Chapter 7 #2
“Of course Edna will send ye back,” Hamish said, hurrying to comfort her.
She turned her body to face him. Large, liquid blue eyes implored him for reassurance. Without another thought, Hamish pulled her into his arms. “I’ll see to it that ye get yer wish, lass. One way or another, I’ll see that ye get home.”
Elle pushed back far enough to see his face. “You’d do that for me?”
“Aye. Edna said ye were all mine. I take that to mean I am to protect ye from all harm and if ye wish to go home, I will see to it.”
“Oh, thank you, Hamish. I’ve been so worried that maybe Ashley, Jenna and Sara were wrong and that Edna would leave me here.”
“I know ye wish to go home, but if ye stayed here …” He wanted to say if you stayed here with me I’d take care of you, but thought better of it.
“I don’t know. I haven’t allowed myself to think about staying. I didn’t want to admit that it could be a possibility.”
“I will be sad when ye leave.” He allowed himself this one moment to say what he was feeling.
She seemed surprised and then hurried to console him. “Well, I’m not going anywhere yet. You just might get stuck with me.”
He was still holding her close. It would be a simple matter to kiss her.
A dip of his head would be all it would take, but he hesitated.
He’d never in all of his experiences with lasses in the past been so unsure of himself.
Hamish was always a gentleman, but the lasses he’d known had always been willing and let him know it.
“Edna actually said I was all yours?” she said with a teasing glint in her eyes.
“Aye. ’Tis what Wallace told me when ye arrived.”
“Wallace?”
“Ye didnae see him?” He was surprised by this.
“No, but as is usually the case, my head was stuck in my phone.”
Hamish had no idea what she meant by that, but he didn’t wish to look the fool, so he pretended he did.
“Aye. ’Tis probably why ye missed him.” Elle didn’t seem to mind that he still had his arms wrapped around her, but it was getting more and more difficult for him to fight the urge to kiss her, so he reluctantly let her go despite the fact that holding her felt so natural and so right.
Elle, for her part, seemed a bit disappointed, or was he reading into it.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees and wondered if he’d ever regain his manly ways after dealing with this lass.
***
Awkward was one way to put how Elle was feeling now that Hamish stopped holding her.
She didn’t want him to stop, but she didn’t want to encourage him.
It was obvious how he felt about her. It was written all over his face every time she saw him.
She had to admit though, she’d enjoyed being in his embrace and she even wondered what it might be like to kiss him.
Taking a moment to examine his face, his eyes and his lips, Elle had to admit that she liked what she saw, which surprised her.
She’d wanted to kiss him, but again she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.
This was her problem with men, always over-thinking everything instead of just being herself.
There he sat, inches away from her studying the grass.
Elle decided to do something totally out of character for her.
She was going to kiss him, consequences be damned.
Hopping down from her rocky perch, she stood in front of him.
“Elle?” he asked as he glanced up at her. “Is everything well with ye?”
Before she could change her mind, she went for it.
She placed her hands on either side of his face and full on kissed him.
She’d intended this to be a kiss and run, but what had she been thinking.
Hamish pulled her in between his legs and, holding her head in his hands, crushed her lips with the most passionate kiss she’d ever experienced.
Her knees went weak. How was she still standing?
Her little experiment was turning out to be better than she’d bargained for.
She leaned into him, kissing him and hoping he’d hold her up if she started to fall.
She needn’t have worried. One strong arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her.
She did not want this to end. She opened her lips as his tongue requested entry to mingle with hers.
The sensations shooting through her body and into her core reminded her of just how long it had been since she’d been kissed like this.
Never would be the answer. Gasping for air, she pulled away, still holding his head.
Hamish used the opportunity to kiss her neck, which sent chills down her spine and to her other more womanly regions.
His hands moved to touch her breasts, which were sensitive in her heightened state of arousal.
She heard a moan escape her lips. This was really happening and she was ready, willing and able to give herself to him.
***
The sound of riders heading their way put an end to the most enjoyable kisses Hamish had ever experienced.
He removed his hands from Elle’s breasts and stared for a moment into her eyes.
He wanted her to know this wasn’t over, and from the look of her she would be happy to continue what they’d started.
“There ye are.” Donal and three of Hamish’s men rode into the clearing. He eyed them suspiciously and then winked at Hamish. “The Laird was looking for ye. He wishes us to go off for a day or two in search of Laird Munro.”
Hamish stood behind Elle, the better to hide his hardened manhood. “I’ll take the lass back to Breaghacraig and I’ll join ye.”
“No need. I can see yer busy.”
“Donal …” Hamish narrowed his eyes and issued a warning with his tone. The other men stared past them, ignoring the exchange between the two.
“I should get back anyway,” Elle said. “They’ll be wondering where I went off to.”
“I can take her back, Hamish. That way ye can be off to patrol with the men.”
Donal was getting under his skin and he knew it. Hamish would have preferred to take her back himself, but he was feeling guilty for shirking his responsibilities. It was his duty to lead his men.
He led her to Donal’s horse and lifted her so that she sat behind Donal.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and Hamish regretted that it would not be his waist she hugged, but he knew what he must do and he wouldn’t let anything distract him, not even the beauty who now sat behind his best friend.
Donal knew he’d be missing fingers if he dared put a hand on Elle.
Hamish mounted Aylwen and turned to Donal.
“Make sure she gets back safely. If she doesnae ye’ll have me to answer to.
” He cast one last glance at Elle, whose lips were red and swollen from his kisses.
He should say something, but what? That he’d enjoyed what had just happened.
That he wanted it to continue when next he saw her.
Instead, he said nothing, turning his horse and signaling to his men to follow him.