His jaw clenched, but he said nothing, his stare still boring into her soul.
Niamh looked away, unable to maintain her composure as he stirred up feelings she’d long let lie. Love. Hope. Joy. Desire.
She didn’t deserve any of them.
Instead, she tore the leaves and berries from the long, prickly branches, not making a sound as the thorns bit into her fingers.
Dallan kneeled down to do the same.
“Is someone pursuing you?” he asked, startling her.
Niamh looked around the clearing, and he almost smiled. She saw the corners of his mouth lift before he resumed his usual melancholy.
“You needn’t worry.” His husky voice sent a shiver of desire through her, reminding her of a time long since gone. “You’re safe. I meant is anyone pursuing youromantically.”
A flush rose to her cheeks.
“You said we could discuss the present,” he reminded her before she could protest his intrusive question.
“No,” she admitted quietly.
Her answer appeared to unsettle him. “Really?”
“No one has in years.” She didn’t explain that it was by her own design, that she wore his ring, in part, to keep men at a distance, lest she disappoint them as well. The reasoning mattered not. She tore another leaf from the pile.
“So there was someone?” His voice took on a hard edge.
She glared at him. He knew he was breaking their truce, treading on dangerous ground.
“Not…then,” he grumbled. “After.”
Niamh pressed her lips together, uncertain of whether she should indulge this particular question.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” she told him several moments later. “I’ll answer your question if you answer mine.”
“Deal.”
“If you must know, I haven’t so much as kissed anyone in the past six years. Happy?” Unable to sit still any longer, Niamh grabbed what remained of the brambles and shoved them into her basket, picking it up and waiting for him to follow.
Daring a glance, she saw the sparkle of mischief in his eyes—something she never thought she’d glimpse again. When he caught her looking, he grinned wickedly, the same grin that once had made her heart do flips and her stomach flutter. She ignored the fact that it apparently still worked.
“A bit,” he admitted. “Worried no one could live up to me?”
She knew he jested by his tone. He had no idea how near the truth he’d struck.
Niamh didn’t doubt for a moment that she’d never find another man like Dallan.
“My turn,” she evaded. “Why did you leave in such a rush earlier?”
The smile faded from his face. “What do you mean?”
“Just before you left to find the blackberries. I thought something was upsetting you, and then you ran off in a hurry. I just wondered what was bothering you.”
Dallan walked over to her, stopping so close his arm brushed hers. A shock like lightning erupted through her from the place where they touched.
“Do you really want to know?”
Niamh knew that tone. Her body reacted treacherously, though her good sense held her steady. Against her better judgment, she nodded.
