Page 90 of The Highlander Steals a Virgin
That was the price of freedom.
That was what he owed her.
Without swaying her decision any more than he might have already had after that night they spent together. He swore not to touch her again to help make the decision easier, but he couldn’t help but question whether or not if it was backfiring.
Should I kiss her? Does she want that? Should I tell her I want her to stay?
Questions coursed through his mind over and over even as they dismounted near the water and let the ponies graze in the grass.
Daisy flopped down beside the loch and started gathering rocks, already muttering to herself about skipping stones and counting splashes.
Amara stayed standing, her gaze fixed on the water. The breeze caught the hem of her cloak and teased her hair loose from the braid.
“She loves it here,” Amara said quietly. “I think she’d sleep in the stables if ye let her.”
“She’s done it,” Rhys said. “More than once.”
They watched Daisy in silence.
Then Amara turned to him.
“Ye’ve given her a good life.”
Rhys shook his head. “I’ve done me best. But she deserves more. A maither. A home that doesnae feel so unstable.”
“This place is more than that,” Amara said. “I dinnae see it at first, but it’s full of loyalty… to ye. And kindness.”
He looked at her. “And what about ye?”
She opened her mouth and closed it again. Her tongue flicked across her lip with uncertainty.
“Ye’ve…”
Rhys swallowed.
“I… I’ve enjoyed me time here, Rhys,” she finally said, quieter than he expected. “I really have.”
But?
Being near her… it was like the ground would tilt out from under him if he made one wrong choice. Like she could unravel every thread he’d spent his life knotting tight for the sake of the clan, and Daisy, and his own sanity.
He reached for her hand without thinking. Held it between both of his.
“I want ye to ken,” he said, voice rough, “whatever ye choose… I’ll respect it.”
She blinked, eyes flicking over his face.
“I just… I daenae ken how I’ll let ye go if that’s what ye choose.”
The wind carried a silence between them. Daisy’s laughter echoed faintly behind.
Amara stepped closer, her fingers curling into his tunic.
“Rhys —”
“Nay,” he said quickly, pulling back slightly. “If this is about that, ye daenae have to say it. Nae yet.”
“Iwantto,” she whispered.
