Eunjeong was floored! The man facing her was brash and bold. He’d come flying through the trees towards her, scaring the spit out of her, but thankfully, not the fire. She’d raised her eyes like two drawn swords, and in her most commanding voice, issued a simple directive, “Halt!”
As the word left her mouth, she raised her right hand to face him as though that simple action would be enough to protect her lithe frame from the powerful steed making a beeline for her. Apparently, it was. Both he and his rider came to a sudden stop. The magnificent, black stallion stood trembling three feet in front of her. She’d never heard a horse gasping for air before. She could even see the wind leaving his lungs. He fought gallantly for another breath. Had he been as terrified as she’d been? On an impulse, she reached forward and petted his nose. As if to comfort him. The action soothed her too. His great, black eyes watched her. Then he blinked as his rider began to speak.
Laced with a self-righteous indignation, the words tumbled out of his mouth, “I wasn’t going to ride over you, you know?”
She could feel anger rising in her now that the fear had fled in the wake of his stillness.
Her eyes left the stallion’s face as her head snapped upward. She retorted, “I had no idea what your intentions were.” Really! The nerve of the man! Hwarang or no Hwarang! He should know better than to approach a lady in such a manner!
She continued, throwing the accusation like a dart at his heart, “You were riding hell-for-leather towards me!”
He tossed his own words at her, irritation entangling his voice, making it rougher than usual. “If you believed I was going to ride over you, wouldn’t it have been prudent to depart the path rather than end up a messy spot in the middle of it?”
Ooh. She was seething now. She had been innocently taking a walk back to her home village after visiting a friend early this morning when this man had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, charging at her like a bat out of hell. And he had the audacity to blame her?! She inhaled sharply, attempting to calm herself before she charged into the breach once more.
She faced him, preparing to berate him with the lash of her tongue. She barely had time to take in his monumental height before he strode masterfully towards her. Her eyes traveled the length of him. Surely, he was nearly six feet tall! He was stunningly beautiful too with dark, almond-shaped eyes that seemed to be glowing with a passionate light as he made his way swiftly towards her. Instantly, he was upon her, roughly pulling her into his strong arms and up against his hard chest. The last thing she noticed before his head descended towards her face were his full, pouty lips. Right before they came to land on her own.
