“I’m a Highlander,” he said. “I’m accustomed to it.”
And the shock of it would do him good.
She tossed the towel into the washbasin, then laid her head on his shoulder again.
For a long time after that, they lay together in the quiet dawn, just holding each other.
When the morning grew brighter, Lachlan reluctantly rose to his feet. Peering out of the shelter to make sure no one was about, he bent to pick up his shirt. He donned his tartan and buckled his belt, often glancing down at Catherine to make sure she was not offended by his hasty exit.
She did not appear to be. In fact, she seemed quite pleased with herself.
“You are the most handsome man I’ve ever seen,” she said. “I cannot tear my eyes away. I love to look at you.”
Her words filled him with a mixture of joy and unease, for he felt the same way about her, but he was not accustomed to such intense feelings and knew not what to do with them. In the past, if a woman spoke in such a way, he would simply kiss her on the cheek and thank her for her charming words, and tell her in return how lovely she was, before backing out of the room with a teasing smile.
He was about to leave now, but found that he could not summon such superficial endearments. He looked down at her, his expression serious and honest.
“I love to look at you, too,” he replied. “I love everything about you.”
She stood up, approached him slowly, and wrapped her arms around his neck. The tenderness of her embrace touched his heart, and he fought an irresistible impulse to change his mind about leaving and carry her back to the bed of fur.
“How soon will we reach Edinburgh?” she asked, dropping lower, for she had been standing on her toes. “I want more than anything to meet my sister, and I promise you, when I do, I will demand that she set you free. If that does not work, I will get down on my knees and beg. I will do whatever it takes.”
He cupped her cheek. “I appreciate the offer, lass,” he said, “but I can handle Raonaid myself.”
“I want to help.”
He shook his head at her. “I thought I was to beyourchampion, delivering you to safety, but it seems you wish to be mine.”
“Yes, I want to be everything to you. I want to take away all of your torment. If only you would let me.”
But could he? For more than ten years he had lived a life of shallow flirtations and emotional solitude, never giving his heart to another. He had held true to a vow that Glenna would be the only woman he would ever love, but that seemed a very long time ago now. It was another life. So much had changed. He had been with many women, few of whom he remembered, but he would never forget Lady Catherine Montgomery.
In this moment, he did not want to let her go. He would have to of course, for he was still cursed, and everything that existed between them seemed to be in a state of anarchy.
“Will you come to me again tonight?” she asked, still resting her hands on his shoulders.
“Tonight we will reach Killin and take a room there. You’ll be more comfortable.”
“But will you come and stay with me?” she pressed. “I don’t care what the others think. Can you not command them to secrecy? Or perhaps you could climb through my window.”
All of a sudden, he felt lighthearted and adolescent again. “You’re a wild one, aren’t you? Have you always been so keen for adventure?”
“I have no idea,” she replied. “I am a mystery, even to myself.”
He pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “And you think that meeting Raonaid will solve everything.”
Perhaps he was jaded, but he was not so sure.
“I can only hope.”
He couldn’t help himself. Slowly, he bent his head and touched his lips to hers. It was not a kiss to satisfy his lust, however. It was a tender show of affection—and his desire to simply dissolve into her tranquility hit him very hard.
He stepped back and held her away from him. “I will scale the walls if I have to,” he said, referring to their upcoming sojourn at the inn and feeling rather shaken by his readiness to make such a promise. “But I must go now. Go back to sleep for a little while.” He backed out of the tent and felt the dawn’s chill on his body.
It was a good thing. He needed it.
Running a hand down over his face, he experienced a flash memory of the orgasm and wanted very much to reciprocate. There were many things he wanted to do for Lady Catherine, and he would do at least some of them tonight.
