Page 104 of Laird of Smoke
“Not from ye,” she told him.
He barked out a grim laugh.“Aye, ye did.Ye even left me a note.Ye told me not to follow.”
“But not because…” she said.“Not because…”
She couldn’t find the right words for her reasons or the memories that swept through her head.Memories of his soul-searing kiss.His eyes glazed with passion.His limbs entwined with hers.His groans of ecstasy shivering in her ear as his flesh rubbed in delicious bliss against hers.
“Not because o’ ye,” she said.It was only half a lie.
“Shite,” he said under his breath.He stopped rummaging through the satchel.His shoulders dropped as he stared at the ground, shaking his head.“See, that’s just it.I keep askin’ myself, ‘Why?Why did ye leave?’”His voice was roughened by the weeks of torment she’d caused him.“Was it because ye wanted the spoils all to yourself?”
“Nay,” she said, horrified at the thought.
“Nay,” he agreed.“After all, ye left your coin behind.So then I thought maybe ye were after this.”He held up the Rivenloch medallion.
“Nay.”
“Nay,” he echoed, “because I see ye’ve returned it.”He tossed it back in the satchel.
“As should ye,” she murmured as an aside.“’Tis a dangerous piece to be carryin’ around.Ye don’t want to tangle with that clan.”
He gave her a brief, bleak smile as he slowly rose to his feet.Then his eyes grew shadowed and full of hurt.“So all I can think is ye left because ye don’t care for me.Ye regret what we did.And ye ne’er want to see me again.”
“Nay.”The word came out like a sob.“I mean… Aye.I mean…” Never want to see him again?That wasn’t true at all.She wanted to see him every day for the rest of her life.And the last thing she wanted to do was to wound him.“Ye don’t understand.Yecan’tunderstand.”
“I understand,” he said sadly.“I thought we were kindred spirits.I thought ye cared for me.”
“Idocare for ye.”
“I thought I was more to ye than a tryst on a goose-down pallet.”
“Yeare.Yeare,Adam.And that’s just the problem.Can’t ye see?”The damning words were out of her before she could stop them.“I love ye.Iloveye.”
Adam couldn’t have been more stunned if he’d been knocked in the head by a club.
Apparently, she’d caught herself by surprise as well.She clapped her hands over her mouth as if her words had accidentally escaped.
Now what?
Adam had met her here with one purpose in mind.To secure the return of his medallion.
If, in the course of retrieving it, he happened to confront her with the cruelty of her abandoning him, that closure would be honey on his oatcake.
But then he’d made the mistake of admitting she’d wounded him.He’d bared his damaged soul to her.Given her every opportunity to gloat over the wreckage she’d left of his heart.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined she’d reply with a confession of love.
He frowned, deciding, “That makes no sense.”
“That I love ye?Perhaps not.But Ido.”
“Nay.It makes no sense that if ye love me, ye would leave me.”
“I… I…” Her face crumpled into an expression that appeared to be either longing or dismay.
He could only stand there and wait for her to decide which it was.
She lowered her gaze then to stare at her twisting fingers.“I’m not who ye think I am.”
