Page 38 of A Rogue and a Noble Lass

Why he loved her.

But he did, and now he had to let her go.

For a while he listened to the rhythm of her breathing, as though they were secret messages meant only for him. He committed each one to memory, intending to carry it with him for as long as he could. He did the same with the memories of the previous night, with the wonder of her lips and the knowledge that she was as adept with her body as she was with the bow.

Perhaps more so.

Every inch of her skin belonged to him now. It was etched into his mind, an oasis of tranquility and passion amid the desert of despair and gloom. If he were a different man he might have been able to turn away from it all. He might have been able to follow the light and lay with her forever, twining his fingers with hers, plucking each other’s bodies like lyres. A heartbeat pounded in the caverns of his mind. He couldn’t be sure if the echo belonged to him or her.

Perhaps it was both, as the two had become one.

If only this moment were eternal, he thought. As he gazed at her there was a sense of timelessness. A part of him would always belong here, with her.

It was the best part of him, and it was only right that she should have it.

With a heavy heart he twisted and rolled off the bed, planting his feet firmly on the floor. He pulled on his smock and boots, trying to be as silent as possible, hoping that Beitris’ sleep was deep enough to prevent her from waking.

But of course a huntress like her had honed instincts, and her eyes bolted open.

“What are ye daeing?”

Logan clenched his jaw. This would have been easier had she not awakened.

“I’m training,” he muttered.

Beitris pushed herself up, leaning on an elbow. The bedsheet fell away, revealing the curve of her bosom and a vivid pink nipple, the source of such pleasure through the night, tempting him now. How easy it would have been to slip back into bed and shrug his responsibilities away.

But he was a demon to her, although she didn’t know it yet. He would spill the blood of her father and she would hate him for it, doubly so now that she had loved him too.

“Ye are nae training,” she said, seeing through his lies with ease.

“It’s easier if ye dinnae ken. I hae a secret mission.”

Beitris laughed. “I hae nae heard anything of a secret mission.”

“That’s because it’s secret.”

“And ye are supposed tae be my personal guard. I would ken if someone else was assigned tae me.”

Tension coursed through Logan’s body. He curled his hands into fists so hard that his nails dug into his palms. Beitris was so maddening, but then he wouldn’t have found her so comely had she been quiet and mousy. He liked her fire and attitude despite how vexing they became, and he wondered if he should have been stronger, refusing the allure of her bed, her body, and her beauty.

It had been selfish to take her love when she didn’t know what he was capable of.

“Just trust me, Beitris. Where I’m gaeing, ye cannae follow. There is something I must dae.”

Beitris leaned forward, kneeling on the bed, her dark locks framing her face. Logan summoned all his willpower in the hope that he could look away. He didn’t entirely succeed.

“What must ye dae? What is sae important that ye would run away from me again?”

“I am nae running away,” he snapped.

“Aye, ye are a coward. Ye can throw yerself intae battle, but as soon as ye throw yerself intae bed ye suddenly become scared. What is it that frightens ye? My Da? My brothers? Or is it just me?”

“I’m nae scared of anything. The Knox name dinnae frighten me,” he snarled.

“And what about the Knox heart?”

Logan closed his eyes and bit his tongue. Some might have said that the Knox Clan had no heart.