Page 63 of Kilted Abduction
“Like I said, ‘tis close tae dawn.”
“Same thing.”
She laughed. “Trust me. It’ll be worth it. I promise.”
As they continued through the forest with the trees pressing close on either side of the path, Ciara hoped she’d be able to keep to that promise. Hoped that he would be as entranced by what she wanted to show him as she had been. But even if he wasn’t, getting him out there with her in the first place was spontaneous and the first step to teaching him to enjoy and appreciate the simple, yet beautiful things in life as she did.
It was a small thing, but it was something. And that was what counted.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
They came to the edge of the forest, and she led Magnus up a steep path that was rocky and narrow that led to the rocky cliffs above the sea. The sky was starting to lighten above them as the night began to relinquish its hold on the world. Magnus was normally an early riser, but the sun had usually crested the horizon in the east by the time he got out of bed. Walking through the pre-dawn darkness was something new to him. If not for the biting cold wind that blew in off the sea and chilled him to the bone, Magnus might have thought he was dreaming.
“Ye ken how dangerous this is, eh?” he asked.
“Dangerous how?”
“’Tis still dark. Ye could fall in a hole—somethin’ ye’ve got experience with, I might add.”
“’Tis nae funny,” she said, but laughed anyway.
Her laughter was high and rang like music in his ears. It was a beautiful sound and one he enjoyed hearing. It was a sound he could get used to hearing more of. When Domhnall offered Ciara her freedom from Dunvegan and she’d opted to stay, he’d been surprised. She had been so anxious to leave, Magnus thought for sure she would go. But she hadn’t. And deep down, Magnus had been glad she had decided to stay.
He didn’t know how long she would remain at Dunvegan, but as the days passed, he grew more and more comfortable with her and his desire for her to stay increased. The more time they spent together, the more he didn’t want her to leave. Magnus felt comfortable around her in ways he’d never felt comfortable around other people. Not even his siblings. She seemed to see him for who he was and not for what others expected him to be. Plus, she made him laugh, which was something that had been a rarity in his life.
The only time he had felt truly uncomfortable around her was just a little while before, when she’d seen him without his clothes on. He’d noticed that her gaze had lingered on his naked form, which even now, made him squirm. Magnus wasn’t a modest man. Not really. But he also wasn’t an improper man and Ciara witnessing him nude, when they were not intimate, was the height of impropriety. The mere thought of it brought a rush of heat to his face.
As mortified about the entire situation as he’d been though, what he couldn’t get out of his head was the way she’d looked at him. The fact that she hadn’t turned away and that he’d seen a hunger in her eyes that mirrored the way he felt whenever he looked at her. Whenever their eyes met, he felt a spark ofheat crackle through his entire body. He’d felt that again when she was staring at him that morning. Magnus knew it was inappropriate and would never act on it, but he couldn’t just pretend he hadn’t seen it either.
“Where are we goin’? Are ye leadin’ me tae the end of the bleedin’ earth?” he finally asked, just to get his mind off the situation in his bedchamber.
“Have ye always been this impatient?”
“Well… aye”
“Sounds like ‘tis time tae teach ye some patience then,” she replied.
“Bleedin’ hell, woman, is there anythin’ ye dinnae think ye need tae teach me?”
“It daesnae sound like it,” she said with a laugh.
Ciara’s laughter was abruptly cut off though, as her foot hit a pile of loose rocks, and she started to fall. Magnus watched in horror as she pinwheeled her arms, trying to catch her balance before she tumbled onto the rocky trail where she was sure to split her head open. He dashed forward and as Ciara fell, he dove forward with his arms outstretched. Magnus caught her before she hit the stones beneath her and rolled. He winced and grimaced as the rocks dug into his back, but he managed to roll far enough to get them off the path and into the softer grass beside it.
With his arms around her waist, she lay on top of him, her face just inches from his, her eyes wide. She looked stricken and almost as if she realized just how close she’d come to being badly hurt. Their gazes were locked and Magnus found himself swimming in her emerald green eyes. He was getting lost in them and found the weight of her body on his to be pleasant. Feeling her pressed against him now, as in the river and again in the corridor, was hypnotic and it made his belly churn in ways it never had before.
Her eyes burned with an intensity that scorched Magnus’ soul, and her lips were so close, all he would have to do was pull her down an inch, even less. He wanted to kiss her, more than anything he’d ever wanted in his entire life. And the way she was looking at him, Magnus thought she wanted it as well. Time seemed to stand still, the world around them frozen entirely. All that existed was the two of them, their lips scant inches from each other. All he had to do was raise his head and press his lips to hers.
Thunder rumbled in the distance and seemed to pull him out of the moment, the bubble they’d existed in popping with an almost audible noise. Magnus lowered his head and cut his eyes away from her, taking a beat to gather himself.
“Are ye all right?” he asked.
She nodded but couldn’t hide the light of disappointment in her eyes. “Aye. I’m fine.”
“We should probably get back tae Dunvegan.”
Ciara frowned but got to her feet. Magnus followed suit and let his gaze fall to his boots, unable to meet her eyes. But she took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze and when he looked up again, she was smiling and the mischievous glint in her eyes had returned.
“Nae yet. I still havenae shown ye what I brought ye out here tae see,” she said. “But we need tae hurry.”
