to him, like a flower when it first sees the sun. I craved more of this connection. My senses wanted to touch, to feel, to drink in the scent and the sight of his magnificence. His face was too beautiful, too glorious. I was blinded and dazed. And he, as well, looked momentarily overcome.
A long moment passed before he continued, clear notes of disbelief rasping his words. “You’re an angel.”
“Nay, not that.”
“An angel so lovely she stuns my mind. Wearing the clothing of men.”
He sat down next to me, somewhat heavily. The cloth at the front of his tunic was now saturated with blood.
“Why did you strike me?” I asked. “Now I’ve injured you.” In the aftermath of our battle, I felt appalled that it was my own hand, my own sword, that had damaged this unearthly creature.
“I wouldn’t have,” he countered. “If you’d heeded my command.”
My eyelids felt unusually heavy. “Aye,” I admitted. “’Tis a weakness of mine. I’m not very good at heeding commands.”
His hands were on my arm, where my wound was dripping a crimson puddle onto the dirt. “You’re injured, too.”
“Not so badly as you, I think.”
He would need stitching, that was clear enough. Had I brought the stitching thread and the needle? I couldn’t recall. My memory seemed fuzzy at its edges.
“The cave,” I said.
He eyed me skeptically, that hint of amusement still lingering in his eyes, despite our circumstance. “Which cave is this, lass?”
I motioned toward the cave, and he moved to help me sit up. The scent and heat of him seemed to swirl all around me and inside me. The heat of his solid thigh burned through the layers of our clothing as he supported me. Feebly, I led him toward the cave, and he, too, for all his size and ferocity, swooned slightly as we walked.
“There,” I said, not at all sure I wouldn’t black out and crumple helplessly to the ground at a moment’s notice.
I crouched onto my hands and knees at the entrance of the cave and crawled into its interior, sliding onto the welcome warmth of the bed I’d laid. The bloodied warrior crawled in after me, lying down beside me. We held each other’s gaze, and the blue of his eyes seemed to pour into me; it fed me a comfort the likes of which I had not known for a very long time, or maybe ever. I was profoundly grateful, if death was upon me, that I could at least die in the glowing presence of this glorious warrior.
“I’m Wilkie Mackenzie,” he said.
So this was Laird Mackenzie’s notorious brother. I could now understand why it was said that women fell at his feet.
Emboldened by his confession, I told him my name. “I’m Roses.” I had been an Ogilvie for most of my life, but now, I had severed myself from that clan irrevocably. I was on my own.
“Roses,” he said, as though wholly satisfied by my introduction. He did not prod me for more. “An unusual name.” His eyes glimmered in the half-light. “The pleasure is mine, Roses.”
“You exaggerate, warrior,” I whispered. “I’ve hardly given you pleasure.”
“If we live,” he said, his eyes drowsy now from his blood loss, “that is something we will have to remedy.”
“Aye,” I heard myself reply. “It is.”
And darkness overcame me.
CHAPTER TWO
WHEN I AWOKE, it took me several seconds to figure out where I found myself. My body felt trapped under a heavy weight, and my arm throbbed with a dull searing ache.
I blinked, letting my eyes adjust to the dim interior.
The cave.
Vivid light seeped through the narrow door opening. Late afternoon light. I had been asleep for several hours.
The warrior lay next to me, so close I could see the stubble on his now-peaceful face, framed by the long strands of his dark hair. I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to touch the thick silk of it, smoothing it back from his strong brow, fingering the braids that knotted back from his temples. His features were bold and striking, hardened by work, war and sun, softened only slightly now in this dark haven. Or tomb. Time would tell.
His arm was slung over me, pinning me against the bulk of his huge heated body. I tried to move, but he grasped me tighter, causing him to grimace and groan even in his unconscious state. I tried again but could not budge him.
Should I attempt to sneak away from him, to take my bag of food and flee northward?
I dismissed the option almost instantly. I was too weak. I had no idea as to the extent of my injury. Or his. And I had no intention of leaving him to die. I remembered the look on his face when he’d removed my helmet. The direct fascination in his eyes, the impact of his blue gaze. The new, tingling awareness of my own heat and my own skin, and more than that: my own life.
I would take my chances.
“Warrior,” I said, trying to rouse him.
No response.
“Wilkie,” I attempted. “You must let me go, so I can tend to your wound, and my own. I’ll fetch water for you to drink.”
His eyes opened, blue even in the semidarkness.
“Roses,” he mumbled.
“Aye. ’Tis me. Release your grip on me, warrior.”
“Kiss me, angel. Before this life leaves me.”
His eyes seemed to gain focus, and I thought I detected a brief glimmer in their sapphire depths. I was wary, mainly because of his size and his obvious strength, but he was a temptation to me in ways I did not understand. I wanted to disengage from his grip and at the same time settle yet closer to him.
“Then will you release me?”
A hint of a smile lingered in his eyes but did not touch his lips, which parted only slightly. “Aye,” he whispered.
I brushed my lips softly against his mouth. I meant it to be brief, a means to the critical end of attending to our injuries. But the feel of his mouth against mine, the warmth of his breath on my face, held me there. I let my lips touch to his for a moment longer, savoring the soft contact. Then he kissed me back, sweetly, his mouth just open, so I could feel the wetness on his lips. I pulled away, shocked by the feel of it.
“Let me go, warrior.”
He obeyed my request, drawing his arm away from me. But the action pained him greatly, and he groaned and closed his eyes as he lay back on our makeshift bed. I could see then that his injury was indeed severe. The front of his shirt was near-saturated with his blood. He faded from consciousness again, although his sleep seemed fitful and agitated.
I jumped up, ignoring the burning ache in my
