“Someone could stumble on us at any moment,” she said quite seriously.
“Hmmm. Shall we give them something to see?”
“Such as?”
“A couple of sublimely happy, totally nude wood-spirits.”
She pulled her plaid close about her. “It’s awfully cold, don’t you think?” she said coyly.
“I’ll wager we can find a way to get warm. In fact, it makes a great deal of sense to combine our warmth.”
“In that case—” She launched herself from the ground and jumped on him.
Stephen gave a gasp of surprise, then laughed. “I think I should have brought you to the MacGregor’s land before.”
“Quiet, Englishman!” she commanded as she lowered her head and began to kiss him.
Neither of them seemed to remember that they were perched on the side of a very steep ridge. Their passion, intensified by the danger of their predicament, made them oblivious to even more immediate dangers.
Bronwyn was the first one to lose her footing. She’d just moved to Stephen’s side, slipped her skirt off while he removed his clothing, when the next instant she was rolling down the side of the hill.
Stephen made a grab for her, but his senses were dulled by his passion and he missed her. But he’d extended himself too far and tumbled down just after her.
They landed together in a tangle of nude, moonlit skin and a flurry of leaves.
“Are you all right?” Stephen asked.
“I will be as soon as you get off me. You’re breaking my leg.”
Instead of moving off her, he moved his body m
ore fully onto her. “You never complained before that I was too heavy for you,” he said as he began to nibble her ear.
She smiled as she closed her eyes. “There are times when you don’t weigh much at all.”
He moved his lips to her throat.
Suddenly something enormous and heavy landed smack on Stephen’s back. He collapsed onto Bronwyn for a moment, then quickly lifted himself with his arms, protecting her. “What the hell!”
“Rab!” Bronwyn said, then squirmed out from under Stephen. “Oh, Rab,” she said with great, deep joy. “Rab, sweet Rab.” She buried her face in the dog’s coarse fur.
Stephen sat back on his heels. “That’s all I needed,” he said sarcastically. “As if my back weren’t sore enough already.”
Rab moved away from Bronwyn to leap at Stephen. In spite of his words Stephen hugged the big dog while it licked his face and tried to smother him with affection.
“Now, aren’t you ashamed,” Bronwyn laughed. “He loves you and is quite glad to see you.”
“I wish he’d paid more attention to my loving. Down, Rab! You’re going to drown me. Here, boy, fetch.” Stephen threw an imaginary stick, and the dog happily ran after it.
“That was terrible! You know he’ll spend hours looking for it. He so wants to please.”
Stephen reached out and grabbed her wrist. “I hope he spends the rest of the night. Do you know how delicious you look in the moonlight?”
She looked at him, his broad chest, his shoulders. “You’re not exactly an unpleasant sight yourself.”
He pulled her to him. “You keep this up and I may never return you to Larenston. Now where were we?”
“Your back was killing you and—”