He shook his head realizing he was growing aroused at just the thought of coupling with Bliss. He turned his attention back to her question.
What had Jaffee been doing at Clan Loudon?
Had he gone to meet and plot with Chieftain Emory? Or had his visit been brought on out of necessity of his injured finger?
“I was thinking,” Bliss said after stepping out of the cottage and walking toward her husband, sitting on the bench at a small table where his axe and sharpening stone waited.
One thing he favored about Bliss was that she did not let his all too often surly way bother her. She kept a pleasant smile on her face more often than not and even though he would turn silent on her, she would talk to him anyway and often draw him into conversation. She truly did have a healing way about her.
She stopped in front of him, and he frowned. “You should wear your cloak. The air is colder today.”
“I will only be a moment. Share yours with me,” she said and set herself in his lap, tucking herself in the crook of his arm and pulling his cloak around her to share as if it was the most natural thing to do.
His arm instinctively circled her waist to keep her steady and her backside safely away from tempting his manhood. Though he had to admit to himself that he favored that she was comfortable enough with him to sit without invitation on his lap. And, of course, his thought had to turn wicked and think of her sitting naked on his lap, something he intended to see happen.
Four more days, just four more days, and Lawler damn well better be on time.
“If Jaffee simply stopped at Clan Loudon to get help with his injured finger, it would still beg the question what had he been doing in the area?”
How was it that she always smelled so good? He would catch the scent of mint on her one day and another day it would be a sweet scent that caught his attention.
“Rannick, are you paying attention?” she asked.
“Aye. Aye,” he said and was glad he recalled her question. “I was thinking the same myself. Why would Jaffee be in the area? Someone had to be looking to hire him.”
“But for what?” she asked, nipping at her lower lip in thought.
Her lip grew plump, and he had the overwhelming urge to nip at it himself and grow it plumper before he kissed her.
“If Jaffee’s intention was to kill the day he attacked you, why hasn’t he tried again? He must know you have returned home by now.”
Rannick chased the wicked, distracting thoughts from his head. “I would assume that since he failed to succeed in his first attempt, the person who hired him no longer has any confidence in him.”
“The reason why others hunt you,” she said.
Try as he might, he could not take his eyes off her lips. The urge to kiss her was tearing at his gut and he feared he would surrender to it. His own words came back to taunt him.
I never surrender.
This just might make a liar out of him.
She licked her lower, plumped lip and a low groan rumbled deep inside him.
“Rannick,” she said softly.
His eyes went to hers and he saw the flare of passion there. She felt the same as he did. She wanted him to kiss her as much as he wanted to kiss her. Seeing his own desire reflected in her eyes made all the difference. He went to claim her lips when the clatter of the wood sticks that he’d hung in the trees reached his ears.
He stood, his arm strong around her, grabbed his axe with his other hand, and rushed her to the cottage. “Secure the plank across the door and open it only for me.” He shoved her inside.
He shut the door on her, but she did not fasten the plank. She had to know if more than two men had come for him. If so, he would need help. She did not want to take a chance and open the door in case she had to secure the plank. She pressed her ear to where the door met the frame and felt the cold air seep through it and waited.
“Surrender and we will give you a swift and painless death,” a man yelled.
“You cannot take down five of us,” another cried out.
Bliss’s eyes shut with fear for a moment. Five. He could not defend against five warriors. And only one needed to get past him to reach her. She spotted Rannick’s sword but knew it was not only too heavy for her to wield, but she had no skill with the weapon. She had little skill with any weapon, especially against adept warriors.