“Much, much more,” he promised, peppering her face with tiny kisses.
“I can hardly wait to find out.”
“Now, now, Me Lady, hold yer horses. We have two more dates,” he warned her jokingly, wrapping his arms around her and cradling her against him.
Olivia peered at him. He was smiling, his face calm and almost boyish in repose, his dark eyelashes fanned out below his closed eyes.
She had never really thought a man could be beautiful, but now she realized it was perfectly possible because she found Edan to be so. With such thoughts and the memory of his touch still making her body tingle, she settled comfortably in his arms, feeling safer than she had in her entire life.
They lay like that for some time, but the cold soon overtook them. Edan gently released her from his arms and sat up. “I think it would be a good time to warm ourselves with a wee dram.”
Olivia sat up too, surprised. “Ye have whisky?”
The prospect of a nip of the arming spirit was very appealing.
“Aye, and nae just whisky,” he told her. “I have a whole picnic.”
He reached out and pulled the saddlebags over to them and opened them. Olivia clapped with childish glee as he began pulling out small, carefully wrapped packages as well as the flask of whisky. Edan opened it and offered it to her. She took a long gulp, immediately feeling tendrils of heat curling through her.
“Och, that’s warmin’ me,” she said appreciatively, handing the flask back to him. “How thoughtful of ye to bring a picnic. I’m very impressed,” she told him as he drank.
“Anythin’ for Me Lady’s pleasure,” he said, winking at her.
Olivia giggled, remembering what just had occurred between them. She was delighted, feeling she was at last seeing the real Edan, and he was proving there was a lot more to him than she had suspected.
He stopped the flask and set it aside before unwrapping the packages and laying out a delicious array of food that was more than enough for both of them.
“Now, what have we here? Och, some roast chicken and a nice, big pork pie. That’s one of me favorites. Some fresh bread rolls, some bannocks with sugar on top.”
“I love bannocks!” Olivia exclaimed, eyeing them greedily.
“Ye must have some chicken first,” he insisted playfully, passing her some to eat with her fingers. She tucked into itenthusiastically while he cut the pork pie. “Hmm, we also have some cheese and some… What are these?”
He held up a small pot of round, purplish globes.
“I think those are sugar plums,” Olivia replied, forgetting her manners and talking with her mouth full. “Mmm, this chicken is delicious. Ye are so clever to have thought of all this, Edan.”
“That’s me, a right clever clogs,” he replied, grinning at her before unwrapping the last package. “Och. Now look at this, a treacle tart. Ye cannae get better than that.”
“I agree, but I have a very sweet tooth,” Olivia admitted, taking another leg of chicken and biting into it with relish.
“Aye, I noticed that,” he said, helping himself to a slice of pork pie.
“How?” she inquired, curious. “Ye’ve never seen me eatin’ sweets.”
“Nay, but I’ve seen the way yer eyes light up when the puddings are brought in at supper. The other night, I thought ye were about to swoon with pleasure when ye saw that rhubarb tart, but the way ye drowned it in a sea of custard clinched it,” he teased, before biting into the pork pie with a look of deep appreciation.
Olivia giggled. “I cannae deny it. And I have to confess, I have a big bag of comfits hidden in me chest of drawers.”
He shook his head at her with mock disapproval. “Shocking. Ye’re a woman sunk in vice, I can tell. By the way, I love comfits.”
“Well, I’ll have to see if I can spare some for ye.”
“Does that mean I’m allowed in yer chambers?” he asked cheekily.
“That depends. De ye promise to behave yerself?”
“Nay.”
