“Ye need to ask that?” He uncovered his face and looked back at her. “Ye are still betrothed to another man.”
“I ran away from him.”
“I ken, but it still remains to be seen whether ye can escape him completely,” the words made her shift against the tree. She pressed her fingers into the bark behind her. “There is also the fact ye are disguised as a man.”
“Well, that did not stop you a moment ago!” Her sharp words earned a dark glare from him.
“This is incredibly complicated,” he looked back to the loch again. She could not deny that. It was. “It shouldnae have happened.” The repetition of this statement made her sharply step away from the tree and move back to her things by the loch.
She didn’t turn to look at him for a few minutes, but gathered her things, pulled on her serving jacket, and hurried to tie her hair up. Finally, she finished by placing her hat back on her head before she allowed herself to turn back and look at him.
His eyes were on her, those startling green orbs dancing across her body and her face.
“It’s quite the transformation,” he breathed eventually, gesturing to her. “I’m sorry, I shouldnae have…” he waved his hand in the air again, clearly referring to their kiss.
Laura was crushed by it, so much that she could not help wincing.
“You seem to have not noticed the fact I was kissing you back.”
“Oh, believe me, I noticed,” he said quickly, his eyes still on her. “This is just too complicated.”
“Then…what do you want to do now?” She knew what she wanted. She would have happily kissed him again.
“We reach the town tomorrow,” he straightened his spine and folded his arms, swiftly appearing businesslike. “I’ll hide ye there, as I promised, then, I’ll have to think of a way to try and get ye out of this mess.” He spoke quickly before walking away, back toward their camp.
Laura watched him go, still reeling. When he was out of sight, she leaned back on the tree and pressed her fingers to her lips again, gutted that he had pulled away.
* * *
Erskine was one of the first to wake in the morning. Tam awoke soon after, and together they prepared food for the others over their freshened fire.
Erskine could not stop his eyes constantly sliding to Laura’s sleeping figure. She slept in an extremely feminine way, on her side, with one hand curled in her hair and her body slumped in such a fashion against the earth that the crook of her waist was obvious. He had hidden the sight from Tam’s eyes by throwing his coat over her as soon as Tam woke up. Now, he just kept looking toward her, seeing her hair poking out the top of his coat.
That kiss…
Camden’s statement a few days ago had been right. Erskine had not been a saint when it came to women. In the past, there had been a few passing women, nothing that he would ever quite call a courtship, but nights of passion, certainly. In none of those nights of passion had he ever had a kiss like Laura’s.
He had been so tempted by her as he pressed her against the tree the night before, feeling the way her small curves slotted perfectly against his body. Hearing her gasp into their kiss had made his body rise with arousal before he could try and stop it. He had imagined even taking her there against that tree…not that he would have done it. Despite his longing for her, Laura deserved more than that.
“Erskine,” Tam’s voice called his gaze away from Laura’s sleeping body.
“Aye?”
“Stop starin’ if ye daenae want Dearg to tease ye any more,” Tam’s warning words made Erskine stiffen in his seat.
“I daenae ken what ye mean,” Erskine lied and returned his attention to the food they were preparing.
“Aye, sure ye daenae,” Tam smiled as he sat beside him, watching the fire. Erskine tried to ignore the words, knowing Tam was only trying to help but also fearing what Tam would think of him.
If only I could tell him the truth.
It wasn’t long before the others woke up, but Laura was the last. Erskine had to make sure the others left enough food for her. Erskine saw this simple act did not escape Dearg’s notice, and as Erskine passed Laura the food, Dearg was watching him carefully, his eyes just narrow slits in his freckled face.
I cannae take any more of this.
As they prepared to leave, Erskine made a point of placing himself as far from Laura as possible. He did not talk to her or walk anywhere near her for two reasons. Firstly, he was afraid of feeling that strong desire to kiss her again. Secondly, he did not want to hear Dearg’s comments.
To his dismay, his distancing accomplished neither goal. He still found his eyes drawn to Laura every now and then, tracing the curves of her legs beneath the tight-fitting breeches. Soon enough, Dearg came to his side as well, just as the two of them finished feeding the horses.
