She froze at the growl which had come from behind her. Her heart sank.
“Get back in here. Ye’re goin’ nowhere unless I say so.” The voice was right in her ear. She jumped out of her skin. He was behind her! She could feel the heat of his body on her skin, his warm breath in her ear when he spoke. Her body began thrumming with a combination of fear and excitement.
She pasted a smile on her face, fighting to keep her composure. “Och, ye’re awake,” she said, turning on her heels to face him, frantically trying to think of a plausible excuse for leaving.
“Where were ye goin’?” He was standing right in front of her now, his bandaged chest inches from her face. She frowned at the bandage in genuine concern but also seeing a chance to deflect his question.
She looked up at him and said, “Ye shouldnae have moved so fast, creepin’ up behind me like that. D’ye nae remember what the healer said? Nay sudden movements or ye could tear yer stitches.”
“Me chest’s fine,” he replied dismissively. “Answer me question. Where were ye goin’?”
“I was, er, I was thirsty, so I thought I’d go down and get some ale.”
The firelight threw dancing shadows across his features, making it a harsh mask of mistrust as he eyed her. “There’s ale over there, on the tray.” He jerked his thumb at it.
“Aye, I ken, but ’tis stale and warm. I wanted some fresh ale.”
“I’m sure ye can make dae until mornin’. Now, come back in here and shut the door.”
Seeing no alternative, she did as he said, but she was frustrated at being robbed of her chance to warn her brother and could not help but let her irritation show. “Ye ken, ye havenae right tae dictate me every move.”
He stared at her, then said sardonically, “I’m sorry, I dinnae think I heard that right. I absolutely have the right tae ken where ye’re goin’ and who yere seein’. Technically, ye’re still me captive.”
“But can ye nae just give me a wee bit of freedom? Dae I havetae ask yer permission every time I wantae dae some simple thing, like fetch some ale or visit the privy, fer goodness’ sake?” They were standing toe to toe now, with Isla’s head tilted up to Ewan’s face as he towered above her.
Unexpectedly, his expression suddenly softened. “Annie, ye misunderstand me. I dinnae wish tae control ye, but things bein’ as they are, I wish tae keep ye safe.” Gently, he reached down and cupped her face in his palms, looking deep into her eyes, setting her body tingling. “I care about ye.”
Her breath hitched in her throat at his words. “I care about ye too, Ewan,” she whispered, gazing up at him, meaning every word.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The kiss began tentatively, a hesitant exploration of each other’s lips. Isla’s doubts and worries immediately melted away at the touch of Ewan’s warm, firm mouth on hers. As if in wonder at what they had started, they briefly pulled back, their faces barely an inch apart, and stared into each other’s eyes for a few intense moments. The song her body was singing drove all else away. She forgot the war, Gregory, Allan, the siege, everything. Everything except him.
Her fingertips trailed down the strong column of his throat where his shirt lay open, careful to avoid his bandages. She felt her insides turning to water at the feel of his skin, and the naked hunger in his dark eyes. Her heart was pounding, her chest rising and falling rapidly as the breath fled her lungs beneath the intensity of his gaze.
When their mouths met again, his covering hers, a fire inside her belly sprang to life. She was suddenly consumed by the samehunger she saw reflected in his eyes, the hunger of wanting, which she had been holding back for so long.
Unleashing it from the depths of her being, she threw herself into the kiss with luxurious abandon, meeting his desire with her own, reveling in the taste and touch feel of him as they explored each other’s mouths, bringing forth a fiery passion she never had never known she possessed.
“Ye make me want ye so much, I never kent I could feel like this,” she breathed against his lips, greedy for more of him. She held back a little as he pressed against her, mindful of hurting him, but he seemed oblivious of any pain from his wound, for he grasped her around her waist and pinned her to his chest, one hand cradling her head as his mouth explored hers.
The kiss grew in intensity, making her so dizzy, she felt almost drunk with pleasure. She melted into his arms, wanting it never to stop. She weaved her arms around his muscular neck and tangled her fingers in the dark laces of his hair, entwining her tongue with his in a frantic dance of pent-up desire.
As though sensing her heightened need, Ewan’s arms tightened around her, his lips plundering her mouth with redoubled passion. Isla moaned into his mouth as heat swept over her, giving herself up to the intoxicating sensation of his large, warm hands moving surely over every part of her.
Without breaking the kiss, she pushed aside his shirt and allowed her hands to roam across his broad, muscular shoulders. Her breathing quickened as her curious fingerstraced the blue patterns etched there amid the battle scars, and she reveled in the power that seemed to ooze from his very bones.
“Ewan, what about yer wound? Ye must be careful,” Isla warned him gently.
“Let me worry about that,” he told her. “Annie, yer lips are so soft,” he added, his voice low and hoarse as he leaned forward and closed the gap between them, his lips seeking hers once more.
The flames of the fire he had ignited within her rose higher. She needed more of him. She hardly knew what possessed her, but she suddenly wanted them naked, their bodies pressed together, skin on skin.
“Ewan, let’s take off our clothes. I want tae feel ye against me,” she murmured against his lips. “I ken I’ve seen ye without yer clothes on already, but I wantae ken ye… every inch of ye.”
He chuckled deep in his throat. The vibration rumbled through Isla, a sensation so provocatively sensual, she gasped to feel heat pooling between her thighs.
“I couldnae agree more,” he murmured, grinning as he pulled away from her lips long enough to reach down and, taking hold of the hem of his shirt, pulled it off over his head with her help and a small grimace. The bandage over the wound glowed stark white against his skin.
