Page 16 of A Scot for Bethan
God’s teeth, but things were progressing at an alarming pace if he was imagining himself in bed under her, allowing her to use his body for her pleasure. They had only been together for a few days, and had at least another fortnight’s travel ahead of them. How would he endure it? Thankfully, at that moment Angus called him, providing the perfect excuse to put an end to the dangerous conversation.
“If you’ll excuse me.” With a curt nod, he walked away.
Dear, oh, dear, what mess had she gotten herself into?
Left alone, Bethan wavered on her feet. Never once in the seven years she had spent waiting for her Scottish husband to finally come to her had she imagined that she would meet the man of her dreams in the retinue which would escort her to Crois Dhubh, but she now feared she had. Not one of the menshe had taken to her bed in the last few months had made her feel so…alive, for want of a better word. When she had received the letter informing her that Dougal’s uncle would be the one escorting her, the last thing she had expected was that she would fall under his spell.
His earlier words came back to her.
No one ever intends to fall. And yet it happens.
Yes, it did. It had. And it was a disaster. What if he told his nephew that his betrothed was lusting after another man, a man who was none other than his uncle?
No, he would never do that. Because she was certain she wasn’t the only one to feel the tension between them, which only made everything worse. Had she been anyone else than Dougal’s future wife, Cameron would have acted on the desire they felt for one another by now. He would have carried her to the woods and ravished her until she couldn’t move. But of course, he couldn’t.
Dear God, this was a mess.
“My lady.”
Surprised out of her lewd reverie, she turned to find one of the men, the one called Angus, behind her, holding a big leaf piled up high with juicy berries.
“Yes?” she asked warily. She had started to accept that none of the men knew who she was but, as she could not guarantee an ill-placed comment would not give her away, she preferred to keep contact with them to a minimum. That night, at the tavern, Angus had told her she could choose which of the men could go first. What if he suddenly remembered?
“I thought… That is… I saw these and I thought you might like to have something refreshing to eat in this heat.”
Bethan stared in incredulity. Was he offering her berries, for no other reason than to see to her comfort? It would seem so. Ridiculously touched, she accepted the leaf he was handing her. “I thank you, I will indeed. But you do know I’m not a lady?”
Angus shrugged. “So I’ve been told by the laird. But you look like one, and I cannot very well call you ‘Bethan,’ now, can I?”
No, perhaps not. “Well, thank you…Angus, is it?”
“Aye, Angus. At your service.”
After one last bow, he walked away, leaving her to eat the berries alone. They were delicious, both tart and sweet, just what she needed. Once she had finished, she joined the retinue, who was ready to depart.
“Did you ask the men to go pick berries for me?” she asked Cameron, who was tightening his saddle girth.
“Berries? Nay. Why?”
“Angus just presented me with a handful. I thought perhaps you had instructed them to find the fruit.” She shook her head. “I’m surprised he would bother to do such a thing.”
“Don’t be. I told you; they are good men. When they are in their cups and in need of female company, they can be a bit rough, but they would never have forced you into anything that night.” He skewered her with a stare. “They only addressed you the way they did because they thought you were there in search of customers, a reasonable assumption given your attire and the fact that you were there at all.”
“Yes.” Oddly, she believed him. The men could easily have pounced instead of trying to talk her into accepting their advances and they had not needed to be told twice to leave her alone. She saw now that she had been in no real danger. “If that is the case, you could have spared yourself the trouble of coming to my rescue?”
Cameron gave her a side smile. “They would not have taken you against your will, but it would have taken an awful lot of effort on your part to convince them that you didn’t want their coin. Remember, they thought you were one of Mistress Elen’s girls, and it’s what they do.”
“Of course. Then, thank you. Indeed I owe you my thanks.” He’d not known her, and yet he had not hesitated in helping her.
“’Twas nothing. Now, about tonight. Have you ever slept outside by a fire?”
“No.”
“Would you like to?”
“Yes.” The word was out before she could think. This would be an adventure, and with half a dozen fierce Scots to guard her, she had nothing to fear.
Cameron’s eyes twinkled. “Perfect. Then let’s ride. We only have a few hours of daylight left.”
