From under the covers, a muffled grunt.
“Are you awake?”
“It’s no like a man can get any sleep between you thrashin’ about in yer bed and the wind making all that racket.”
She waited, chewing her bottom lip, working up her courage.
“Are you frightened by the storm, lass?”
As if she, of all people, would be frightened by the weather. And yet, if that was what he thought...
“Yes,” she whispered.
The roll of thunder joined in with the wind’s howl as she tiptoed closer to where he lay. When she reached him, she dropped to her knees and pulled the covers from his head, fighting the instant desire to run her fingers through his tousled hair.
“I am,” she lied. “And I canna sleep at all.” That much, at least, was the truth.
He stared at her, his eyes dark and unreadable with his back to the flicker of the fire.
“Would you feel safer here with me?”
She nodded her head vigorously, and he lifted his covers, inviting her to join him.
When she sat, he put his big arm around her, pulling her in, tucking her back up against his chest. He wore no shirt, nothing but the plaid wrapped around his hips. The heat of his body enveloped her like a welcoming cocoon and she stretched out one leg, tentatively rubbing it against his shin.
“Holy Christ, woman! Yer feet are like chunks of ice.” He shivered and pulled her closer, draping his arm over her hip.
“Mmm-hmm,” she murmured, drowning in the feel of him so close he was practically wrapped around her. All the wants, all the desires she’d had that day at the pool slammed back into her. Hard. It felt as if all the heat trapped under those covers had gathered itself into one big ball and dropped right into the pit of her belly, burning, churning, demanding attention.
Robbie’s attention.
And her in this damned blanket of a nightdress, so huge it felt as if there were a whole mattress separating their bodies.
Robbie cleared his throat and scooted back from her just a little. “You let yer hair down,” he murmured, and his breath feathered over her ear.
“The braid was uncomfortable and I couldna sleep.” Again, truth enough that she couldn’t sleep. “Does it bother you?”
“Not at all,” he murmured, doing that sniffing thing he’d done the first day they’d ridden together on horseback.
The hateful shapeless nightdress gathered at her neck and tied with a ribbon. She couldn’t think of a way to casually drag the whole thing up and over her head, but if she loosed the neck tie, it would pull out wide enough to allow her the freedom to slip it down over her shoulders.
Slowly she pulled at the tie holding her gown closed. With a couple of small tugs to the gathers, the neckline opening gave way, hanging loose.
Again he cleared his throat and scooted back a little more. “We’ll neither of us get any rest if you dinna stop wiggling about.”
“Sorry. I was only trying to get comfortable.” She slipped the opening over her shoulder and down, freeing one arm. “I’m no used to sleeping so close to someone.”
“Believe me, I understand.” He removed his arm from her hip and scooted farther away.
It was all the room she needed.
Turning from her left side to her back, she pulled her second arm from the nightdress, tugging the loosened neckline down to her breasts. She had no doubt the opening was large enough now to easily slide down over her hips.
Slowly, carefully, she tugged at the tail of her nightdress, pulling it up to her knees, freeing her legs as well as her arms.
The hateful gown dealt with for the moment, she rolled to her right side, facing Robbie. His eyes were clamped shut as if he fought to force sleep as vainly as she had earlier.
Sleep was not at all what Isa had in mind. Not for either of them.
