Page 117 of The Highlander's Auctioned Virgin
Her breath came shorter. “Ye said ye would keep me safe. Giving ye a child—yerchild—will keep me safe.”
“I daenae want a child,” he repeated. “I cannae do it. And before the wedding, I thought ye agreed as well.”
“Aye. Because I thought I wouldnae want a child either. And then I thought ye might change yer mind.”
At that point, his hand rose, his calloused fingertips brushing her cheek. The touch was so light that she felt it more as warmth than pressure.
She held his wrist. “Please,” she whispered. “Think about it.”
He leaned in and pressed his lips to her temple. The kiss was soft but firm at the same time. She did not say anything or react. When he stepped back, her hand fell back to her side.
“Ciaran…” she trailed off.
“Today has been incredibly stressful. Ye need to rest.”
He turned towards the door, his boots quiet across the floor. Not once did he pause to look back. Elinor watched him pull the door open and step out of the room, half expecting a statement to leave his lips.
It did not.
The door closed behind him with a dull click instead, and she stood there, the cold crawling up her arms.
After a while, she returned to the bed and sat on the edge, still feeling where his hands had touched her cheek and his lips her temple.
