“I was left alone.” She grinned, gesturing at Julie and Robert. “Now, I’m not.”
He eyed her for another moment, all the while glancing at the battling before he sighed, kissed her hard, then strode away, leaving her breathless. Hell, if she didn’t release a girly sigh. One quick kiss, and she felt like the ground had been swept right out from beneath her.
Julie grinned and teased. “Well, you two seem to be getting along just fine.”
“We really are.” She shook her head, unable to tear her gaze from Aidan. “I never would have thought I’d get along so well with a medieval Highlander, but we really seem to click.”
Of course, their previous lives together helped, but it was more than that. She genuinely liked him. Wanted to be around him. With him.Always.She was startled by that last thought. More so, how strongly she felt it was therightthought. That he was therightman.
The only man when it came to her and whatever the future held.
Naturally, coming to that conclusion amped up her concern for him as he battled, but there was no need to worry. If anything, he fought better now than he had in the forest, his moves even quicker. So precise that he often took down men before they got within feet of him.
“Aidan’s getting his mo-jo back,” Julie commented. “Though rumor has it he's amazing, I’ve never seen him fightthiswell.”
Aidan had talked about this during one of their many conversations. How much he had fine-tuned his skills as a warrior along with his skills as a wizard. Strengthening them to complement each other. Yet, unfortunately, doing such had consequences because his fluctuating magic was affecting his fighting abilities.
At least until now.
“This is a good thing then,” she said softly, realizing that the two of them growing closer was likely the reason his fighting had improved.
“Definitely.” Julie grinned and glanced at Chloe’s ring. “I’d say it’s just a matter of time before your stone’s a gorgeous shade of turquoise.”
Chloe nodded, truly looking forward to it. Looking forward to many things despite what lay on the horizon. She wanted to go to Aidan’s castle. Meet his family and people. She wanted to watch him in his element, overseeing his clan. Then she wanted to learn everything she could about his way of life. How to help him. How to be the wife of a chieftain...
“Oh my God,” she gasped, putting a hand over her mouth at how far her thoughts had progressed.
“What?” Julie asked, flinching when seconds later, someone got a solid punch in on Aidan.
“Shoot,” Chloe swore, knowing full well she was responsible for that.
He had heard her thoughts.
Especially that last one.
Although it caught him unaware and made him temporarily vulnerable, moments later, he seemed a powerhouse, grinning alongside Cray.
“What wasthatall about?” Julie said.
“Whatever it was, it made the Hamilton bloody untouchable,” Robert praised, whooping alongside his men as Aidan took down three warriors at once with a few impressive moves.
Despite the chilly rain, warmth washed over her when she realized his increased zest was, in fact, because of that last thought. Because she had envisioned becoming his wife. She pressed her lips together against a wave of emotion. She’d never really given marriage much thought. But then why would she when she had such rotten luck with men?
Now, it seemed a whole new world was opening up to her. Yes, there were hurdles to leap first. Fighting the Disinherited and all that entailed. But she had faith they would prevail. They had to. Because she wanted more time with Aidan.
A lifetime if that were possible.
After a while, the rain grew heavier, and the earl finally called a stop to the fighting. More than a few of his men walked away from the battling gingerly, but he didn’t seem all that concerned. Based on the way he eyed Tiernan, Aidan, and Cray with approval, he probably figured he’d found warriors who more than made up for a few injured soldiers.
Cray seemed in far better spirits. He wrapped an arm around one of many women who had begun meandering around when the fighting started. She wasn’t sure what to make of him going off with one when he was likely meant for one of her friends, but what could she do? Cray was his own man, and she didn’t want to be the cause of his foul mood returning.
When Aidan returned to her, he was a muddy mess but smiling as widely as Cray. She grinned right back, once again flustered and not quite standing on solid ground. She’d heard about this feeling when people fell in love but always sort of brushed it off, thinking everybody experienced it differently. Because surely she’d fallen in love a few times by now, right? But nope, she was pretty sure she hadn’t based on how she felt around Aidan.
Concerned, she gently touched the outer edge of the bruise on the corner of his eye. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he assured softly, never taking his eyes off of her. He fingered a lock of her wet hair. “We need to get you inside, lass. You’re sodden.”
“All of us are.” Just like that, she was lost in his eyes, and the world faded away. “But you’re right. We should get inside.”
