, Sabine smiled at him around her thumb.
    The twin swords strapped on his back bobbed as he dragged his gaze from her to Sabine. A crease between his bronzy-gold brows, she saw uncertainty flicker in his eyes an instant before he said, “Hello, Sabine.”
    “Look, Mama.” Her voice a flutter of excitement, Sabine pointed to the man beside them. “X.”
    “Yes, it is,” she said, stomping on the butterflies wreaking havoc in her belly.
    Needing a distraction, she took inventory of the warrior while his attention remained on her child. Stealth wasn’t exactly her forte, but she picked out small details, cataloguing the weapons he carried...well, at least the ones she could see.
    Aside from the twin blades he wore on his back, two knives were strapped to each thigh, a pair made their home on his chest, one low, the other high, while yet another rested at the base of his spine. She spotted a few more buried in leather sheaths in his saddle. Good goddess, the man was a walking arsenal. How in Hades was she going to escape from that?
    “How old is she?”
    His deep voice stroked her, a warm caress that drew her gaze back to his. “Almost two. Her birthday falls in a month or so.”
    He tilted his head, expression thoughtful. “Do all children suck their thumbs?”
    Afina blinked, thrown by the simple question. Such a strange thing for a battle-honed warrior to wonder. What was he playing at? “I’m not sure. She’s the first one I’ve ever had.”
    He nodded.
    She stiffened as his focus left Sabine to settle on her. The horde of butterflies flapped their wings a little harder and sensationspiraled below her belly button. Afina glanced away and, not knowing what else to do, reissued her apology. “I’ll do my best to keep her quiet from now on.”
    “’Tis all right.” He nudged her with his knee.
    She shied away from the gentle bump, but got the message. He wanted her to look at him, and goddess help her, she needed to avoid that at all