He is so beautiful,she thought, unable to tear her gaze away from his.
Hamish seemed to be equally helpless. Without another word, he slowly, irresistibly, bent to kiss her, not passionately, but gently, a soft brush of lips against lips that was so sweet it was unlike anything he had ever felt before.
When she opened her eyes, Amanda looked at him, a little dazed, since the kiss had been so unexpected and so delightful that she was finding it hard to speak.
Hamish took out the small package the little boy had given him and handed it to her. “From the villagers,” he said, smiling at her. “To say thank you to the pretty healer.”
Hamish took one last look at her and left very reluctantly. That kiss had been like the first sip from a glass of good wine; it left him craving far more, but he knew he would never get it.
Amanda took the item out of its wrapping and smiled widely as her heart swelled with happiness. It was a small bracelet made from little carved and painted wooden beads threaded onto a length of leather, similar to the one her sisters had made her.
Now she realised that a bracelet made of the finest diamonds, sapphires, emeralds or pearls would never be as precious to her as these simple pieces of jewellery because so much love had gone into their making.
“Thank you,” Amanda whispered. “Thank you, my friends.”
She kissed the little bracelet before tying it onto her wrist, then suddenly her stomach rumbled again, and she realised that she had not eaten since breakfast. She fell on the food Hamish had left behind for her, finishing it off in a few moments, and then lay back on the bed again.
She snuffed the candle out and lay back on her bed, then closed her eyes. Her heart was beating far too fast, and if she didn’t know any better, she’d think something was wrong with her. But it was not a physical ailment that plagued her, rather one of the heart.
She had a comfortable place to sleep, enough to eat, and safety. Moreover, she had just received a gift and a kiss from the most handsome man in the world. It was far more than she had possessed a few days ago.
Amanda’s eyes drifted closed, and she dived immediately into the most wonderful dream. She was standing at the top of a hill, looking down at the sea, and the sun was setting, laying out a fiery path from the horizon to the coastline. Amanda felt elated, and even more so when she looked down to see that she was wearing the most beautiful dress she had ever worn. It was made of cream silk overlaid with lace and studded with tiny diamonds, and she had no idea where it had come from.
Presently, a deep male voice spoke from behind her. “Do you like your dress?”
Amanda turned around to see a familiar pair of green eyes smiling down at her. “I do,” she replied. “Very much.”
“I wanted you to have something pretty,” Hamish said as he crossed the space between them and put his arms around her waist. “You mean so much to me, Amanda.”
Amanda put up a hand to caress his cheek. “How much?” she asked huskily.
“This much,” he replied, then he tilted her face up to his and kissed her.
Amanda woke up again slowly, and realised that she was smiling. When she looked around herself, however, she saw, to her disappointment, that there was no sea and no sunset, and worst of all, no Hamish.
Feeling rather sorry for herself, Amanda closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep again, and Hamish appeared once more. He was not standing behind her, however, but lying beside her in the bed with his eyes closed, and his arm draped over her waist.
Amanda smiled. Somehow she knew that this was a dream, but if so, she never wanted to wake up!
13
The next morning dawned bright and cold, and Hamish felt particularly energised without knowing why. As soon as he opened his eyes, he thought of the kiss he had shared with Amanda the night before, the soft gaze in her brown eyes before his mouth touched hers. Then there was the feel of her lips, tender and warm as they yielded to his with a little moan of what he hoped was desire.
He had relished the chance to touch Amanda’s skin as he massaged her arms, shoulders, and neck and felt her relax under his touch. It felt just as he had expected—as soft as velvet and perfumed with her own musk, the scent that was becoming so familiar to him and which he loved.
She had haunted his dreams that night in a series of erotic ways that made him desperate to possess her.
Sometimes Hamish practised his swordsmanship with one of the other men, but it was mainly for their benefit because he had plenty of experience already. This morning, however, he felt so worked up that he might injure anyone who fought with him.
When he picked up his sword, he felt as though his heart was pumping his blood faster than usual, and power was pulsingthrough him as if some spirit of pure savage strength had taken hold of him.
The men watched as he took up his sword and began to slice it through the air with lethal precision, and his footwork was so graceful it was almost like a dance. Some women stopped to watch him, including Fiona, who could not keep her eyes off him. Hamish was bare to the waist, and was considered a treat for the ladies’ eyes.
Gregor joined in after a while, stepping in front of him with his own sword raised, ready to do battle.
“Hey, big man!” he cried. “Dae ye have time tae be knocked out this mornin’? I’m just in the mood tae gie ye a good skelpin’!”
Hamish gave a fierce growl and bared his teeth in a mock snarl. “I’m game if you are, wee man!” he cried. “But I’m warning you, you will not win!”
