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“Promise,” she asked, upset over the thought that he might not return.

“I promise,” he said and kissed her gently, at first.

Shade wouldn’t let his lips leave hers, she kept the kiss alive, and it grew. His arm tightened around her pressing her so tightly against him that it squeezed the rainwater out of their garments to pool at their feet. Her arms went around his neck holding on to him, not wanting to let him go, not ever.

He reluctantly ended the kiss, wishing he had time to linger in it since he knew it would be more than a kiss they shared tonight, and he let her know that.

“We both want more, Shade, but it’s your decision. Kiss me upon my return and the night will be one to remember and many nights to follow until I must take my leave.”

He turned and left so fast that she had no time to respond, not that she had a response for him. She went to the door and latched it firmly. He was being honest with her. Lettingher know he would not be staying with her permanently. The decision would not be an easy one. She realized she cared deeply for Quint and was probably on the verge of falling in love with him if she hadn’t already. She did not want to give that thought much credence since it would be that more difficult to bid him goodbye. Did she accept what he offered her? Or did she deny him and herself since it would only be for a short while?

She rested her brow against the door, not knowing what to do.

Quint stoodwith his head tilted back letting the rain pour over him. How did he go to Shade after what he just did? He brought his hands up as he lowered his head to look at them. The rain had washed the stains of blood off him but that hadn’t cleansed him. He didn’t regret what he did. Shade was safe now and he had a piece of informationconcerning his search.

Still, he wondered if he was being fair to her, seeking peace in her arms. That thought and the fact that his desire for her matched that of the desire he once had for his wife left him feeling baffled. He did not think he would ever feel that strongly for a woman again. It made him admit to himself that it wasn’t only passion he felt for Shade but that he cared for her and not simply as a friend. He had found a comfort in her arms that he did not quite understand, and he found himself wanting to explore it. Unfortunately, he had no time to do that.

He shouldn’t worry about anything going on between them tonight. It had taken longer than he had expected to accomplish what needed to be done, and it was late. Shade, no doubt, was asleep and he would not wake her. He removed his shirt as he approached the cottage and his plaid as well, squeezingwhat rainwater he could from both garments before entering the cottage.

His glance went straight to the bed. She was turned on her side away from him, the blanket tucked around her up to her neck. He was relieved and disappointed at the same time. He spread his garments on the bench she left in front of the fire for him, her garments drying on the bench beside it. He removed his boots and grabbed a couple of cloths off the narrow table under the lone window and got busy drying himself. He looked at the spot on the floor where he usually slept. It was a puddle of mud. Shade must have wrung the rainwater out of her garments there.

He stared at the mud. Had she wrung her garments out there on purpose, leaving him no alternative but to share her bed? Or had she been so exhausted she hadn’t realized what she did? It didn’t matter since his only place to sleep was beside her and he couldn’t say he minded.

He waited until his body was completely dry and his hair nearly dry before he approached the bed. He lifted the blanket just enough for him to gently slip beneath it and while the bed was a decent size it didn’t allow two peoples’ bodies not to touch. His arm grazed her back and he realized she was naked.

She turned and looked at him with eyes that held no sleep. She had been waiting for him.

“I can offer you no promises, Shade, but I can say that I care deeply for you,” he admitted. “You bring a comfort to my soul that I have long missed.”

“I’m not asking for any promises and my decision came easily since I have grown not only to know you but to care for you as well. I understand you will leave but I prefer your departure leaves me with pleasant memories rather than bitter regrets.”

Quint turned on his side to run his hand slowly over her cheek. “You are a beautiful woman, Shade, in far more ways than simply appearance.”

His kind words touched her heart and helped her to know she had made the right decision. “You should know, Quint, that I have never been with a man.”

He couldn’t hide his surprise. “You’re a virgin?”

She nodded. “I never met the right man or had the time to find one. Any man that showed interest, I found no interest in. Some thought me too fussy, others believed my healing was more important and I cannot argue with that, for at times that was so.”

Quint heard all she said but only part of it echoed in his mind…I never met the right man, and he asked, “You believe me to be the right man?”

Shade brushed a strand of hair off his brow. “Nay. This moment, I believe you are the perfect man.”

“Then we will make a good match, for I believe you to be the perfect woman.” He took hold of her chin as he leaned in and kissed her.

His kiss sparked and fired her passion that had been anticipating his return. She wanted or perhaps she needed to feel wanted, desired, loved, if only for a short while. She returned his kiss without hesitation and with the passion that had been building in her.

When his kiss drifted to her neck and his hand drifted to squeeze her breast gently, she felt a surge of passion rush through her body that made her feel more alive than she ever had. And when his tongue teased her nipple, she turned wet between her legs.

Quint’s desire overwhelmed him so fast that he turned hard in an instant. He could blame it on not having been with a woman in a while, but he knew better. It was his desire for Shade, and Shade alone, that overwhelmed him. He wanted to explore every inch of her, touch every inch of her, come to know every inch of her, leave his mark on every inch of her, claimingher as his woman. But how fair would that be to her when he left her?

The thought of leaving her, never seeing her again, never holding her in his arms angered him and made him want to leave his mark on her even more, so that she would never think about, or never desire another man but him ever again.

He soon found himself lost in intimate touches and kisses and the satisfaction of finally learning that her skin was soft all over. He did not want to ever stop running his hand over her, exploring the way her breast overflowed in his hand, how rosy and hard her nipple turned against his tongue. How soft the curve of her hips was, the flatness of her stomach, or how soft was the triangle of hair between her legs. To him, she was complete perfection.

“I want to touch you,” she said on a gasp as his fingers slipped between her legs.

“Another time. I have thought too long and hard on exploring you intimately and I will let nothing interfere with it.”