“What if you stay here?”
“With you?”
“Aye.”
“And your clan that wants me dead?”
“I can talk them around.”
“I don’t know. Can I sleep on it?”
He grunted, turning his attention to the pigeon. Rachel shuffled close to the flames, warming her hands. The smoke ran along the roof and then vanished into the open. The wind continued to howl.
Cam steamed in the heat, the rainwater running down his chest. He said nothing else until the food was ready, passing her meat from the pigeon in chunks.
It was a small meal but it was better than nothing. She refused to eat it all, insisting that he take half. When they were done, they settled down together in the darkness.
Rachel lay on her side near the dying fire while Cam wrapped around her, his arm draped over her waist, pulling her tight to him.
“I want ye to stay,” he whispered quietly in her ear.
She didn’t answer. She didn’t know what to say. She had spent so long not knowing how he felt and now he was telling her, she wasn’t sure what to do. Could she stay in this time?
She lay with her eyes open in the dark and tried to weigh things up. Back home she had her academic career but little else. Sure, there were the modern comforts that she missed but then there were the other things she didn’t miss.
All the noise, having to deal with her brother, not knowing if she’d ever earn enough to own her own house. If she stayed here what would she have? She’d still have no money. The clan wanted her dead.
Would he protect her like he said. Would he want to marry her? The thought made her heart race again. Imagine being with him for the rest of her life, feeling that sense of safety every time he touched her.
Her eyes began to close, feeling his breathing in her ear. Whether he was awake or not she couldn’t tell but she was soon asleep.
She dreamed she was back in Tallis, looking down on the boathouse. One of the boats was emerging onto the water. It had been patched up and the barefoot man was inside, rowing onto the stormy waters.
He didn’t make it far before one of the huge waves washed over the side of the boat almost capsizing it. He kept going but more waves came and the boat began to slowly sink.
As she watched he was forced to swim back to the shore, looking out at the storm. She could tell what he was thinking. He was desperate to get to them both. She could only hope the storm lasted. She didn’t want to think of what he might do if he caught up with them.
She stirred in her sleep, feeling Cam behind her. He planted a soft kiss on the back of her neck. With a contented sigh, she settled again, oblivious to the noise of the storm or to Cam’s hands softly stroking the back of her hand as she slept on until dawn.
Chapter Fifteen
Cam was up before first light. He hadn’t slept well. It wasn’t because of the poor quality of the accommodation. He was used to sleeping in the open in the worst of conditions. He struggled to settle because he knew it was the last night he would get to spend with Rachel.
Something had happened to him since they’d met. He hadn’t noticed it at first. It had crept up on him and by the time he realized what was going on, it was too late.
It was utterly ridiculous. It made no sense at all. Yet it kept him up for most of the night. It kept him breathing in her scent, listening to her slow and steady breathing when she finally settled from her bad dream. It made him ache in places he’d never known existed, deep inside his core. His soul had begun to yearn for her.
He was falling in love.
He barely knew her. He still didn’t know if she was telling the truth about coming from the future. Who was he kidding? Of course she was telling the truth. She hadn’t lied about a single thing since she’d arrived in his chamber those few short days ago. She had been honest with him about it all.
Was that why he felt a connection to her?
No one fell in love that fast. He was certain of that fact. Yet it had happened to him.
He lay in the dark wondering why he’d been so stupid as to kiss her. He might have been able to convince himself it was just a crush if he’d resisted kissing her.
But he couldn’t resist. He had to do it. And it had been perfect. The world had stopped and everything faded away. There was just the two of them and everything had changed in that moment.
