Another tinkling laugh escaped her, the vaguest flutter of nervous energy beneath it, as Phoebe stared up at Jarek in wonder. She couldn’t imagine him having a bad hair day—at the moment, his mane appeared smooth as silk even with its gentle wave, glistening under the sunlight as it caught the water in it. He must have taken good care of it in moments like this for there to be no trace of the tangles he implied would form, and the thought made Phoebe admire him more. A stallion who valued beauty as well as duty to a cause. It was no wonder she’d been captivated by him from the second she saw him. She was still stalling, hesitant and self-conscious about bathing in his presence, and she made herself take her eyes away from the tempting figure beside her, even going so far as to turn slightly away from him so that his image didn’t fill up the entirety of her vision. He didn’t appear to be leaving or distancing himself, nor did he entirely turn his back to her, but there was still a gentleness to his posture, an indirectness to his attention that gave the impression of privacy. Perhaps this was normal for him, bathing with female strangers? It wasn’t altogether a pleasant thought, a sliver of jealousy seeding itself already in Phoebe’s chest, but what did it matter if he’d bathed with anyone else before now? For the moment, the pleasure was hers.
Trying to forget Jarek was there, pretending that she didn’t have an audience, Phoebe closed her eyes and forced herself to focus on the lather of the leaves as they immediately began sudsing up when they touched the water. Her ears flickered curiously as she brought the soap to her mane, her sides, her back, intrigued by the sensation but also relieved. He was right; the soap leaves did make all the difference in clearing away the sand and sweat from her journey there, and even just this little respite was enough to draw a contented sigh from her lips. She took her time, stepping further into the stream from the waterfall as she cleared away the soap and sand and left a feeling of refreshment in its place, a renewal to her being that…would just as quickly go away on the return trip, she imagined. But at least she could bask in the sensation for now.
Phoebe, I’m glad you chose to train in the sands today.
Her bright eyes snapped open and her head swiveled quickly in the stallion’s direction, made aware all over again that she wasn’t alone. She studied his face, the gentle curve of his mouth as he smiled at her, the soothing coolness behind his intent gaze. She wasn’t sure if her skin was tingling from the soap or his look, but she smiled back all the same, beaming from the knowledge her company was so welcome to him. “Me too,” she agreed, silently thanking Vespera and this desert god Solis for her chance meeting with the soldier Jarek. “And thank you for letting me use the leaves. They really do help.” She took a second to admire her own coat and mane, now just as waterlogged as his, little rivulets of it streaming down her body. She rather liked the effect, and happily watched a few of the star-like pinpoints on her sides wink with their own inner light.
She sighed, followed by a little chuckle, as she brought her gaze up to meet his again. “I’m afraid it won’t last all the way home though. That climb over the mountains is a challenge.” But even so, she was grateful. At least this beautiful Adonis of a stallion had been able to see her, even just briefly, in a manner that better showed off her looks than the sweaty mess she’d wandered up wearing. It took her a second to realize she was staring again, still struggling to wrap her mind around the unbelievable scenario she’d wound up in, and Phoebe scrambled to think of something to say to keep her unwavering attention from becoming noticeable and awkward. “If I can ask,” she began, speaking slowly as the question came to her, “did you always want to be a soldier?” She couldn’t imagine someone with his buff, brawny build tackling a different occupation, and what a waste it would have been if he had tried. “I mean, you’re made perfectly for it.”
It was only when the words left her mouth that it registered in her mind how forward the statement could be construed, how direct a comment upon his appearance it was, and combined with her staring, she worried how it may seem. Her smile took on a self-conscious quality, a little nervous as she chuckled yet again. Hopefully he wouldn’t mind the commentary; she couldn’t take it back now.
