In Praise of Younger Men Read Online Free PDF

might have been injured or gotten lost, so I followed your footsteps into the cave.”
    The water dripping off of her was creating quite a puddle beneath her feet. She nodded, her initial uneasiness fading. “Well, thank you, but as you can see, I’m quite fine.”
    “Yes. Yes, you are.”
    He could see her skin grow flushed in the sunlight. He watched as she snatched up the pile of her clothing and retreated behind the shelter of a rock wall to dress. He should leave, he knew, but he didn’t. Instead Tristan made his way down toward the edge of the water where moments before she had been sitting, limned golden by sunlight. Even standing beside it, he could feel the warmth rising from the water’s surface. The heady scent of her wet skin, earthly and floral, surrounded him.
    “How did you ever find this place?”
    Harriet came back around to face him. She wore a new shift, dry and falling nearly to her ankles. Her hair was still damp as it twisted about her shoulders. “It was many years ago. I was out riding and just happened upon the opening quite by chance. I remembered you and Geoffrey talking about all the caves you had explored together as lads, about the smugglers who’d hidden their contraband in them. You would never let me come with you to explore them. I was curious, so I came inside and found this place instead. I couldn’t believe it. It seemed carved by some sort of nether magic. I’ve been coming here ever since. It is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Even in winter, the water is warm and the strongest blustering wind cannot bring a chill inside.”
    Tristan took a step closer. Harriet shifted. “And the walls—look at them,” she said in effort to divert his attention away from the curve of her neck. “See how they shimmer in the sunlight? They are filled with rough amethyst.” She gave a nervous laugh. “You’ll probably think this is silly, but when I was a young girl, I used to imagine this was a secret fairy haven. I wondered that if I went into the water, perhaps I could find my way to some mystical underground kingdom.”
    Tristan took another step toward her, his voice dropping softly. “And did you find it, Harriet, your fairy kingdom?”
    Harriet lowered her eyes. “See, you do think I’m silly.”
    “No. Truly, I don’t.
I think you’re beautiful
.”
    Harriet looked up at him and their gazes locked. Neither moved nor said a word. Neither had to. Each already knew what the other was thinking. Seeing her now, her hair hanging in dripping red strands, her skin aglow in the shimmering light from above, Tristan was more certain than ever that it was Harriet he wanted, needed, in his life. He wanted to spend his days looking at her, watching her grow old with him, listening to her thoughts about worldly things and even otherworldly things. He wanted her to be his wife and bear their children. He wanted to tell her the things he told no one else, things he kept hidden away deep inside himself. He wanted to share all of the rest of his adventures with her.
    He wanted to love her.
    And looking into those eyes, the greenest depths of emerald, Tristan knew that Harriet wanted those things, too. If only he could somehow convince her to cast aside the shadow of that damnable legend and follow the advice of her heart.
    Without a word, Tristan reached for Harriet, took her fully against him, and lowered his mouth to hers for a kiss.
    Harriet felt quite certain the earth had ceased its spinning and everything else outside of that cave somehow melted away to a blur. The touch of his mouth, the strength of his arms, made Harriet lose herself to the singular pleasure of the racing of her own pulse beat. It was the first time in her life she had ever been kissed, and she gave herself over to it, trembling with sensation as his thumb traced along her chin, opening to the pressure of his mouth against hers.
    She tasted him on her lips and tongue. She dropped back her head and arched into him even