Chapter 21
Hannah
My heart pounded, and Kai's entire body went rigid against mine. For a moment, neither of us moved. Then he pulled back, his eyes still dark with want but rapidly cooling into something harder—much like his dick, which was still pressed hard against me.
"Fuck," he breathed, the word barely audible.
I couldn't have agreed more. This was catastrophically bad timing. Apparently, my bad luck was returning.
He was off me in an instant, moving with a speed that left me blinking at the ceiling. The loss of his warmth hit me like a physical blow, and I scrambled to pull the furs back up around myself in case whoever it was barged in.
"A moment," Kai called steadily toward the door. He grabbed one of the bags on the far side of the room and ripped a blue cloth bundle out of it. Then he tossed the bundle at me and started rummaging through the bag.
It landed in my lap. I blinked, looking at the pile in front of me until reality caught up. Clothes.
Yeah, I didn’t need anyone else seeing me this way.
I unfolded the bundle with fumbling fingers, still trying to get my heart rate under control.
The soft, muted blue fabric reminded me of a winter sky just before dusk.
Not surprisingly, it looked like the sort of thing I’d seen folks wear to the Renaissance Fair, but of a much higher quality.
I tugged what I assumed was an undershirt over my head first, grateful at how soft it was against my skin.
Even if it was tight around my breasts and hips in a way that left little to the imagination and wasn’t especially flattering.
Next, I tugged on a long-sleeved shirt with a rounded neck.
It was looser but still a bit snug at my breasts, with sleeves that had to be shoved up to keep them from covering my hands.
The pants were another story. They were loose through the legs, which was comfortable enough, but when I tugged them over my hips and backside, I realized they were decidedly tight across my ass.
The kind of tight that made me very aware of exactly how much fabric was stretched across exactly which curves and whose hands I wouldn’t mind having on me.
The garment had ties instead of a zipper, though, so it was easy enough to fasten at my waist.
As I twisted and tried to find some give, I caught Kai checking out my butt.
“Take a picture. It’ll last longer.” I pulled the pants up a little higher and adjusted the ties as I fixed him with a coy look.
He pressed his lips in a tight line and dropped his gaze back to the caribou, which was still near the trough.
“That won’t be necessary. You’ll need these.
” He tossed a pair of soft leather boots to me.
While the soles were rigid, the legs were floppy.
The insides were lined with soft gray fur, and a pair of gray wool socks had been stuffed inside one.
He avoided looking in my direction again. “They’ll be big for you. We can stuff rags in the toes to make them fit better.”
I smirked as I sat on the bed and pulled on socks. “Oh, I’m sure you know all about stuffing things.”
His spine went ramrod straight. Probably not the only thing that did. I bit back my own smile, knowing I probably shouldn’t be poking him like this. Instead, he should’ve been poking me, but humor was all I had left.
My socks from yesterday were now dry, thanks to the firepit, so I balled them up and shoved them into the toes.
Kai moved around the cabin, stuffing supplies into bags, checking straps, saddling the caribou, doing everything in his power to avoid looking at me or speaking to me.
I startled. Wait. Was he going to avoid me? When I acted cold like that, the guy I was with was toast, and I wanted to get away from him, pronto.
What an asswipe.
But then I caught him sneaking another glance as I stood to test the boots, his gaze dropping to where those pants clung before snapping away. I gritted my teeth. Nope, I didn’t play games unless I was the one in charge.
As I finished, he guided the caribou toward the door.
When he opened it, a rush of cold wind sliced through, and I sucked in a breath.
Harsh white light spilled across the floor.
Bulky, dark shapes crowded the doorway, wearing fur hats rimed with frost, scarves pulled high, and coats thick enough to blunt the wind that shoved in behind them.
The smell of cold iron and wet wool rolled in with their boots.
Kai brought the caribou forward and stepped through the doorway without acknowledging me again.
As he went outside, he spoke to someone, but I couldn’t make out the words.
Two soldiers entered and started shifting the wood and spreading out the coals in the firepit.
I adjusted my boots once more and wiggled my toes against the balled-up socks.
They weren’t the most comfortable of shoes, but I was already grateful for the warmth.
Kai returned to the doorway and gestured for me to come out. Though I wasn’t particularly fond of obeying anyone’s orders, I did want to leave this place. The cold set my teeth on edge even from here, but I forced myself forward.
As soon as I stepped out, I was engulfed in bright white light.
Though the sun above was watery and pale yellow, it reflected off the miles and miles of snowy terrain.
Eight more warriors clad in fur coats had arrived on their massive caribou, and three other saddled caribou stood close by to rescue us.
Yes, they’d arrived just in time to keep my absolutely incredible massage from reaching a very happy ending.
I sucked in a breath and hissed it out through my teeth. At least the cold was distracting me from all that. My nose went numb almost instantly, and the ache in my ribs and hips flared as if the bruises had been waiting for permission.
“You’ll need these,” Kai said, and held out a gray scarf and hood.
His fingers brushed my jaw as he tucked the scarf around my neck and over my nose.
His knuckles grazed my cheekbone and lingered just long enough to register heat through the cold.
He then pulled the hood down to cover my ears, and his thumbs pressed briefly at my temples to seat it.
Every place he touched buzzed.
“Thank you.” My voice was muffled under the wool. He seemed to care for me right now, but I hated hot and cold actions. He needed to make a fucking decision. He was the king, for holy sakes.
His eyes flicked to my mouth, then away. “You will be of no good to our court if you die.”
Wow. Who said romance was dead? Clearly, they hadn't met King Grouchy of Hot and Cold. Benefiting his court was the only reason for me to be alive, but at least that reminded me where I stood with him.
Maybe he wanted to keep face in front of his men, but still…
I wasn’t fond of it, especially after how intense that massage session had gotten.
That definitely hadn’t been just a normal physical encounter, and I refused to be anyone’s secret or side piece.
He’d have another thought coming to him if he believed that.
“We’ll head directly back to the castle.” He approached his caribou and leaped onto its back, even though it was about as tall as he was at the shoulder.
I blinked, impressed despite myself. He’d made that look so easy. “You certainly know how to handle yourself.” I set my gloved hands on my waist and glared at him.
The corner of his mouth twitched, but his gaze slid to me, slow and pointed. “You’ll ride with me to ensure your safety. Do you need help mounting the caribou?”
Heat sparked in my belly despite the cold. Nope. Down, girl. How long has this cheetah been kept in her cage?
“Don’t worry. I know exactly how to mount a beast.” I winked as Kai’s posture tightened, then I studied the caribou to determine how I could do this without looking like an idiot.
I was not just going to grab onto its neck and drag myself up.
Last time I’d mounted one by myself, I’d jumped off a boulder.
“I could offer the lady a boost,” said a guard who suddenly popped up beside me.
“That won’t be necessary.” Kai waved him away. “Hannah, if you can't get up here in the next two minutes, I will lift you myself."
Challenge accepted. I walked to the edge of the snowy circle. It looked as if there was something helping support the barrier that kept the storm from getting closer and the snow from drifting as high, based on the depth of the snow and how it changed beyond the circle.
“What are you doing?” Kai scoffed. “You’re supposed to get in the saddle, not go for a stroll.”
My attention landed on a bit of gray stone poking out of the snow at the edge of the circle. I brushed off a little of the snow on the mound to confirm it was a boulder, and then walked back to the caribou.
“Finally, let’s quit wasting time.” Kai lifted his chin like he was the boss of me.
I ignored him and, with a cheeky smile, I approached the caribou, took hold of its bridle, and tugged it forward. “Come on, baby boy. Wanna help me real quick?”
“What—” Kai startled, stiffening in the saddle as the caribou snorted and followed me forward.
The soldiers watched, faces all but covered beneath the hoods and scarves, though I glimpsed their widened eyes.
I guided the caribou to the boulder, stepped onto the rock, and jumped up. I landed awkwardly and folded over the caribou’s neck, practically sliding into Kai’s lap with my butt in the air.
Great. So much for dignity. Now they can all see how tight my britches are.
He stiffened against me, and muted murmurs of amusement sparked from the guards.
Huffing and grunting, I wiggled and tried to navigate my way into a seated position, but the old bruises flared and complained with a vengeance.
The front of my face pressed into the caribou’s neck and then against Kai’s thigh. “Just a minute.”