Page 70 of The Laird who Craved her
"It will be a long road," Finn replied gruffly.
"Aye," she agreed, and a heavy silence settled over them once more.
She stepped closer, lowering her voice so only he could hear. "Last night..."
His broad shoulders stiffened instantly. "Claire," he warned gently.
"I only wished to say..."
The words faded before they ever truly reached him, because he simply could not bear to hear them. He could not listen to her confessions now, not when every part of his soul was threatening to undo everything he had so painfully decided.
"The roads are safer than they were," he said instead, clinging to the tactical excuse.
A faint laugh escaped her lips, though there was absolutely no humor in the sound. "Ye are still trying to convince yerself," she noted sadly.
His green eyes lifted to meet hers. "This is about keeping ye alive."
"I ken," she nodded slowly. "I simply wish..." She swallowed hard. "I wish the reason dinnae hurt quite so much."
If ye stay, they will come for ye,he thought miserably.If ye leave, I will lose ye anyway.
He reached for her before he even realized he had moved, offering only his hand and nothing more.
"Come," he instructed softly.
Claire looked down at his outstretched hand before slowly placing her gloved fingers into his palm. The simple, trusting touch unraveled something profound inside him.
Dinnae hold on,he commanded himself desperately.
He led her carefully toward the carriage. As she placed one foot upon the iron step, the damp metal slipped treacherously beneath her leather boot, causing her to lose her balance. Finn caught her instantly before she could fall, one strong arm circling her waist while his other hand steadied her grip. She gasped, clutching the front of his dark tunic to right herself, and suddenly neither of them could move.
She was pressed so close against him that he could feel the warmth of her breath fanning across his jaw. Her grey eyessearched his face intensely before drifting, almost unwillingly, down to his mouth.
One kiss,his mind urged frantically.Just one.His gaze dropped to her parted lips, and he swore to God he could still taste her sweet heat from the night before.
A draft horse stamped sharply against the wet cobblestones, the sudden noise completely shattering the fragile moment. Finn eased her upright, though his hand remained lingering at her waist a heartbeat longer than it ever should have. Claire's fingers slowly released their tight grip on his tunic.
"Thank ye," she whispered faintly.
His throat felt too tight to offer an answer, so instead, he silently helped her up into the dim cabin of the carriage. She turned around before stepping fully inside, and for a long, agonizing moment, neither of them could look away.
"Send word," he finally said. She waited in silence, forcing him to continue, and his voice came out far rougher than he had intended. "So I will ken ye are safe."
The profound sadness in her fragile smile nearly broke him in two.
"I will," she promised, before finally disappearing inside the shadowy cabin.
Finn rested one large hand against the outside of the carriage door, the polished wood feeling freezing cold beneath his palm.
Open it,his heart screamed at him.
Tell her to stay.His fingers tightened around the frame, but before he could betray every logical decision he had made, he forcefully pushed the heavy door closed. The iron latch clicked softly, putting a final, physical barrier between them.
The carriage began to roll slowly across the muddy courtyard, but Finn did not move an inch. The massive gates creaked open to allow their passage. Through the small window, Claire never looked away from him, and he refused to look away from her. For one impossible, desperate moment, he truly thought she might ask the driver to stop the horses. She did not. The carriage crossed beneath the stone gatehouse and finally disappeared beyond the outer wall.
Still, Finn stood exactly where she had left him.Go after her,his instincts demanded, but his jaw tightened with stubborn resolve.
Nay.
