She was something special, and Iain needed to know more about her.
As soon as the path widened, he held back and walked beside her.
“Tell me more about yer family. Is it a hard life in America?”
“No, not hard, exactly, just different. We have nice houses, but we all work for them. There are no royals or gentry. We are all equal, um, some more equal than others, of course. And while the last election was close, we still have a male president.”
“As it should be.”
“What? Why?”
“Men are stronger. It is their place to protect, fight for their families, their clans.” A picture of his ma came to mind, and he chuckled. “Of course, that is how it seems on theoutside, but I know from experience it is not always the men who rule.”
Abigail smiled. “Oh? How so?”
“Some women, like my mother, are too strong to be suppressed. My father not only loved my mother, but he listened to her counsel above all others.”
“Your father sounds like he was a sensible man.”
“Either sensible or henpecked.”
Abigail stopped and peered at him. “Sensible,” she said as if there were no argument.
Iain laughed. “Aye.”
That night, Iain stretched out in their makeshift bed and gazed at the stars. It was a wonderous night, still cold enough that he once again risked a fire, but for some reason, the ground felt more comfortable, the stars were brighter, and the moon’s glow shone on Abigail’s locks whenever he chanced a glance her way.
The lass was also looking up at the sky. “It’s so beautiful when it’s not raining.”
Iain ignored the lass’s habit of complaining about the rain. “Aye. I haven’t been to America, but I’ve traveled through Europe, and the further south I went, the sky seemed to drift higher. The stars here are so close, I sometimes think I can pluck them from the sky.”
“I admit I find the life here hard, but I will miss it when I leave.”
A jolt shot through him at her mention of leaving. He didn’t want her to go. He wanted to stay with her as long as he could, to learn her ways, to understand her. The thought crossed his mind he could go to America. He silently snorted. No. In another time and another place, he might have had that choice, but his role was decided for him at the moment of his birth. He had to stay to lead and protect his clan.
Images of the keep, his sister, and his friends flitted across his mind, and he knew then he would never leave Scotland.
He sat up and looked at Abigail, still watching the night sky.
“Even had I the choice, I wouldna want to live anywhere else.”
Her bottom lip dropped, parting her lips, and she let out a soft sigh.
That was Iain’s undoing. He rolled over to his side and scooped her up in his arms, and before she had a chance to object, he brushed his lips over hers. She gasped in surprise, not fright. She didn’t pull away.
He kept kissing her, and she wrapped her hands around his neck. His heart jumped into his throat at her acquiescence. The kiss was deep and long, and Iain had to fist his hands in her cloak to stop them from roaming where they shouldn’t. He kept kissing her until a moan from deep in her throat sparked in his brain.
He knew then he could take her, but he also knew he couldn’t let his base emotions rule him. He was a ruler; he was stronger than that. She pulled back, but only far enough to nibble at his bottom lip. Another moan sounded, but this time, it was from deep within his chest, and he held her tighter.
She gazed up into his eyes.
Heated passion whirled in her stormy eyes, and he answered, bending his head to kiss her again, but hesitated. She wriggled closer to him, giving him consent to continue, yet although he wanted her physically, he realized at that moment, if he continued, he would never let her go. He would follow her to the ends of the earth just to taste her full pink lips. He wanted more. He wanted her heart, her soul, her everything. But he couldn’t have any of those things without knowing what secrets she harbored.
He let her go and stood up.
Staring down at her large confused eyes, he said, “We have to talk.”
She closed her eyes and bit her lip. “Now?”
