Free Defying Destiny by Olivia Downing Page B

condition.”
    “I suppose,” he agreed, taking a deep
    breath. “I’ll only be a minute.”
    He headed for the door, grabbing his
    long leather coat from a hook before going
    out onto the porch. She sighed, hoping his
    cigarette would allow him to collect
    himself. Apparently she wasn’t the only
    one who’d been unsettled by their brief
    encounter on the kitchen table. Maralee
    returned to the kitchen and rummaged
    around, looking for utensils. She found
    several knives, but no forks or spoons.
    She poured two cups of clean water from
    a large pitcher and had just sat down to
    start on her steak when the front door
    opened. She heard Nash remove his coat
    and place it on the hook, before his
    footsteps crossed the living area and he
    appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.
    His expression was unreadable in the dim
    light given off by the candle.
    “I couldn’t find any forks,” she said.
    “Forks,” he murmured as if he had
    never heard the word before.
    “To eat with.”
    “Don’t you eat with your mouth?” he
    asked her, tilting his head to the side as he
    assessed her. He moved forward and sat
    down across from her at the table. He
    carried the mild fragrance of smoke with
    him. She took a deep breath through her
    nose to draw in his scent.
    “Well, of course,” she said, grinning
    broadly, “but you put the food into your
    mouth with a fork.”
    “That’s what fingers are for.”
    She paused, thinking he was joking at
    first and realized he was being completely
    serious. She nodded then. “Right,” she
    agreed. She picked up a knife and whittled
    at her steak. Nash watched her with
    interest for a moment as she cut off a bite-
    sized piece of steak and used her fingers
    to put it in her mouth. After a moment, he
    mimicked her actions, still watching her
    as if learning by example. She got the
    impression he had never used a knife in
    this manner, and was doing so only for her
    benefit.
    “Even though you live close to
    Sarbough, I find your culture is a lot
    different from theirs,” she said.
    Nash caught her eye across the
    candlelit table. “You can tell?”
    “I think…I think it’s interesting,” she
    said. “I like that you’re not like everybody
    else.”
    He smiled at her and touched her hand,
    which was resting lightly on the table.
    “You are more open-minded than most,”
    he said. “There may be hope for you yet.”
    She moved her hand away from his,
    hiding it beneath the table as it had begun
    to tingle beneath his feather-light touch.
    “What is that supposed to mean?”
    “Nothing,” he muttered. He changed
    the subject. “This steak is good. I usually
    prefer it rare, but I like this.”
    She didn’t respond to his compliment.
    She was still puzzling over his previous
    comment.
    He tried distracting her again. “How is
    your shoulder? Does it hurt?”
    Mentioning her wound brought up
    memories of the feel of his tongue against
    her skin. The tips of her breasts tightened
    and her breath caught. “I…it…um…it’s
    good.” She placed the last piece of steak
    in her mouth, chewing slowly and
    watching the ceiling so she wouldn’t have
    to speak again.
    “I should clean it again,” he said.
    “Scratches can get infected and I don’t
    think you can reach the wound yourself.”
    She forced herself to swallow the
    venison in her mouth. “I suppose that’s
    true.”
    “When I take you back to Sarbough
    tomorrow, I’ll get you a new shirt as
    well.” His eyes were focused on the
    bloodstain on her shoulder.
    “You’re taking me back tomorrow?”
    His gaze moved up to hers. “Don’t you
    want to go back?”
    She had. But she so enjoyed his
    company.
    “I…I…well, yes. I suppose it is best. I
    mean it must look improper for the two of
    us to stay together alone in the same house
    and everything. People will probably
    think…people will think…” She trailed
    off, suddenly lost in his intense stare.
    “My people will not think anything of
    it,” he