Page 12 of Cherished By A Highlander

“Wait here, Gillie,” Quint whispered to his mare when the fellow took his leave, and he followed the man to make sure he was on his way and wouldn’t be returning. Once assured, he returned to his mare.

He waited a bit, watching Shade as she finished a twig wreath and began plucking brightly colored leaves off a nearby tree and adding them to the wreath. She smiled as she worked and appeared quite content, yet he thought he had detected in her, the short time he had spent with her, a sense of loneliness. Or was it his own solitude of late that had him questioning it?

It was what he wanted, what he planned on once he fulfilled his mission, once he got his revenge. So, why suddenly was he questioning his decision?

The healer’s touch.

It was remarkably calming. He didn’t think he had ever felt as calm as he did when she touched him. He had thought it was his fever at first playing tricks on him, but it hadn’t been. It wasas though her touch not only had the power to rid him of his fever but to also calm the fiery rage that seemed to forever burn in him. Not even Amara and the love she had for him had been able to do that.

The thought of Amara had him recalling his mission and how nothing could stop him from straying from it. He grabbed his mare’s reins and walked out of the woods, calling out to Shade as he did so he would not startle her.

The few colorful leaves Shade held slipped from in her hand and floated to the ground upon hearing Quint’s voice call to her. Her mind was surely playing tricks on her until she saw him emerge from the woods. That her heart beat a bit faster, and a spark of joy flamed within her had her questioning, why? What was it about this man that made her pleased to see him, happy that he returned? He was a warrior, not a man who would stay long with her or one who might never return to her. Why would she allow herself to feel even a niggling of any feeling for him when he would be but a moment in her life? She could not be that lonely to leave herself open to something that would lead to more heartache and loneliness.

“Did you forget something?” she asked, bending down to snatch up the leaves she had dropped only to stand and find him directly in front of her.

There was no storm in the blue of his eyes, the color was serene as though just being here brought him peace.

Honesty. There could be no other way between them, though how honest could he truly be with her and not have her run away in fear of him? Regardless, he decided to be truthful with her.

“The man who came here to kill me to revenge his brother’s death has another brother, Cyril, who is on his way to meet his brother?—”

“Who is dead,” Shade said, understanding why he returned, and it had naught to do with her. “You believe this man, Cyril, will show up here, so you returned to?—”

“Keep you safe,” Quint said before she could finish.

It did not stop her from having her say. “And to kill the last brother.”

“Kill or be killed. It is the way of life,” Quint said. “I will be staying here with you until it is done.”

“Do I have a say in this?”

“Nay, you don’t,” he said, the matter settled.

Shade saw his blue eyes turn slightly stormy, though calmed fast enough. She was startled when he stepped closer to her, and she almost took a quick step back if it wasn’t for his hand that grabbed her arm.

“I will not see you harmed because of me. Once I see this task done and know you are safe, I will leave you be, on that you have my word.”

He was too close to her, much too close, and his grip on her was more of a gentle squeeze, an intimate touch, and his lips so close she could see a tiny scar in one corner of his mouth. She settled her glance on his eyes once again and the smallest, almost undetectable gasp slipped from her lips when she saw his blue eyes heated with the last thing she ever expected to see there… desire.

“Bloody hell, woman,” he said and brought his lips down on hers.

Shade didn’t realize how much she wanted him to kiss her until his lips met hers. She was as hungry to taste him as he was to taste her. It was a kiss of lovers too long separated, a kiss that could never be quenched, a kiss that came deep from the heart, a kiss that promised so much more. And she got lost in it.

Shade would have stumbled if he hadn’t kept hold of her arm when he abruptly ended the kiss. Though he released her arm soon enough almost as though it was too hot to touch.

He stepped away from her, a scowl on his face. “Your look, your kiss tells me you want more. Let me know when you’re ready and I will oblige you.”

Too shocked to speak, Shade watched him walk his mare to the lean-to, hearing him mumble every step of the way but unable to make any sense of it. She briefly thought of telling him to leave, but only briefly since she did not want him to leave. She wanted him to stay, wanted him to kiss her again, wanted to explore what she felt and perhaps he was right, perhaps she did want more from him.

It was a dangerous thought since he was not a man who would stay and build a life with her, and where would that leave her?

CHAPTER 5

Shade wondered how they settled so easily into a routine. It was almost three days since his return and the kiss. Quint hunted or fished for them and even prepared some of the meat for winter storage. He cut more firewood and used some of it to make minor repairs to the lean-to. They talked over supper and went to their beds not long after nightfall. Quint slept on a pallet on the earth floor, and she slept in her bed.

Quint kept out of sight when someone arrived seeking her healing skill, not explaining why, though she did prefer no one knew of his presence, at least for now. Not that she could hide him for long since someone was bound to find out. She knew what they would assume, that she had finally found a man. But what would they think when he left?

“Shade, are you lost in your thoughts? I’ve called out to you three times,” Quint said, his hand touching her arm to gently rouse her as he came to stand in front of her.

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