She let herself cry for the love she finally found and the curse that would rob her of seeing what might come of it.
Rannick walked around to the side of the cottage trying to rid himself of the passion that had his shaft so hard it ached something awful. Never had he the intense desire to bed a woman as he did Bliss. At one point he had feared losing control and slipping into her. The thought alone grew him harder. How did he return to her naked in bed when he wanted her so badly?
What troubled him even more was that it wasn’t only his shaft that ached for her, it was his heart. He loved taking her in his arms and holding her close, feeling her warmth and the gentle way she would snuggle against him as if she wanted to be there, enjoyed his embrace. And he wanted her there, ached for her to be there. It had become more and more second nature to him to hold her in his arms, or to catch hold of her hand and cherish the feel of her fingers closing around his.
He had never given much thought to holding a woman’s hand, since he rarely had, there had been no reason to. It was more an intimate act shared by a husband and wife. He could understand why now. When their hands joined, it felt to him as if they were one and that nothing could separate them.
“Damn,” he whispered. He was falling in love with his wife. He almost laughed. Who was he kidding? He had already fallen in love with her. How and when he couldn’t say, and it made no difference. Love had gotten hold of him, and it wasn’t going away, and he didn’t want it to. But what of Bliss? Could she ever love him?
He shook his head. Why was he being so foolish? He was thinking of love when he had the curse to contend with. Loving his wife only made the whole situation worse. He couldn’t love her. He wouldn’t love her. Love had no place in their marriage. He would ignore it, give it not a moment’s thought and it would die as all things did when left untended.
“It is for the best,” he said, glad he had taken command of the problem, and with his ardor faded, he returned to the cottage.
He disrobed, dropping his plaid on the bench and, seeing his wife turned on her side away from him, was ready to slip in beside her and take her in his arms.
He heard her sniffle as he got into bed, and she sniffled again as he inched closer to her. He lay quiet a moment, not touching her, simply listening and it did not take long for him to realize she was crying.
He did not hesitate. His hands were at her waist, turning her to face him, fearing he had somehow hurt her. “What is wrong, Bliss?”
She almost smiled hearing the concern in his demanding tone. He cared how she felt and that touched her heart. But how foolish it would be of her to tell him she believed she loved him. Instead, she found a truth she could speak.
“All that has happened has taken its toll,” she said with a sniffle. “I could contain the tears no more.”
Rannick eased her snug against him, and her arm went around his waist and her head to rest on his shoulder as her body relaxed against his. His body relaxed as well with her there in his arms where she belonged and where he intended to keep her.
Bliss kept her arm snug around him as if her meager hold on him could keep him there and she sniffled away the last of her tears before she said, “We stay together.”
Damn but the woman could squeeze at his heart. “Aye, wife, we stay together.”
Soon after, Bliss fell asleep, not so Rannick. His mind was much too busy to sleep. His thoughts were on all that needed to be done if he was to keep his wife safe from those trying to kill her as well as him. The keep would make that easier to do. The curse was another matter.
How did he keep her safe from that?
CHAPTER 16
Bliss stepped out of the cottage the next day and seeing her husband standing and glancing off into the woods, went to him. “You have been silent, dwelling in thought since you woke and all through the meal. What troubles your mind?”
“Keeping you safe, since you foolishly wed me,” he said.
“You could send me to a convent,” she said teasingly.
“I would if I thought it would save you,” he snapped, though there was no way that would ever happen. They would remain together just as he had told her last night and just as he expected, she reminded him.