He laughed. “You caught me off guard.”
“A poor excuse,” she chastised.
“My fine features make it difficult to be faithful to any woman,” he teased with a smile that was meant to cajole.
It worked. Elysia could not help but smile at his self-praise.
“See my humor makes you smile, and it is good to have a husband who makes his wife smile,” he touted proudly.
“Humor is good in a husband, but so is faithfulness,” Elysia said.
He grinned. “Keep me happy and I will not be unfaithful.”
She did not smile when she asked, “Does that work for me as well? If you do not keep me happy, I can find a man who will?”
He rushed to stand in front of her, bringing her to an abrupt halt. “A wife that betrays her husband deserves to be punished harshly for it.”
“Then a husband who does the same to his wife deserves the same harsh punishment.” Elysia did not wait for his response. She stepped around him.
“You think strangely,” Bram said, taking quick steps to keep pace with her.
“I think wisely,” she corrected. “And I will keep our conversation in mind when making my decision.”
She rounded the curve to her cottage and was so shocked to see Saber standing in front of the closed door that Bram caught her off guard.
He grabbed hold of her arms and yanked her toward him. “Remember this as well.”
His lips came down to claim hers and she turned her head to avoid them while struggling to free herself. She gasped as she was abruptly ripped away from Bram, shoved aside, and stumbled to remain on her feet.
Saber moved so fast Bram had no time to avoid the punch that slammed into his jaw and sent him flying backward to land with a solid thud on the ground.
Saber turned, glared at Elysia, and pointed to the cottage.
She stubbornly stayed where she was.
Saber gritted his teeth and struggled to speak. “NOW!”
Her eyes turned wide, shocked by the strength of his voice. It was like thunder to her ears and she turned and walked away, though she did not go all the way to the cottage.
Saber turned to Bram who had gotten to his feet. He stepped close to him and she could see Bram was talking and appeared none too pleased. Silence seemed to fall after Bram stopped talking, then suddenly Bram nodded, turned, and walked away.
She wondered over what she saw. Bram was a warrior and Saber a farmer. Why hadn’t he gone back at Saber?
Saber turned, his glare having deepened to anger, and he walked toward her.
“I do not need your help and—oh!” She gasped as Saber grabbed her arm.
He forced her to walk so rapidly to the cottage that her feet barely skimmed the ground. When he reached the door, he kicked it open, shoved her inside, then followed her in and slammed the door shut.
Chapter 3
Saber fisted his hands tightly at his sides while trying to calm the anger that raged in him. He should have never come here the first time. He could have seen to the splinter in his finger himself, but ever since that day at market when Elysia hid behind him, he could not get her out of his mind. She was there day and night, hour upon hour, minute upon minute.
It had been a terrible mistake to come to the cottage regularly to partake of the concoction and syrup she had him take for his throat. But he was unable to stay away. She was like the honey a bee couldn’t avoid and he was the addictive bee. He enjoyed listening to her talk, her gentle voice soothing. And seeing her smile at the most ordinary things had had his own lips lifting slightly, something they had lost the wont to do.
He should not even be here now, but not seeing her these last three days had torn at his heart as had his rejection of her proposal. He should have handled it differently, but she had so shocked him that he had not known how to respond to her. He had only been able to shake his head, since wedding her was impossible. So he tortured himself by returning here to offer some sort of apology and to get the chance to see her again.
And what did he find?
His fists tightened, his curled fingers digging deeper into his palms, the image of the man forcing an unwanted kiss on her infuriating him once again.
“You have missed taking the brew and the syrup for three days now,” Elysia admonished. “Sit and I will prepare both for you.”
That she avoided the obvious annoyed him. It was not the brew he wished to discuss and she well knew it. He set a glare on her, pointed to the closed door, and then to her.
“Are you asking me about the man who tried to kiss me?” she asked, frustrated and surprised at her delight in seeing him once again. How could she be happy to see him when he had rejected her?