Page 38 of A Laird and a Fugitive

Caroline lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Her hands were clasped over her chest. Her heart was still thrumming from the previous night. It wasn’t like anything she had expected at all. For such a strong man, Ryan was loving and tender. His frantic breaths echoed in her ears, and the heat from his body still lingered.

It was as though she had been baptized by fire, yet there were no marks left upon her skin. It had all gone deeper than that, sinking into the deepest parts of her as they revealed themselves to each other as they had never done before. The world had been shaken by what they had done, and Caroline was irrevocably changed.

She also believed that she would have felt guilty afterwards, but that wasn’t true either. Her conscience was clear, and she did not feel as though she had given anything to him or that he had stolen something from her. In fact, she had gained a lot.

She tilted her head across at his sleeping form. He lay with his back to her, the great bulk of his body rising and falling as he breathed. She gently touched him with her fingers, feeling the heat that radiated off him and the lust that was contained within his powerful muscles. With her other hand, she twirled her hand, her fingers brushing the rise of her breast, thinking about how he had kissed her in so many special ways, and how she had learned so much about nature in the span of one night.

Ryan could be a frustrating individual indeed, but as she reflected on his gentle nature, she realized that there were things to love about him. When she looked at him, she did not merely see the man who stood before her, but also the boy that was left behind, ravaged with grief over the death of two people who meant the world to him.

While she was certain her father was justified in his actions, it did not make it any less sorrowful that these things had to happen. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it must have been to rise up and salvage the clan from that tragedy, but Ryan had somehow managed it. He had grown immensely and forged himself into the laird that his people needed, taking them from strength to strength with his cunning and his wisdom. They had all been eager to celebrate his wedding, and now she understood why.

It was because they loved him, just as the Gilmour people had loved her father. She never would have thought it from the first time they met, but there were a lot of similarities between the two men.

Ryan stirred at her touch and rolled over, gazing at her with his brooding eyes. He brushed a curl from her face. Caroline offered him a sweet smile. Things had accelerated quickly the previous night. They had gone from a terse argument to bed together, and she wasn’t entirely sure how things stood between them.

“Caroline, last night was…” he trailed away, unable to find the right word. It was the first time he had spoken her name with any sense of tenderness rather than a sneer, and she quite liked the way it rolled between his lips.

“Wonderful,” she finished for him, and squeezed his hand. She wondered if he was going to try and initiate another intimate embrace. It would not have been unwelcome. “I hope ye know now that I am yer wife in every way that matters, and that means ye can trust me. I dinnae know what more I can dae or say tae convince ye otherwise, Ryan. If ye still view me with suspicion, then I’m nae sure that anything is ever gaeing tae change.”

“Perhaps ye are right,” he admitted, circling the back of her hand with his thumb. He brought it to his lips and kissed it. “I will tell ye what ye want tae know later, but first I hae meetings tae attend. Gae and see yer sisters. Tell them… that things will nae be difficult for them. I will nae seek tae punish them any longer.”

While Caroline would have loved for him to share the truth there and then, she supposed that it was good enough to receive it later. She breasted with relief at his promise, and was certain that the news would be received well by Nessa and Tara. For the first time since she had arrived in this infernal Keep, she felt hope for the future.

Ryan let go of her hand and slipped out of bed. She allowed herself the indulgence of gazing at his naked body as he pulled on his clothes, etching the image of him on her mind. It stirred so many wonderful feelings.

He bent down and picked up her dress, a bashful look on his face as he handed it to her. She thanked him and held it against her body. He towered above her as he studied her, almost as though he were still trying to make sense of her. Caroline reached out and took his hand.

“Find me later. I think we will both benefit from spending more time taegether. This marriage can be important,” she suggested.

Ryan nodded firmly. He bent down and wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck, drawing her into a brief, but deep, kiss. The pressure of his lips lingered as she sank back into the bed, reeling from the feelings he inspired within her, wondering what kind of woman she was to have all of her insides churning like molten lava.

In time, she pulled the dress over her head and smoothed down her hair. She composed herself and left the room to deliver the good news to Nessa and Tara. She arrived at their chamber and knocked lightly on the door, entering immediately. Nessa and Tara were sitting on the bed, deep in conversation. They turned towards Caroline, who smiled warmly.

“What’s happened?” Nessa asked immediately.

Both of the girls wore suspicious looks on their faces.

“There’s something different about ye,” Tara observed.

Caroline’s cheeks flushed a deep red. She drew her hands towards her and averted her gaze.

“I dinnae know what ye mean. Naething is different. Naething at all. I would tell ye if it was. Honestly. I think ye tae hae been in this room for tae long. Ye are starting tae imagine things,” she babbled, moving to the window and turning her back to them.

Tara unfolded her legs and came rushing up to her. She grabbed Caroline’s arms, turning her so that they were facing each other. Tara studied her eyes and then yelped.

“It happened! Ye were right, Nessa, she did lay with him!” Tara cried out.

Nessa rolled her eyes and shook her head. Caroline tore her arm away.

“Ye dinnae know what ye are talking about,” Caroline snapped.

“I dae. I hae read enough books tae recognize the glow when I see it,” Tara said defensively. She may have been young, but she was an insightful woman, much to Caroline’s detriment in this instance.

“How could ye debase yerself like this? I told ye that I dinnae want ye tae make any sacrifices. I just hope that this is nae what ye meant when ye said that whatever fate awaits us, we shall meet taegether,” Nessa shuddered.

Caroline glared at her. Tara’s question was more flighty.

“What was it like?” she asked in a hushed whisper.