Page 46 of Love Me Forever
“Aye, I am sure it is.” Reluctantly she added, “But I am not fertile, so your seed falls on barren soil.”
He smiled with his next remark. “I repeat. I have known no defeat.”
She did not smile. “And I do not wish for your first defeat to be so disappointing.” She waited a moment before she expressed a concern that tore at her heart. “If it is children you hope for, perhaps you should think twice before wedding me.”
His tongue was sharp and quick. “Perhaps you should think twice before speaking foolishly.”
She took an abrupt step away from him. “You are being foolish to think I can give you something I cannot.”
“You are being foolish if you think that it matters.”
She grew annoyed. “Your own words tell me this.”
“I want children and I feel we will have children, but if I am wrong—and I know that I am not—it makes no difference. I love you and I will wed you.”
Sadness filled her eyes along with a glistening of tears. “You say this now, but what happens if no children come along? Will you not be disappointed with me? Will your love for me fade? Will you?—”
“Stop!” His powerful shout echoed through the woods.
She stood as still and straight as the trees that surrounded them.
He grabbed hold of her shoulders and fixed his eyes on hers. “Listen well to me. I am twenty and eight, long past the age most men take a wife. I have waited to wed, for I wished to find a special woman to love. I swore when I found her that I would make her mine forever and that I would love her forever. The love I have for her and she for me will be the most important thing in my life, and with the passing years it will deepen and grow. Nothing matters but that love.”
He took a breath and his dark eyes softened along with his voice. “I have found that love in you, Brianna. I want nothing more but for us to love. What follows I will accept as long as you remain by my side and love me forever.”
Tears trickled down her face. Words failed her. Actions did not. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. She listened to the hard, steady beating of his heart, felt his warmth seep into her, and knew then what to say.
She looked up at him. “I will take your seed often and pray for a miracle.”
He smiled and cupped her face in his large hands.
“This you promise me?”
“Aye, I promise you.” Her own smile was wide.
“And if I suggest that we return to the cottage and start on that promise?”
A teasing twinkle replaced her tears. “I would suggest that you carry me, for it would make for a quicker return to the cottage.”
He roared with laughter and swung her up into his arms, his hasty retreat leaving heavy footprints in the snow.
CHAPTER14
Brianna lay beside Royce, her head resting on his shoulder. It was near dawn when she woke with a strange feeling. Royce slept quietly, no worrisome thoughts disturbing him. She could not do the same. She felt uneasy, as though something was about to happen.
What it was she did not know, but it disturbed her.
She had healed nicely over the last few weeks. Most of her bruises had faded away or at least faded to a pale yellowish hue, reminding her that they soon would be gone. Surprisingly, the bruise on her lower back had faded faster than she had expected, that area having given her the most discomfort. Otherwise, she could not say that she suffered much from her ordeal. Royce had been a kind and gentle healer, and it was because of him she had healed and felt so well.
He, however, was still healing from his wounds. The scar on his face had crusted and looked as though it would leave him with a heavy reminder of battle. His lip was nearly healed and barely troubled him, and the swelling around his eye had all but gone. He appeared more human now, though the extent of damage his facial scar had caused made it difficult for her to picture him as he once was.
It mattered not to her, for she knew his heart and soul and they were beautiful. His facial features were no concern to her. How he treated her was of the utmost concern to her.
She cuddled closer to his warmth. She was comfortable lying naked beside him, which is how she now slept. She had learned soon enough that her night shift would not remain on her when they climbed into bed together, so after several times she did not bother to put it on. And she had to admit she liked waking in the middle of the night or in the morning and cuddling against his warm body. He would slip his arms around her and hold her close. She felt safe and protected and very much loved.
He had also taught her the joy and bliss of making love. There was not a day that went by that they did not make love and that she did not learn something new. He was gentle and understanding with her and encouraged her to explore.
She smiled, remembering how she had told him she wished to explore with her tongue. He quickly encouraged her, and that night was one that would live long in her memory, for she had not thought a woman could be in such control of a man.
