He nodded. “I will look forward to seeing your lovely shoulder again—unmarred this time—when you are ready for me to kiss you there and other places I have dreamed of touching and pressing my hungry lips to.”
His words had a cascading affect, sending fire shooting down her body, all the way to her toes, which curled inside her thickly-soled boots. Why did he say such things? How could he look at her so intently and keep a straight face? Like he was undressing her with his eyes and yet could read her soul at the same time. She thought lust and love were too very different things, yet Kai made her doubt it verra much. Could a man lust for a woman and want to know her heart, too?
Aye.Her father had never remarried after her mam had died. And though he sought comfort in the beds of other women, he never spoke about his affairs, but always recalled her mother with a spark in his eyes, sometimes sitting for hours and staring at the hearth.
“Why do ye want me, Kai?” She tilted her head to one side, awaiting his answer.
His face remained expressionless, but she could tell by the way he shifted on his feet that he was wrestling with what to say. “I have told you repeatedly how beautiful you are.”
She frowned. “That is no’ reason enough for me to be tempted to bed ye.”
“Nay?”
She shook her head vigorously, knowing he was teasing her. “All this talk of Lagertha, and how I remind ye of her…romantic nonsense meant to lure me into yer bed.”
He raised his hands in mock surrender. “You caught me. I am guilty of desire, coveting your flawless body—wanting those lips on my own.”
She slapped his chest playfully. “Ye canna have me until ye answer my question sincerely and without laughing. Even then, I willna promise anything.”
“Is that a challenge?” he growled.
But she dinna answer, only offered him a rueful smile and then turned and walked back down the hill and toward the village.
*
The villagers welcomedthem with a feast in a common hut used for such celebrations. Unlike the rest of the structures they lived in, this one was made of wood and stone with a high ceiling, two hearths, and eight trestle tables with long benches on each side.
The women served smoked haddock and whiting, roasted eel, and shellfish. Seaweed-wrapped turnips and roasted nuts, fresh bread, and ale, and something Kai had never tasted before—honey-sweetened mead. The elders of the village sat at the high table with Kai, Miran, and Colin.
“You are fortunate to eat so well,” Kai told the leaders of the village, stuffing an oyster in his mouth, savoring the smoky flavor.
“The Lord giveth and taketh,” Fraser, the elected first-elder, offered. “We live frugally, remembering no man is above another.”
Kai appreciated that belief, thinking if more men lived by it, there’d be more peace in the world. “How many attacks have you suffered in the last year?”
“Three,” Fraser said. “One by sea, two by Sutherland outlaws. They dinna kill anyone, only made off with supplies, nets and food.”
“I find it unusual that you have Sutherland families living here.”
“We welcome anyone who will contribute to the wellbeing of our village—for in the spring and summer, we need all the capable hands we can get to fish and sell our bounty at the market in Strathnaver. The coin we earn helps improve our cottages and is invested in our small flock of sheep we use to make our clothes.”
“I visited the weaving hut earlier,” Miran added. “The quality of yer material, even the linen yer lasses were embroidering, is impressive.”
“Thank ye, Lady Miran,” the elder said.
“How many young men are amongst you?” Kai asked, sampling the haddock.
Fraser rubbed his beard. “One hundred and ten.”
“Healthy and strong?”
“Two lads are crippled, but their hands are capable. They help the women make nets.”
“I observed nearly forty boats on the beach below, some housed in three-walled shacks,” Kai continued with his assessment of the village—a very prosperous place that he’d like to bring under the protection of Laird Jamie, expanding his holdings.
“Ye have a very keen sense of observation, Captain Kai. If I may ask, why are ye so interested in our village?”
“I explained earlier about Laird Jamie, the recent resurrection of Sand Airgid, and how I have been sent to recruit able-bodied men for his army, and if possible…”
