Free The Mercenary Knight by Elyzabeth M. VaLey

limit.
    She ran past the common room and sprinted up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. She had a need for Conrad that she had never felt for any man. She thought that after the vow he had made her during their trip to Wilton, there had been some sort of understanding between them. The trip to Hadford, however, had proven her wrong. Tanya’s heart ached thinking about it. Every time she had tried to approach Conrad, he’d scampered off.
    Unable to stand the distance between them any longer, Tanya had gone to him in hopes that they could speak, wanting to understand if she had done something to irritate him. In the barn she had found a man that not only didn’t look her in the eye, but also lied to her. What kind of dimwitted girl did Conrad think she was? She could stand that he didn’t glance her way, but she wouldn’t tolerate a lie, not when it was so obvious. He told her that nothing was wrong but his aloof stance, his raw tone of voice and his rigid jaw betrayed him. Damn it, he had almost spit out those words at her and that had irked her to no end. Tanya just had to let her temper get the better of her and insist. The more he refused to answer, the more she knew something was amiss… until what had been gnawing at his insides burst out. Everything was clear now. The tears she had been holding back finally began to slip down her cheeks as she entered one of the rooms they had secured for the night. She threw herself upon the pallet and cried in earnest.
    Conrad thought she was a whore. There was nothing wrong with the old profession, but Tanya herself was no prostitute. She only took to bed men she liked and wanted. If she had opened her legs to Wybert and Gregorii it had been because Conrad left her in such a state. Tanya shut her eyes tightly and grazed her lips with the pad of her thumb. He had barely brushed them but the sensation that coursed through her body and soul was hard to forget.
    She choked back a sob. If Conrad had stayed in the room with her that night she would have given herself over willingly to him. Instead he left her with Gregorii and Wybert. He had brought it upon himself. Exasperated, she wiped away her tears and swiped back the stray strands of hair that had fallen from her braid. She’d had no idea that he had heard them, but if she had known… Tanya worried her lower lip. No. It still would have happened. As a free woman, she was free to bed whomever she pleased. Tanya clenched her fist. They didn’t have a relationship. Conrad had no claim over her. She was no object.
    “But I want you. Damn you, Conrad.”
    A new bout of tears began to fall as she realized her loss. Her heart ached. Why did she have to go and fall in love with a stupid knight? Love? Her heart hammered in her chest and a new sort of pain erupted inside her. She had lost him. Due to her lust, she had lost a man whose voice made butterflies dance in the pit of her stomach and whose eyes caused her insides to turn to mesh. Yes, she had gone and fallen in love with Conrad the mercenary knight. She barely knew anything about his past, but she knew what mattered. He was kind, loyal, fearless, courteous, generous, and willing to help anyone––even a poor tavern wench in the middle of a deserted road. Conrad had gone out of his way to help her, watching over her when she had bathed, protecting her from his own men. He had sworn to see her to safety and had brought her to Hadford, even buying her a horse. She smiled remembering how he had presented the beast to her.
    “ Conrad!” Tanya called after him but he didn’t hear her. She had frozen in horror when he had abruptly opened the door to the bedroom. For the better part of the night she had delighted in finding satisfaction with Gregorii and Wybert but her mind never strayed far from Conrad. More than once she had murmured his name and imagined it was he touching her and pleasuring her. The harsh realization that he hadn’t even been close to her throughout the