Touch him and see…
She stood in indecision. The air between them was rife with desire. Rife with need and hunger. Both of them wanted it.
All she had to do was reach out and take it.
She stepped back.
He released a relieved breath. "Go back to camp, lass," he said. "I'll return shortly."
Nora watched him get up and leave.
Heartsick over what had happened and over the fact that she was a coward, Nora made her way back to camp, where Catarina was waiting.
"Are you all right?" Catarina asked.
"Honestly, I'm not sure." Nora glanced back in the direction of where Ewan had been. "I can't understand what it is about Ewan that lures me so. It's rather baffling."
"No mystery there. He's a fair one, to be sure. Strong and handsome as any."
"I've been around many handsome men in my life, but none of them…" Nora couldn't bring herself to say it.
Catarina arched a brow. "None of them what?"
"Nothing," she said hurriedly. "I am being foolish." Nora excused herself to go sleep on her makeshift pallet that Ewan had readied for her by the fire.
The ground was cold and uncomfortable, but she did her best not to notice that, while her mind replayed everything that had happened between her and Ewan since the moment they met.
Catarina went to bed and Nora listened as the three men related to Cat snored rather loudly. She had a feeling Pagan slept lightly, if he slept at all. There was something about him that seemed vigilant even while he rested.
For hours she watched the stars cross the sky all the while Ewan didn't return.
Ewan lost track of time while he lay in a small clearing, staring up at the sky. He should go back to camp, but he had no desire to be there, where he would be forced to stare at something he couldn't have.
Still he could taste Nora. Her scent permeated his head and left him craving her like a starving beggar.
All he'd ever wanted in his life was to find a woman who could look at him as women looked at his brothers. Not to have a woman glance at him, then watch as her gaze slid over to one of the others and stayed there.
That was half of why he'd been so taken in by Isobail's lies. He'd thought that maybe, just once, he wouldn't have to compete for someone's affections. That a woman could love him and not lust for his brothers instead.
And it had been a lie.
No doubt Nora would be the same. She'd see Lochlan and fall all over herself to gain his notice. What woman wouldn't? His brother was tall, but unlike him, not freakishly so. And Lochlan had the golden fair looks that made most maids swoon.
Best of all, Lochlan was laird.
Ewan sighed. What did he have to offer a woman?
Nothing.
He had money of his own from lands his father had left him, but they were nowhere near the riches of his brothers' holdings. It was more than enough to keep him and a wife quite comfortable, but he wouldn't be able to be lavish with her.
And yet as he lay there, he knew it would never be enough to interest a woman. Especially not a woman like Nora. She was refined and graceful. A true gentlewoman.
She probably belonged to a wealthy lord who had spoiled her immensely. Her clothes and mare were the finest he'd ever seen, and 'twas obvious she had been well schooled.
She was refined. Delicate. Graceful.
Wonderful.
Such women were beyond his reach. They belonged to men like Lochlan who were refined in grace, form and tongue. Not to a man who was so tall he had to bend almost double just to enter a room. One whose form was so long that he couldn't even fit his legs under a table comfortably.
"Ewan?"
He jumped in startled alarm at Nora's voice coming out of the darkness.
"What are you doing here?" he said, his voice gruff.
"I couldn't sleep."
He sat up as she neared him. She wore only a thin shift and held a plaid wrapped around her shoulders. She'd braided her blond hair, and it fell over one shoulder, all the way down to her hips. She was a vision in the bright moonlight.
One that stole his breath.
"You should have stayed in the camp, Nora. 'Tis dangerous for you to be out in the woods alone."
"I knew you were out here."
"Aye, but what if you'd gotten lost?"
"You would find me."
"What if I couldn't?"
"You would find me," she repeated. She knelt down beside him, her face bright by the light of the full moon. "I have a feeling that if you set your mind to it, you could move a mountain if needs be. Never mind find one lost woman in the woods."
He felt an urge to smile at her. How did she do this? How could her mere presence lighten his heart?
Ewan studied the curve of her jaw and wondered what it would be like to trace the beauty of it with his tongue. To taste her creamy skin with his lips.
To hear her moans of pleasure in his ears.
Against his will, his gaze fell to the drawstring of her chemise. It would be all too easy to reach out and pull the laces that held it closed.
Better yet, to pull it free with his teeth…
Blood rushed through his veins like fire, making him hard and throbbing for her. He wanted to taste her. Wanted to drown himself in her scent and warmth until he forgot all about everything except her and how she made him feel.
It would be heaven.
Nora couldn't breathe as she saw the heated look in Ewan's light eyes. There was no ice in them tonight. They burned with need.
She wasn't sure why she'd come to him. She'd felt a strange urging, and it amazed her that he wasn't drinking. He appeared perfectly sober and quiet.
"What were you doing out here?" she asked.
To her further astonishment, he answered. "I was looking up at the stars."
She glanced up at the sky.
"And I was thinking about what you said earlier. About how each one held a story."
She smiled at his unexpected words. "Do you know the stories?"
"Nay. I only know the one you told me. Would you tell me more of them?"
Nora trembled at his request. Something told her that he would normally never say such a thing to anyone.
He was reaching out to her, and it made her feel special.
"Well, my lord, you know how much I cherish the sound of my own voice…"
He gave a halfhearted laugh at that, then lay back on the ground as he had been when she first saw him.
Thrilled at the sound of his laughter, she lay down beside him and grunted as she tried to find a comfortable position.
"Here." Ewan pulled her closer to him so that she could lay her head on his shoulder.
Nora's heart pounded as he cuddled her to his side. She'd never had a man hold her like this. Her head was pillowed on his shoulder while his arm was wrapped about her waist with his hand resting on her stomach.
It was intimate and touching, and made her feel very strange. The rich, masculine scent of him invaded her senses, warming every part of her.
She was acutely aware of the strength of him. Of his hard muscles sheltering her. Her body exploded with heat and an aching throb she didn't understand.
Clearing her throat, she pointed up at the constellation of Orion. "Do you know of Orion the Hunter?"
"Nay."
She moved her hand over them, showing him Orion's belt, head, arms and legs. "Can you see the outline of him?"
"Aye, I see it."
"Well, long ago in ancient Greece, Orion was a mighty hunter. Born the son of Poseidon and Euryale, he searched the world for his one true love…"
Ewan listened in silence as she told him how Orion tried for years to win the hand of Merope and to gain the approval of her father for their marriage. And how Orion had become so tired of the wait that he forced himself on Merope. As punishment her father blinded Orion, who later traveled until he found the Greek goddess Artemis, who then fell in love with him. Her brother Apollo, angered by t
heir love, tricked Artemis into killing Orion, who was then lifted up to the heavens by the goddess so that she could remember him always.
"Must all your stories involve love gone awry?" Ewan asked. "Is there no such thing as someone actually marrying his love and living a happy life with her?"
She turned her head into his shoulder and smiled up at him. His stomach tightened.
"There is the story of Cupid and Psyche. They live together in happiness. Would you rather hear that one?"
"Aye, lass. Please."
As Ewan listened to the sweet cadence of her voice, he ran his hand idly down her arm to her hand. Her fingers were so delicate compared to his. So soft. He took her hand in his palm and ran the pad of his thumb over the careful curve of her well-manicured nails.
The urge to lift that hand to his mouth and suckle her fingers was so fierce that he wasn't sure how he managed to deny it. He tilted his head to look down at her while she talked. A light pink stained her cheeks as spoke in a gentle tone of love and trust.
How he wanted her.
Right now while she lay so peacefully in his arms.
What would it be like to have her sliding against him? To feel her warm and welcoming beneath him?
Instead, he laid his cheek against the top of her head and contented himself with just holding her like that. Letting her feminine softness soothe him.
By the time Nora had finished her tale, she realized Ewan was completely relaxed.
More to the point, he was completely asleep.
"Ewan?" she whispered, looking up at him.
He didn't stir.
Her bear lay with his lips slightly parted, her braid laced between his large fingers. She hadn't even realized he'd touched her hair.
But she had known every other move he'd made.
She had felt his tender caress as he held her hand in his and ran his fingers over her wrist and forearm.
And when he had leaned his cheek against her head, she had melted.
Rolling over, she lifted herself up on her arms to look down at him while he slumbered. A lock of black hair fell over his forehead. She brushed it back, then traced the slash of his eyebrow with her fingertip.
He was so delectably handsome. So strong and powerful even while he rested.
Why had he indulged her tonight? She had half expected him to chastise her and send her back to camp like some errant child.
Instead he had listened to her. Held her.
Encouraged her to tell him her stories.
What she wouldn't give for a husband to treat her thusly. She bit her lip as that thought played around in her mind.
Would Ewan be like this if she belonged to him?
He is unfitting for you.
Was he?
He played music for her and he did listen to her. He had even handed her his sword.
Surely such moments made up for his more unrefined ways.
It takes two to make a marriage. Her mother's words echoed in her head. Her mother had oft lectured her on wifely duties and what it took to make a marriage sound.
Marriage is a contract between man and woman. The wife is to care for the husband. To see to his needs, and he in turn is to protect and provide for her. But if the marriage is to be a happy one, then the two must respect each other. They must never belittle or discount the other's feelings. Take your father for instance. He would sooner cut out his own heart than make me cry. Your husband should always listen to you, just as you should always listen to him.
Nora studied him closely. Ewan didn't seem to be the kind of man to ever discount someone.
She traced the line of his lips, remembering what they had tasted like. The way they looked on the rare occasions when he smiled.
You'll have to marry someone. Why not—
"Don't even think it," she breathed.
True, she did have to have a husband, but Ewan MacAllister?
He lived in a cave!
Granted, it was a nice cave with glorious furnishings, but it was still a cave.
What kind of life could they have together?
Before she realized what she was doing, she was peeling back the corner of his shirt. She'd never before realized just how interesting a man's throat was. How inviting the skin of it could be.
She stroked his Adam's apple with her fingertips, feeling the roughness of his masculine skin and whiskers. He was all prickly and hard.
And his jaw…
Truly it was superb. Strong and well shaped. She'd never touched a man like this before.
Her parents would have vapors. Her father would have his sword after them both.
Ewan himself would most likely be terse from her exploration and study.
He didn't seem to like her touching him overmuch.
Tonight being the exception.
If you touch me, I'll kiss you, and if I kiss you…
Did she perchance drive him wild with desire? Could he feel the same urging for her that she felt for him?
Her mother had warned her much about men and their voracious, rutting ways. But instead of dishonoring her, Ewan had fallen asleep like a harmless pup.
Harmless pup, indeed! She laughed at the very thought.
There was certainly nothing harmless about a man as fierce as this one.
Nora laid her head back down on his chest and listened to his heart thumping under her ear. She'd only imagined lying with a man like this. It was something she had thought to share with her husband, never with a man she barely knew.
Ewan turned then, drawing her in closer to him. His arms tightened.
"Ewan?" she said. "You're crushing me."
His hold loosened a bit so that she could breathe, but he didn't release her. Instead he snuggled closer.
It wasn't so bad really.
It was actually quite nice.
Relaxing, Nora let the sound of his deep breaths lull her into sleep, too.
For the first time in years, Ewan dreamed of pleasantries. There was no Kieran to haunt his sleep. No sign of Isobail and her cruelty.
Only Nora was there with her catlike eyes and her barrage of questions.
He sighed in his sleep as he saw her out in a peaceful green meadow beckoning to him.
"Come, my lord, and be seated." She pulled him down by her side so that she could offer him cake and ale.
In his dream, Ewan closed his eyes to savor the taste of her fingers as she fed him the cake from her hand. 'Twas the sweetest thing he'd ever known.
He drank of the ale, then set the food and drink aside so that he could stare at the woman who made him desire again. She made him yearn for dreams he had forsaken long ago. Dreams he had purposefully thrown away.
He pulled her across him, then rolled over, pinning her beneath him.
"I want you, Nora," he breathed.
Her smile welcomed him.
Accepting her invitation, he lowered his mouth and tasted the sweetness of her lips. She laced her hands through his hair, raising chills over him as he teased her mouth with his tongue.
He groaned her name as he moved his mouth lower, down to the cream of her neck where he had been dying to taste her. She arched her back against him, thrusting her breasts against his chest.
Unable to stand the torment of her, he cupped her breast in his hand and teased the taut nipple with his palm…
Nora moaned as she was stirred from her dreams by the heat of someone kissing her. By the feel of someone touching her body in a way no one had ever dared before.
Startled, she opened her eyes to find Ewan holding her. His lips were hot and demanding on her neck while his left leg was buried between both of hers. His warm hand cupped her breast.
"Ewan," she said.
He pulled back groggily and blinked. "Nora?"
"Aye. Did you not know it was me?"
She expected him to withdraw, to at least pull his hand away from her breast.
He didn't.
"I knew it was you. I thought I was dreaming it." Be
fore she realized what he was doing, he dipped his head to kiss her again.
Nora moaned at the fierce taste of him.
He tore away from her lips.
"Push me away, Nora," he said suddenly. "Tell me that I repulse you and that you don't want anything to do with a sullen, self-pitying drunkard."
She frowned at his words.
Who had said such to him?
"I don't find you repulsive, Ewan. Far from it."
He cupped her face in his large hand and stared at her. His eyes were dark and pain-filled.
"Tell me, Nora," he insisted. "Because if you don't, I'm going to make love to you out here in the woods like an animal."
His words shocked her as much for his honesty as for the desperation she heard in his voice.
Her Aunt Eleanor had once told her that the most precious thing a woman possessed was her maidenhead. If a woman was lucky, she would get to choose whom she gave it to.
If not, 'twould be her father's choice.
Ryan's face drifted through her mind and she fought the urge to cringe. If they failed to make it to England, he would be her fate.
He would never make her feel the way Ewan did.
Her body was hot and shivery. Needful.
What if no man save Ewan ever made her feel this way again? If she turned him aside, she would go to her husband with her body intact.
Ryan cared not a whit about her virginity; 'twas only her coffers that concerned him.
But Ewan…
He needed her. She felt it deep inside.
She'd always wondered what it would be like to lie with a man. In her mind, she had always pictured a softspoken troubadour who won her heart.
But it was the quiet bear who called out to her.
Don't.
The word hovered in her mind. If she did this, it would change her forever. She would no longer be innocent. She might even conceive his child.
But something deep down inside told her that carrying this man's child would be far from a hardship.
In the end, it was her curiosity and desire that got the better of her. Her mother had always said it would lead her astray.
Tonight it had led her to Ewan MacAllister, and here she was where she wanted to be.
"Make love to me, Ewan."
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