“Me Laird!” the man bellowed.
The others turned to him and then followed his gaze to Leo and Bea.
“Me Laird!”
“Laird MacSween!”
“Aye, lads! He’s over here!”
A cacophony of shouting and hoofbeats ensued as the men thundered towards them. Beatrice flinched at the noise, pleased and relieved that they had come to help, but her nerves were tender, and she had never been so tired in her entire life. The wound on her arm was leaking slightly, though not bleeding a worrisome amount.
Thank ye, lads, but just get me home.
She glanced up at Leo, who graced her with a smile she had never seen from him before. The affection in it, the sincerity of his concern and desire for her, was startling in a way she liked. It was a new layer of him, one that she was about to see completely, and the thrill of it brought back the dizziness she had come to love.
Aye, get us both home.
“We didnae ken where ye had gone, me Laird,” one of the men was saying as Leo dusted leaves and burrs off his horse and got ready to mount. “Ye took off so fast into the woods, none of us had a chance to follow.”
“Nay worry, lads,” Leo assured.
“Are ye all right, mistress?” another man asked. His horse shifted back and forth, ready to run. “Someone said they heard a scream.”
The man next to him nodded. “Aye, that was me. I was certain someone was being murdered when I heard it.”
“I’m all right,” Beatrice answered, holding her injured arm tight to her chest. “I cannae say the same for Allistair, though.”
“Allistair?” the man queried.
Leo shot Beatrice a sad look.
This will be a sore spot for him for a long time, I think. Best to keep quiet about it for now.
“Nay need to dig into any of that, lads,” Leo said, patting his horse’s neck and staring at the bruise-colored clouds gathering over the distant horizon. “We had better get back to the castle before the weather turns on us.”
Beatrice's warm body distracted him more than he cared to admit. Leo thought of her the night before, her skin crimson in the firelight as they tangled together like snakes under the blankets.
How could she think I would leave her after that?
Buthe knew he only had himself to blame.
If I had been softer with her, if I had understood earlier what she would mean to me, she wouldnae have quickly thought I wanted her gone.
The concern he had about Effie getting hurt now seemed silly. Beatrice had shown her such affection that it was impossible for either of them to be apart. All this time, he had thought Effie was perfectly content with the people around her, while she was longing for something he couldn’t provide.
I didnae realize how badly she wanted a mother.
He held Beatrice’s hands in front of him like a Claddagh ring.
I didnae realize how badly we both needed someone like her in our lives.
The warmth of her body elicited a thousand reactions he rather hoped would wait until they were at the castle. He let one of the senior guards take the lead, not wanting his clouded mind to send them astray.
He had gotten a glimpse of Beatrice's naked body the night before, but that wasn’t enough. He wanted to know her and love her in every possible way. What kind of lover would she be?
An energetic one, I’ll wager.Fearless and excitable.
The night in the inn had been sensual. They had huddled together, and their fingers had roamed without fully exploring. What Leo wanted now was passion, sweat, and vigor, and the shuddering climax that left everyone spent and on their backs like the end of a battle.
