Page 38 of Rescued By the Highland Warrior
Under usual circumstances, Moira would have scolded him or been frustrated enough to demand he clean himself up. But she felt still felt the lingering tenderness of their kiss.
There was undeniably something about him that stirred a feeling within her and had her yearning for more. But that desire was one which she buried deep. Roderick had appeared almost regretful in the passageway, and in truth, she was here with a purpose, not really his betrothed. In fact, they had no business pushing the limits of what was supposed to be a professional relationship. She had just let herself get caught up in the moment.
Perhaps,she thought to herself,he regretted it all.
“I’m glad tae see ye have energy, Roderick,” she said wryly, shaking her head as she dabbed at his wound. “Perhaps ye can tell me about yer fight.”
“Aye,” he said, his smile softening. “Unfortunately, I couldnae see who the figure was. It was too dark and that worked to their advantage. I managed to stab the traitor’s leg with me dagger but it didnae dae much—they still managed to escape.”
“Could ye see where they went?”
“Nae, unfortunately, I dinnae ken the passages as well as I should, and they managed to slink away—they could be anywhere by now.”
“Hmm,” Moira said thoughtfully, trying to focus on her role of investigator, plus she was genuinely intrigued about who the figure might have been.
But she was completely and utterly distracted. Roderick had just kissed her, and now she was on his bed, tending to him and much closer to him than she should have been after all that.
He looked like a warrior, and he was so bonnie that it made her heart swell.
“An’ dae ye have any idea about who that figure might have been?” She asked, reminding herself to stay focused.
“Nae,” he said. “The passageways are supposed tae be secret, hidden fer our safety, so that instances like these could be avoided.”
“Clearly,” Moira said, letting out a breath. “They are nae as secret as ye thought.”
Moira continued cleaning up his wound, squeezing the excess water from the cloth before reaching for a fresh one. She glanced up at Roderick, her lips pressed together in thought.
“There is somethin’ strange goin’ on here, I’ll give ye that.”
“An’ dae ye still nae think that this case points to murder? It all feels too suspicious, daes it nae?”
Moira let out a slow breath, her instincts urging her to place a reassuring hand on his arm. But she ignored them. She couldn’t make sense of why she felt so drawn to him, but as was her way, anytime she felt too close to someone, she would start feeling vulnerable and would need to pull herself back.
“I cannae say fer certain Roderick, but,” she conceded, “there is some evidence that points tae murder. I’ll give ye that.”
“Aye,” he said. “Ye have given me a lot tonight Moira, I thank ye kindly.”
Moira raised an eyebrow, scanning his face. “Are ye jokin’ with me again?”
“Nae,” he smiled. “I mean it, thank ye fer takin’ care o’ me, I’m much like ye in the sense that I dislike being taken care o’. But I need it, often at times more than I ken.”
Moira’s cheeks flushed warm. She yearned to lean toward him, to kiss him again—anything to cool the fire that burned within her–but she stopped herself. There were already too many things she regretted.
“Ye’re welcome,” she said, clearing her throat. “Ye help me, I help ye—even if I have tae worry ye with a fake ailment.”
“Listen, about afore...”
“Nae need tae discuss it,” Moira said. “Let’s just focus on solving this case.”
“An’ what will ye dae after ye solve it?” Roderick asked after a moment’s silence. “What is next fer ye?”
She felt his gaze on her as she thought about the question. Of course, she knew the answer, but for the past few days she hadn’t been thinking as far as what would happen after she left Castle Fraser. She’d been so caught up with the Roderick and her inconvenient emotions, that she barely had enough time to think about the case she was there to solve.
“Well, I will return tae the Triad, and then I’ll wait there fer me next assignment,” Moira said plainly.
She watched as Roderick’s expression shifted, it was as though he was deep in thought—his mind someplace else. Moira couldn’t make sense of it. Then, his gaze dropped.
When he finally looked back at Moira, he did so with what Moira detected as a hint of vulnerability. Her chest tightened as his eyes searched hers.
