Highlander’s Sinister Bet: Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance
Page 33
She checked the tray and saw that he did eat the bread. There was nothing but crumbs to even show that the tray had once held bread. He had drunk all of the ale also. She chuckled at the way he had fallen asleep. He lay spread across the bed, with the pillows strewn about. It must have taken quite a bit of tossing and turning for him to fall asleep. It seemed the injuries caused him discomfort. He needed more medicine.
His light brown hair was a mess, and some strands lay over his handsome face, but it made her smile fondly as she watched him breathe slowly. Her hand was reaching out to brush his hair when she caught herself midway.
What are ye doin’, Rosallyn?
She had been reaching for him, not to do anything helpful like move him so he did not worsen his injuries, or check his temperature, she did it because she wanted to touch him. Her eyes widened in realization. She liked him. Somewhere in the middle of taking care of him and treating him, she had grown infatuated.
Oh, this is quite sad. Is that how desperate for romance ye are? I ken that ye have nae seen many men, but to fall for the first one ye see… That is pitiful
It did not help that he was so handsome! A woman like her, who had not been exposed to any men other than her father, had no chance to resist him, not even if she had seen him bleed, cry and faint. Not even if she had cleaned his waste from a bucket acting as a makeshift latrine. She held her hands to her face, covering her red cheeks.
She could not believe that she had found the time to begin liking him even while preoccupied with saving his life and alleviating his pain. He stirred slightly, mumbling in his sleep, and she froze, hoping she had not woken him. If it had cost him so much trouble to fall asleep, she did not want to wake him for nothing.
She was still thinking this when he startled her by wrapping his good arm around her waist and pulling her to him with a strength that left her shocked. Her heart skipped a beat as she fell onto the mattress with his face buried in the back of her neck. Heat flooded her face and her belly quivered in rhythm with her thudding heart as he nuzzled her.
“Ye are so warm…” he muttered in his sleep. Her mind was reeling, and it took all of her self-control not to make a sound in her panicked state. She wanted to take deep breaths to calm herself, but she was terrified that if she let herself breathe, she would do something stupid or wake him. Why would he grab her? She could feel the muscles in his strong arm as he held her to himself, and her body reacted with desire of its own accord.
Unable to hold her breath anymore, she finally let herself breathe, panting heavily. He was very clearly asleep, but that only made it worse as his soft breath tickled the back of her neck, a pleasure point she had not even known was there. In a matter of minutes, she was panting for a completely different reason as need pulsed in her core.
Needing to get out of his grip, she began to slide away slowly as the strength in his arm decreased.
Please dinnae wake up. Please dinnae wake up.
She begged him silently in her mind. If he noticed her escaping in his sleep and pulled her back, it would be back to square one, but if he woke up and found the position they were in… Her whole head felt as though it were on fire from her embarrassment. She just hoped that he would not wake up.
To her relief, she managed to escape, sliding out of his arms to sit on the floor panting. He stirred again now that she was no longer in his arms and turned to face the opposite way, mumbling unintelligibly. Her heart was still beating too fast, and she clutched her chest in an effort to calm it. What was all that?
“Ye are so warm…”
The memory of his voice, low and sensual, made her heart skip a beat again and she jumped to her feet, face flushed and looking at him as though he were a dangerous animal. Her body was reacting in ways she did not understand. Between her legs was an ache she did not know how to satisfy.
Nay! I cannae deal with this! It simply didnae happen!
She grabbed the tray away, along with his empty cup, and all but bolted out of the room.
She had been meaning to clean and make dinner before he woke up, but now everything within her was in disarray. She was so hot, but she could not figure out the source of the heat, and she wanted it gone. Making a split-second decision, she went to take a bath, in very cold water.
By the time she was finished, Maximus was awake, looking disoriented and blissfully unaware of what had occurred. The crease marks on his face proved that he had slept beautifully. Irked that she had been so bothered while nothing had happened to him since he was asleep, she wanted to slam his face with a pillow.
“Ah, Rosallyn, ye are back. How was the village? Did ye get everythin’ ye set out to collect? What about yer grandmother? Did ye manage to collect the medicine?”
He asked question after question. Holding back the urge to glare at him, she nodded, even managing a smile.
“I managed to get everythin’,” she said. “It went smoothly.”
He continued to look at her as though sensing her discomfort but not sure if he should ask.
Oh, I just dare ye to ask, ye dobber! I just dare ye!
She gave him a smile despite her thoughts and brought him the tray she had prepared instead of cooking.
“I am sorry. I could nae cook today, so we will have to eat bread again, but with dried meat this time,” she said, taking the tray to him. He accepted it gratefully, propping himself up with his good arm.
“Ye dinnae need to apologize… Ye feed me. I have nae right to question what sort of food ye offer,” he said. She flinched at his warm words. Why was she so bothered? He did not know what he had done, and he was so polite. It was stupid to be upset. Besides, she was the one with lewd thoughts. If anything, all that he had done was hug her.
Ye are hopeless, Rosallyn
Pushing her thoughts aside she gave him a smile and went to sit beside him, joining in the meal and helping him with things he would have needed his second hand for, like taking a drink.
“How was the village when ye went down? Was anything different yet?” he asked, making conversation. The question made her think though, and she frowned.
“Everythin’ was so normal at the village. Nay one kens that there is trouble yet. I felt strange being the only one who ken what was comin’.”
He looked regretful as she helped him take a drink.
“I am sorry that I have brought trouble to yer peaceful village,” he apologized, causing her to glance at him. There he went again, blaming himself when he was their hope
“It is nae yer fault at all. Whether or nae ye are here, they would have come. Even if only to make sure that nay one here was in support of the old Laird. They would still have come. Ye are nae any trouble. What ye are is hope,” she said.
Ye are the only hope we have to make things right.
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Fiona Faris is an American author of authentic historical Medieval & Scottish romance books. She started writing historical highlander romance after she visited the Scottish Highlands years ago with her husband.
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