“I could ask ye the same.”His jaw flexed, then hardened, revealing she’d hit a nerve.
“If you did, I would tell you that the only people I have ever loved unconditionally are Emily and her family.They have always loved me, even on my worst days.I owe them the same.And animals, I always love animals unconditionally.”
“So ye’ve never loved a man unconditionally?”
“No.I’ve never felt that close to any man.”
“What about that man ye said ye wished ye had—” He frowned, suddenly befuddled.“Ye said ye wished to be rid of him first, but I dinna remember what ye called it.”
“Dumped?”
“Aye, dumped.”
“Trust me.I never loved Jeremy unconditionally.I would label the feelings I had for him as hoping for the best because I was too tired to keep looking for someone to love me.”
“I have her food, my goddess,” Griselda said as she hurried into the shelter, moving with a spryness she hadn’t shown before.“Do ye wish to feed her, or shall I?”
Relief filled Jessa.Thank goodness for the interruption.She pushed up from the ground and dusted off the backside of her skirts as she moved to one side.“You feed her.That way, she’ll know you fought to save her.”
The laundress curtsied, then bowed her head.“Thank ye, my goddess.Thank ye for the life of my wee pup and for freeing me.”
“I am not your?—”
Grant cut her off by stepping forward and pulling her arm through his.“I am thankful to her as well, Griselda, for opening my eyes to something I should have seen long ago.Forgive me.”
The washerwoman curtsied again.“All is well now, m’laird.Thanks to the goddess and yerself.”
“I am not?—”
“Come, m’lady.Let us leave Griselda to her wee beasties.”Grant nearly propelled her out of the laundry lean-to and across the cobblestoned area surrounded by the amazingly high stone wall.
“She needs to know I am not a goddess.”Jessa tried to turn back, but he stopped her.“I am just an average, chunky redhead.”
He turned her to face him.“There is nothing average about ye, lass, and while yer hair is indeed red, I disagree that ye arechunky.”He shook his head.“I dinna like that word.”He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his.“Ye are damn near perfect by my reckoning.As perfect as anyone I have ever known.And I have known many in my day.”
She wished he wouldn’t look at her that way.It made her all melty inside, and if her heart beat any faster…She swallowed hard.Was this nothing more than lust, or was the legend about fated mates fact rather than fiction?
“What are we going to do, Grant?”she finally whispered.
Still cupping her chin, he slowly grazed the heel of his thumb back and forth across her bottom lip, then arched one of his dark brows.“I fear we are doomed, lass.”
“Doomed?”she repeated in a squeaky whisper that made her cringe.“Doomed for what?”
“Doomed to love one another with a fearsomeness we have never known before.”A heavy sigh left him before he added, “Eventually.”
Chapter 11
Grant needed to kiss her.Again and again.As many times as she would allow, but she drew away from him, a heady combination of fear and yearning in her eyes.
“Jessa,” he whispered while reaching for her, not a bit ashamed about begging her to return to his touch.“I am just as fearful, lass,” he said softly, “and I never admit to being afraid.Not ever.”
She remained rooted to the spot, an arm’s length away, but her longing was slowly overcoming her fear.He could sense it.
“But what happens when I leave?”she asked.
“Leave?”
“When I go back.”She barely shook her head.“I don’t belong here.You know that.”
