“And 'tis my hope that ye dinna grow to resent me.” There. Her fear was named and laid bare between them. Holding her breath, she shifted to watch his reaction. She prided herself on her skill to spot a lie.
“Why would ye say that? Why would I ever resent ye?” He pulled back a bit to better look her in the eyes.
“For becoming the weight around your neck that slows ye in your travels.” A heavy sigh escaped her. “I ken good and well ye’re a soldier for hire and no’ accustomed to darkening the same threshold over long. I willna mean to but I fear I’ll slow ye in your travels. Yourself and your kin will tire of dealing with me.”
Alexander huffed out a silent laugh and shook his head. “Ye fear burdening me in my travels and I fear I’ve no place to offer ye to rest when ye’re weary. We’re a pair, are we not?”
“Aye. That we are.” She reached up and brushed a finger against the scrub of his jaw. “Ye’re a fine man, Alexander, and I thank ye.”
“Thank me for what?”
“Many things,” she mused aloud, as she watched the firelight dance across the walls of the cave. “Many things,” she repeated in a whisper more to herself than to him. She couldna begin to name all the reasons she felt thankful for Alexander if she tried.
Alexander treated her to a long, slow kiss then lifted his head and gazed down at her with a tender look. “Rest now, aye?” He nuzzled the sensitive skin behind her ear and snuggled closer. “Rest now and perhaps we’ll steal a little more pleasure in a few hours before everyone rises in the morning.”
As tempting as he made that sound, she couldn’t. Her mind reeled with too much that needed tending. “Where do we go from here?” she whispered. Catriona hated to keep him awake with her questions but her clan's suffering reared its ugly muzzle and set to nagging anew now that her head had somewhat cleared. “Fort William?”
He remained silent for so long and his breathing had settled down so low and steady she grew worried. Perhaps he already slept? “Alexander?” she repeated a little louder.
“Rest now, lass.” He hugged her tight and pressed another kiss to the edge of her ear. “Alasdair and Ian should be back by tomorrow. They’ll have been to Fort William and will tell us more about the regiment Calum mentioned and then we’ll know.”
“Know what?”
“How best to attack,” he mumbled under his breath then droned off into a hissing snore.
Attack.Aye. Attack sounds good.That was promise enough to hold her 'til morning.
