She tried to gather her thoughts, but they were scattered. “I… I don’t understand,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Aiden’s gaze softened, and he brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. “What’s there to understand, Katie? I made a deal with ye, and I keep me word. But for now, we need to get ye somewhere safe.”
Katie’s head was spinning, the events of the day catching up to her all at once. The tension in her body eased slightly as she leaned into his strength and a sense of security wrapped around her like a cloak.
“Where will we go?” she asked, her voice small, almost childlike.
“There’s a nearby inn,” Aiden said, his tone decisive. “We’ll spend the night there. Ye need rest, and I need to make sure ye’re out of harm’s way.”
Katie looked up at him, a quivering desperation building inside. “But… what about?—”
“Shhh,” Aiden interrupted gently. “We’ll talk more in the mornin’. For now, let me take care of ye.”
He led her back to the carriage, his arm still wrapped protectively around her waist. Katie didn’t protest, too exhausted and overwhelmed to argue.
As they rode in silence, the weight of everything that had happened settled down upon her and made it hard to breathe.
Katie’s head was still spinning as Aiden led her into the small inn. The wooden structure was modest, with a thatched roof and walls that leaned slightly inward as if burdened by the weightof the years. A fire crackled in the hearth of the common room, casting warm, flickering light over the stone floor.
The scent of roasting meat and fresh bread lingered in the air, mingling with the earthy smell of the rain-soaked village outside. The inn itself was nestled within a small village, more a cluster of houses than a town, with a single cobbled street that wound its way north toward the mountains. Katie could see the dark outlines of the mist-shrouded peaks in the distance.
Aiden’s presence was commanding as they approached the innkeeper, and Katie couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief wash over her. The chaos of the attack had left her shaken, but Aiden’s steady hand on her back, guiding her inside, made her feel safe in a way she hadn’t expected. She was grateful for his protection, even if his brusque manner left her unsure of his intentions.
“There’s only one room left,” the innkeeper informed them with an apologetic shrug. “The bed’s big enough for two, but ‘tis all we’ve got.”
Katie’s heart skipped a beat. Sharing a room, let alone a bed, with Aiden was scandalous, but they had little choice. She cast a glance at Aiden, who nodded in acceptance, his face unreadable.
“Lead the way,” Aiden instructed.
The innkeeper quickly guided them up a narrow staircase to a small, dimly lit room at the end of the hall. The room was simple—a large bed pushed against one wall, a small window overlooking the village square, and a washbasin on a ricketywooden table. The bed was covered with a thick, woolen blanket, and the air was thick with the scent of lavender and old wood.
Aiden helped Katie onto the bed, his hands gentle yet firm. “Ye need to rest,” he said, his deep voice resonating in the quiet room.
Katie nodded, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle over her. Her thoughts were still jumbled into a blend of fear, confusion, and something else—something she didn’t want to acknowledge. As Aiden turned his back to her, she caught a glimpse of him pulling his shirt over his head. Her breath hitched as she saw the broad expanse of his back, crisscrossed with scars, the muscles rippling under his skin as he moved.
A wicked thought flitted through her mind, unbidden and unwanted. What would it be like to run her hands down his back, to trace the lines of those scars, to feel the strength beneath them? She quickly averted her eyes, ashamed of the direction her thoughts had taken. This was not what she needed to be thinking about, especially now. He didn’t want a wife, he had said as much, and she couldn’t allow herself to forget that.
“Get some sleep,” Aiden said, his voice a low rumble as he tossed a blanket on the floor, clearly intending to sleep there.
Katie hesitated, guilt gnawing at her. After everything he had done for her, could she really let him sleep on the hard, cold floor? She looked at the bed, realizing there was enough room for both of them. The thought made her stomach flutter withnervousness, but it also felt wrong to leave him there after he had saved her life.
“There’s… there’s enough room for both of us,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Aiden looked at her, his expression unreadable for a moment, before he shook his head. “Nay, lass. Ye need the bed more than me.”
“But you saved me,” she insisted, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “I can’t just let you sleep on the floor.”
Aiden’s gaze softened, and for a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of something warmer, something almost tender in his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared.
“Dinnae worry about me,” he said gruffly. “I’ve slept in worse places than this.”
Katie bit her lip, torn between propriety and her growing sense of indebtedness to him. She was too tired to argue further, but as she lay down on the bed, her thoughts kept returning to the man who had saved her, who was now lying just a few feet away, keeping watch over her.
The room was dimly lit by the embers in the small fireplace, the shadows dancing on the walls as the night deepened. Katie lay on the bed, her mind racing with thoughts she had never entertained before. She could feel Aiden’s presence on the floora few feet away. The silence between them was thick, almost tangible, and the only sound was the crackling of the fire and the occasional creak of the old inn’s wooden beams.
She shivered slightly, not entirely from the cold, but from the lingering tension in the room. The events of the day had taken a toll on her, and the reality of her situation was starting to sink in. She was far from home, with a man she barely knew, and yet she felt a strange sense of safety with him—a safety that was both comforting and unsettling.
Katie pulled the blanket tighter around herself, trying to ignore the chill that seemed to seep through the thin walls of the inn. But no matter how much she wrapped herself up, the cold persisted. She knew what she had to do, even if it felt scandalous.
