Page 59 of In Bed with her Highland Foe

“Both,” he answered honestly and leaned forward a little more, his forehead resting against hers. He dared to lift his hand a little more, shifting from cupping her cheek to trailing his fingers through the loose locks of her hair. He could hear her breathing, coming short and fast. Was there hope in that fast breath? Excitement?

“I dinnae wish ye tae go, Michael,” she whispered, saying the Christian name he had waited so long to hear.

“I am nae going anywhere, Kyven. I promise ye that.”

Then her hand lifted up toward him, on his shoulder. It was what he had longed for, that encouragement. He shifted his position, no longer resting his forehead on hers, but about to capture her lips with his own. She was leaning toward him too, the moment about to happen, when –

There was a loud knock at the door.

“Captain!” a panicked voice cried from the other side of the door.

Gilchrist pulled back from Kyven, his hand still in her hair as she still gripped his shoulder. They stared at one another, neither of them saying anything.

“Captain!” the guard called again. “A soldier has been injured in practice. We need yer help.”

Kyven pulled back though she didn’t look away. Now, there was the smallest of smiles on her lips.

It was what he wanted to see, that smile, that encouragement, but he would have rather had it after their first kiss.

“Ye should go,” she whispered and retreated from him.

He felt cold where seconds before he had been heated and warm, desperate to kiss her.

“Ye are needed, Gilchrist.”

Dinnae call me that now.

He longed for her to use his real name again as she moved to the other side of the hearth rug and picked up her pencil again, returning to her sketch.

“Captain!” the soldier barked, banging on the door again.

“Aye, I’m coming,” Gilchrist called back. He stood from the chair, knocking the book he had been reading onto the floor. He picked it up then walked toward Kyven, standing behind her back as he rested the book on the hearth beside her drawing.

It was quite incredible the way she had captured his likeness on the page. He bent down over her, practically brushing his lips against her neck as he whispered in her ear.

“Ye can keep reading without me,” he whispered. “If ye have any questions about what they share… I’ll answer everything ye wish tae ken.”

He could have sworn she shivered. Was that from excitement again?

“Captain!”

“Soldier, we need tae work on yer patience.” Gilchrist stood straight and turned sharply on his heel, hastening to the door.

He opened it wide and hesitated, as the soldier gushingly told him everything that had happened.

“They were practicing drunk, Captain. One has taken a dirk to the shoulder…” As he continued, Gilchrist glanced back at Kyven.

She was staring at him too, the pencil in one hand, and the illicit book in the other. There was something in her expression, something he thought was rather like the hunger he had seen in her gaze when she had seen him naked that morning.

“Until tomorrow,” he called to her, and she nodded. Gilchrist left, cursing under his breath as he listened to the soldier reeling off the other injuries.

That was close.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Kyven looked out of the council window toward where Gilchrist was waiting for her. He’d saddled both of their horses, and as he stretched out his injured arm, she saw that he could move it much more than before. She smiled down at the image of him, for he clearly had no idea as he waited that she was watching him.

It had been the same the last two days. Each morning, Gilchrist had waited for her with their horses, and they had ridden together. A guard had gone with them each day, though had had trouble keeping up with their races.