“I do, because I know if Nera or Adena were here this moment, you’d be off with one of them and giving no thought whatsoever to me.”
He recoiled his head as if she’d slapped him. “Och now, Maggie, I don’t know which of us you just insulted most with that statement. Do you honestly think I would....”
Braden paused as he truly thought about her words. And in that moment, he learned something about himself he didn’t like.
She was right. He couldn’t even guess how often he’d been with one woman when another, more attractive woman, had come along and “distracted” him.
“You were saying?” she asked.
“Nothing.” He glanced off into the dark forest. For the first time in his life, he felt guilty over some of what he’d done in the past.
Maggie settled back down on the hard ground and he watched her struggle for comfort.
In spite of himself, Braden pondered what he would do if a more attractive woman were here. Would he flit after her the first chance he had and pay no more heed to Maggie?
Could he truly be that shallow a person?
The most painful part of all was that he didn’t know for sure whether he would or not.
He was an ass and a scoundrel. And for the first time in his life, he wished he were different.
Why couldn’t he be more like Lochlan? Steadfast and loyal, or like Ewan.
Nay, he thought quickly. Not like Ewan. Ewan was too monkish for his tastes. But he could be like Sin. Sin was respectful and discreet, and women threw themselves at him as much as they did Braden.
Unbidden, his gaze went back to Maggie lying stiffly on the ground. She deserved so much better than a scoundrel like him. She deserved a man who could love her, and her alone. In truth, she needed such a man.
And in his heart, Braden knew he could never be that man. He wasn’t capable of giving himself over to just one single woman. Ever. He loved his freedom too much. He loved his women too much.
For that reason, he would have to keep himself from her. Because in the end, he could offer her nothing more than a broken heart, and he didn’t want to add any more unhappiness to her life.
Still, thoughts of Maggie drifted through his mind. Thoughts of her earlier kiss. The softness of her pale skin beneath his hand. The sound of her breath whispering in his ear.
But even worse was the imagined sight he had of her lying naked beneath him, her amber eyes dark with hunger as she cradled him with her entire body and urged his hips with her hands as he lost himself deep inside her.
Aye, his hunger for her was enough to drive him mad. Never had he felt such a strong alluring need to find out exactly what a woman’s passion was like. But with Maggie, he wanted to know. Nay, ‘twas almost a need to find out if she was as hot and passionate without her clothes as she was in them.
Leaning forward ever so slightly, Braden closed his eyes and inhaled the sweet, feminine scent of Maggie’s hair and he ached to trace his fingers over the creamy skin of her cheek.
Too well, he remembered her passion. The taste of her breath mingling with his as he plundered her mouth and laid claim to her virginal lips.
At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to claim the rest of her for his own.
His body stirred violently at the thought.
Aye, she was a lass to savor. A vibrant treasure that he wanted to spend weeks exploring.
His gaze drifted over the length of her wrapped beneath the plaid. Only a few pieces of cloth separated their bodies. Separated him from the part of her he longed for most.
It would be so easy to lift the hem of her plaid and bury himself deep inside her. To listen to her moans of pleasure as he taught her the oldest, most intimate dance a man and woman could ever share.
In all these years, why had he never noticed her before? What had kept him so blinded?
There were no words to describe her spirit or her conviction. Never had he met such a woman, and yet there had never been a moment in his memory when he hadn’t known her.
“You know, little blossom, you could be safe in your bed this night.”
“Aye.” She stared into the fire before her. “I could. But it wouldn’t do anything to stop the dying. I would give anything for this feud to end.”
