The Hawk (Highland Guard #2)(70)

But damn if it wasn’t worth it. He’d gotten more pleasure from her hand than he’d experienced in a long time.

But the pleasure was becoming too complicated.

He sure as hell hoped he’d discouraged her romantic wanderings. Pirate or nay, he was an outlaw and in no position to offer her anything more, even if he wanted to—which he didn’t.

He’d only been joking about keeping her. The twinge he’d felt at her quick refusal had been pride, that’s all.

He watched as she finished adjusting her clothing. If her averted face was any indication, she’d gotten the warning.

They started to walk to the door of the barn, and he felt the strange pressure growing in his chest again. The overwhelming—maddening—urge to make her happy.

She reached for the handle. Let her go. It’s better this way.

“Wait!” he blurted.

She turned around slowly, her small face tilted to the side in question.

His heart thumped in uneven beats. He didn’t know what to say. But that couldn’t be. He was never at a loss for words.

She stared at him expectantly. He wanted to drag his hands through his hair and shuffle his feet. Finally, he was saved from further awkwardness when something caught his eye. He reached out and plucked a piece of straw from her hair, holding it up for her perusal. “You might have trouble explaining this.”

Heat warmed her cheeks. He didn’t think he’d ever seen a woman who blushed more adorably. “Thank you,” she said.

They stared at each other for a long moment before he finally broke the connection. “You should go first.”

She nodded and started through the door, but turned suddenly. “Will I see you tonight?”

He knew he should stay away from her—that it would make leaving easier—but he found himself nodding.

She smiled, and the warmth of it spread over him in a gentle embrace. It was the craziest thing. It almost seemed that he could feel her emotions as clearly as his own. As if her happiness were more important than his.

He watched her make her way across the yard and waited until she’d disappeared inside the house before leaving the barn himself.

He was nearly to the edge of the cliff, at the top of the path that led to the beach, when he heard someone behind him. From the angry stomp, he guessed who it was even before he turned around.

Hawk eyed the florid-faced young knight, who’d donned full armor for the first time since falling ill. Randolph’s mail had apparently weathered the sea better than he had; it was as bright and shiny as a new piece of silver. Randolph, on the other hand, had lost quite a bit of weight, and even the small exertion of walking fast seemed to have tired him. He was breathing hard, and sweat had gathered on his brow.

“It’s good to see you up and about, Randolph.”

It said something for Randolph’s mood that the diminutive didn’t even get a rise out of him.

“By the rood!” the young knight exclaimed, appropriating his uncle’s favorite oath. “What do you think you are doing?”

“Returning to camp. Care to join me?”

Despite his youth, there was something formidable to Randolph. In the square set of his shoulders, the hard glint in his eye, and the stubborn line of his jaw, Erik could see the steely shadow of the man he would become. If he could lose some of his priggish arrogance, he just might make one hell of a warrior—for a Lowlander.

“You know very well that’s not what I meant. What are you doing with Ellie?”

Erik’s face hardened dangerously. He felt a rare flash of temper. Randolph electing himself Ellie’s protector and riding in like some knight-errant annoyed the hell out of him. Ellie was his. His responsibility, he added hastily. “It’s none of your concern.”

“It is, if you are dishonoring her. I saw her come out of the barn. What are you thinking? We stole her from her home. There might not have been any other choice, but the least we can do is bring her back safely.”

Erik bit back his rising fury. “I will.”

“Without ruining her. What you are doing is wrong, and I will not be a part of it.”

Erik’s eyes narrowed, not liking being taken to task by a pompous, uptight youth who’d barely had time to dull the shine off his spurs. “Why suddenly all the knightly bravado? I’ve been with women before, and it’s never seemed to bother you.”

“Ellie isn’t like the type of women you usually pursue. She’s different. She’s a lady.”

Erik flinched, every instinct rejecting Randolph’s words. She wasn’t different. Not really. He liked to spend time with her because it was fun to fluster her. If his desire for her seemed intense, it was only because of the circumstances. He was having a little fun, that was all. “She’s a twenty-four-year-old unattached nursemaid, capable of making her own decisions.”

Hell, he was doing her a favor.

“She’s an innocent maid and you are taking advantage of her,” Randolph countered. “This isn’t like you, Hawk.”

Erik’s fists clenched, wanting to lash out at Randolph for making him acknowledge what he was trying to ignore.

He forced his anger to cool and flashed a careless grin. “You’re making too much out of this, Tommy. I’m only having a wee bit of fun, that’s all. It’s nothing serious. The lass will be returned in the same state that she arrived.”