Page 42 of The Highlander’s Kilted Affair

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

It was much later when Benedict heard a faint knock on his bedchamber door. Before he even opened it, he knew who it was.

He closed the door again once Evelyn stepped into the room, and for a moment, all he could do was look at her. For the last hour, he had considered how lucky they had all been that day, and not because Donald had bought their story.

If he and Killian had stayed in the village just five minutes longer, Evelyn would have been taken. She could have been assaulted, tortured, even killed. Those thoughts had been accompanied by horrific images that had tormented him for some time. The idea of losing her had taken his breath away, and determined to protect her, now more than ever, he had decided that from that day forth, Evelyn was not to leave the castle again.

“Are ye all right?” he asked, taking hold of her hand.

“I’m fine,” she answered a little too quickly.

Benedict nodded. “Ye’re a strong woman, Evelyn, but what happened tae ye today had tae be terrifying. I was terrified, and it wasnae me being flung ontae a horse with me hands bound.”

“Ye were terrified ye were going tae lose me. And if anything, at the time, that thought terrified me too.”

He pulled her into a tight embrace and held her there for a long moment. “I cannae lose ye, Evelyn,” he whispered into her hair. “I just cannae.”

“I’m right here, Benedict,” she replied into his chest. “I’m nae going anywhere. I promise.”

After another moment, he stepped back, and placing both hands on her small shoulders, he looked down at her intently. “What the devil where ye doing out o’ the castle alone?”

“I wasnae alone. I took two guards with me.”

“Aye, fer all the help they were.”

“It wasnae their fault,” she defended.

“I ken that. Ye still havnae answered me question.”

Her hands went automatically to her throat, and before she even said a word, he knew what she was going to say.

“Yer necklace?” he blurted.

Evelyn frowned worriedly. “I lost it at some time last night, and I cannae find it anywhere. Yvaine and I scoured the castle, and nae one had seen it. So, I decided tae retrace our steps back to the village, for all the good it did me. Now, it’s lost forever,” she croaked.

“Evelyn,” Benedict soothed, “ye havenae lost it. Look,” he said, striding across the wooden floor. Upon reaching his bedside cabinet, he pulled open a drawer and retrieved the necklace.

Evelyn’s eyes lit up as she ran across the room to him. “Och, Benedict. Ye cannae ken how worried I was.”

He looked down at her and smiled. “I found it in me bed this morning. I would have given it tae ye after breakfast, but ye didnae arrive. After that, Killian and I had tae go tae the village.”

Stepping forward he draped the necklace around her throat and fastened it at the back. Lowering his lips, he brushed the soft skin of her neck, and listened to Evelyn moan at his tender kisses.

“Ye have nae idea how much I yearn fer ye when ye are nae near me. And then, today, when I thought I might lose ye, it scared me tae death,” he murmured against her neck, his voice loaded with fear.

Evelyn stepped back and gazed up at him. “But I am here now. Ye saved me, remember? I’m safe. I’m here, right beside ye.”

“Where I want ye tae be always,” he growled.

Lowering his lips to hers, he kissed her. It was a kiss loaded with all his innermost fears and feelings. He kissed her like it might be their last, and clearly feeling his turmoil, Evelyn kissed him back just as passionately.

He had battled with himself for days, the guilt eating away at him, knowing the depths of his betrayal. And yet, how could he deny what he felt in his heart? The very idea of losing Evelyn had caused him physical pain. As wrong as it felt, the attack had brought the strength of his feelings to the fore.

He didn’t want to spend another day without this woman. He wanted her by his side, always and forever. Confessing his betrayal to his brother would be a dreadful ordeal, and yet, one he was willing to face.

Benedict pulled away and looked down at her. “I’ve fallen in love with ye, Evelyn,” he said breathlessly. “I want tae be with ye always.”

Searching her eyes, he could see the same doubts he had and was experiencing. And yet, he had to know if her desire was as strong as his own.