Page 31 of Highland Flame

“Some what? I have no idea what ye are talkin’ about, Cam. Ye are makin’ no sense at all.”

“The prayer service,” he said, sounding frustrated. His hands moved through the air in a jerky gesture.

“The prayer service?” she asked, finally understanding what he meant. “Ooooh, ye must mean none.”

“Dinna tell me there was none, because I was there, so I ken all about it. And believe me, there was nowhere else I would have rather been. Except mayhap stompin’ grapes,” he added as an afterthought which made no sense to Yvaine either.

She giggled, and made her way over to him. “I ken ye were there, in church, and I am sure there was a prayer session. That isna what I mean. I am just tellin’ ye the proper name of it is none. I believe all the canonical hours are derived from Latin and each stand for an hour of the day.”

“None, some, I dinna care. Whatever, ye want to call it, I was there and ye werena!” His hands were in the air again. “I was forced to go listen to psalms and chant with monks while North and Nash were off stompin’ grapes.”

“Stompin’ grapes?” She laughed again. “So that’s what ye meant. Well, I’m sure they werena very happy about that!”

“That’s beside the point. What I’m sayin’ is that I had to go pray and I’m no’ even the one who is in trainin’ to be a nun.”

“Of course, no’, silly. Ye are a man and couldna be a nun if ye wanted to.” She knew exactly what Cam meant and was just having fun with him. “I need to wake up Avianca, or she willna sleep tonight. I’m sure she’ll need to use the chamber pot, so excuse us, please. We will meet ye in the courtyard.” With one hand on the door, she nodded for him to leave.

“I hate this punishment already,” he complained. “Plus, I am sure I’m no’ goin’ to be likin’ it any better anytime soon.”

“Well, mayhap ye should have thought of that before ye went grabbin’ the wenches and kissin’ them in the tavern,” she boldly remarked, pointing out that he was the one at fault here.

His head snapped up and his intense stare just about bored a hole right through her. Her words must have really affected him. Suddenly, she was sorry that she had said them aloud.

“I’ll grab any wench I choose, and kiss her anywhere I want, and ye’ll have nothin’ to say about it. Do ye understand?”

He sounded aggravated, and looked dangerous. Her insides started to quiver because thoughts ran through her head that he might try to hit her or hurt her, like her late husband had done to her so many times before. She tried to be strong and stand her ground. Mayhap if she stood up to him, she wouldn’t seem like such easy prey.

“Well, I dinna think ye’ll be grabbin’ or kissin’ any wenches for a long time now, so get used to it,” she snapped, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. She knew she should stop taunting him, but something deep inside urged her to continue. “After all, ye are in a priory now,” she pointed out. “Ye’ll be too busy prayin’ and chantin’ to even think about lassies at all anymore.” She took a step backward, making room between them.

“Dinna fool yerself,” he said in a low voice, making her feel scared. Then he took a step closer to her, all the while his eyes holding her captive, making her unable to move. “I still am thinkin’ about lassies, and there is nothin’ ye can do about it.”

He stared at her with a hungry look in his eyes, but it was different than the anger she’d often seen in the eyes of her late husband. This look was dangerous, but in a sultry sort of way. Before she knew what happened, he’d pulled her into his arms and was kissing her so passionately that, for a moment, all her worries and cares fled her head, and she surrendered to the feeling of enjoyment. It was something she hadn’t ever felt while in the presence of Dun.

Cam’s lips were soft and sensuous, and he tasted like wine if she wasn’t mistaken. Her fingers curled around and she gripped on to his tunic, not wanting to break the embrace. Then her hands brushed against the crisp, curly hair on his chest, and his manly essence filled every one of her senses. The kiss lasted longer than she would have expected, and it wasn’t until their lips actually parted that she realized what had just transpired between them. He was a lusty Highlander – a virtual stranger. She was a new widow . . . and a murderer as well. She had no right to feel happiness or excitement. He had no right to touch her or kiss her in such a familiar manner. Neither of them should be doing this at all, and certainly not here, in front of a sleeping child. This kind of behavior was not tolerated inside the holy walls of the priory.

Shaken, she pushed away from him, already regretting what she’d let him do. Her hand went to her mouth, and her breathing became labored. “W-why did ye do that?” her voice trembled as she asked him in a breathy whisper.

“I dinna ken.” He stepped backward, looking as confused as she felt at this moment. Then he ran a worried hand through his long hair. When he looked back at her, their eyes interlocked once again. “I suppose it was just that . . . I couldna help myself, lass.”

“Well, ye certainly seemed to have helped yerself to a kiss without even askin’ me for permission first. That tells me that ye are naught but a lustful cur!” All of a sudden, she started to feel like just another one of his whores. She glanced back at the bed to see the sleeping child. Here was proof of what would transpire from his amorous actions. Yvaine didn’t want to be just another of his mindless follies.

“Nay, ye are wrong,” he told her, shaking his head, causing his long hair to move over his shoulders.

“Dinna try to deny the kiss, because as ye would say – I was there so I ken it happened.”

“I wasna speakin’ of the kiss, lass. I’d be a fool to try to deny that action between us. What I meant is that I am no’ a lustful cur. I mean . . . mayhap I usually am, but no’ this time.”

“What is it ye are tryin’ to say, because ye are makin’ no sense at all?”

“I didna kiss ye because I wanted to bed ye.”

“What?” She raised one brow, not expecting him to say that. Now her mind was really going in different directions. Part of her was relieved, yet another part of her wondered why he didn’t want her and if she was desirable to him at all.

“All right, mayhap that isna exactly true,” he said, sounding frustrated as his hands waved through the air again. “What I am tryin’ to say is that I kissed ye because ye are so beautiful.”

“Really?” That made her feel a little better, but she couldn’t let him know she liked the compliment. “I am sure ye say that to all the lassies ye want to undress.”

“Stop it, Yvaine. I am tryin’ to tell ye my feelin’s and ye are no’ makin’ it easy.”