Page 73 of A Rogue to Watch Over Me
“Iwillmake an effort to be brave,” he teased.
Keeping her voice bland, she liberally applied tincture of iodine to the laceration. “I do hope so.”
“Bugger it,” he muttered between his teeth.
“The worst is over,” she said. “Now, I will dress the wound properly.”
“I had no idea I was watching over blasted Florence Nightingale.”
“I consider that high praise, indeed.”
As Amelia set about bandaging his arm, she noticed Logan had grown quiet. His jaw was set in a serious expression, though not one wrought by pain. Rather, he appeared deep in his thoughts.
“I do believe you will live to see another day,” she said cheerfully as she finished securing the bandage.
“Well, that’s a relief.” Humor flavored his tone.
She could not help but smile.Watching over blasted Florence Nightingale.The truth washed over her. Hehadwatched over her, regardless of the danger to his own life.
He had set his mind to keeping her safe. To protecting her. To helping her uncover the coward responsible for Paul’s death.
“The very thought of what might have happened—what might have happened to you—twists my stomach in knots. You could have been killed.” The words tumbled out in a rush.
The teasing spark in his eyes faded, replaced by a look of solemn determination. “I let my guard down. It will not happen again.”
“Logan, tell me the truth. Why do you feel you owed my brother a debt? Why do you feel a duty to protect me?”
He dropped his gaze to the braided rug beneath his bare feet, seeming to mull over her questions. When he lifted his gaze, he caught her hands in his and drew her gently to him.
“Believe me when I tell ye this, Amelia. Before I knew ye, I wanted to protect ye because I made a vow. But now...” He brushed a kiss over the bridge of her nose. “Now, I want to keep ye safe because I cannot imagine a world without ye in it.”
His words stunned her. Emotion welled in the back of her throat. “I couldn’t bear it... if something happened to you.”
Logan’s smile did not reach his eyes. “Ye’ve no worries about me. I’ve come through worse than this and lived to tell the tale.”
“I know you have courage. But that won’t keep you alive.”
“Those bastards will not get the better of me. Ye see, Amelia, I have something they don’t.”
She met his eyes. The irresistible spark that so tempted her flared within their depths.
“And what might that be, Mr. MacLain?”
He cupped her face in his hands. Light as a petal floating in the breeze, he brushed his lips over hers.
Tender.
Delicious.
Maddeningly seductive.
He dipped his head. Softly, he claimed the kiss she so willingly gave.
“Amelia, ye are the best reason any man could have to keep himself alive.”
She drank in the heat of his body. “Is that so?”
“I do not want to leave ye. I want to learn everything... everything about ye.”
