Page 27 of Sighs of the Highland Wind
“Have they stopped?” she asked hopefully.
“They did after a while,” he answered. “But for a while, like you, I was scared to go to sleep.”
“It must be one of the worst feelings in the world,” Kenna sighed.
Maxwell stood up and put another log on the fire, then stirred it with a poker until the wood burst into flame before coming backto sit on the floor with Kenna. To his surprise, she laid her head on his shoulder and put her arm around his waist.
She sighed and closed her eyes, then smiled.
“Please don’t move,” she whispered.
“I will do anything my lady commands,” he said, laughing as he put an arm around her shoulders and leaned his cheek on her head.
For a few moments there was a comfortable silence, then she murmured, “You are a very kind person, and please don’t deny it! I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
“But—” he began, but Kenna put a finger over his mouth to shut him up.
Kenna sighed as she settled herself beside him, sitting on the floor with her back against the bed. She had not felt so comfortable in ages, and when he shifted her so that she laid her head on his lap, she felt as though she was drifting on a cloud. She was resisting going to sleep, however, since the remnants of the dream were still at the back of her mind, but when he began to stroke her hair, she felt herself beginning to drift away.
“Kenna, you must go to bed,” Maxwell said softly. “Or you will not be able to work in the morning.”
“Will you come with me?” Kenna asked drowsily, before opening her eyes and looking up at him. She chuckled when she saw that his silver-grey eyes were wide with amazement.
“Of course not!” he replied, looking outraged. “It’s… It’s not that I don’t want to, Kenna, but it is not proper.”
He looked away from her at the fire, but she reached up and turned his head back toward her again.
“I am not asking you to do anything improper, Ewan. I feel safe with you, that is all.”
“The bed is not big enough, anyway,” he pointed out.
Kenna got to her feet and pulled the mattress from the bed and onto the floor. Maxwell laughed and lay down, then she lay down beside him, pulling up a blanket to cover them. Once she had snuggled into the warmth of his body, she began to experience the strange feelings that he always seemed to inspire in her.
She felt a pleasant pulse begin to throb between her legs, and she had the almost irresistible desire to kiss him, but she resisted it. She could feel his strong, steady heartbeat under her ear, and its rhythm was so soothing that she began to doze again.
“Goodnight,” she murmured, looking up.
He was gazing down at her, and for a timeless moment, they locked eyes, mesmerized by each other, before he tilted her chin up and bent to kiss her, rolling her over so that he was lying half on top of her.
Kenna answered with her heart on her lips, answering the caressing movements of his mouth with her own, her tongue tangling with his until she was dizzy. She could feel the pleasant rasping sensation of his new beard, and it sent a jet of pleasure straight to her core. He drew away from her at last, breathing heavily, his eyes half-hooded with desire.
“You are so lovely, Kenna,” he whispered as he kissed her forehead. “I am so glad I met you.”
“Thank you,” she murmured. “You are quite lovely too.”
“A man cannot be lovely,” he answered grimly. “Especially not this man.”
Kenna began to become angry at his constant self-abuse.
“What is wrong with you? Why do you hate yourself so much? You always tell me what a dreadful person you are, but you have been nothing but kind to me. Tell me what you have done that is so terrible.”
She looked at the despairing expression on his face with a mixture of exasperation and concern. She had never seen such a magnificent man, perfect in every facet of his character and appearance. It was beyond belief to her that he could despise himself so much.
Maxwell hesitated for a moment, and Kenna could tell that he was struggling to find the words he wanted to say. Eventually, he began to speak.
“My sister is a much better person than I am,” he said sadly, shaking his head and running his hands through his shaggy black hair. “She always treated our servants with respect. Looking back, I realize that I was a vicious little brat.”
“What did you do?” she asked curiously.
