Page 30 of Ensnaring the Dove
Neither of them spoke, and after a few moments, the tension in Aedan’s body eased—as did the hard press against her. He’d built the fire up before retiring for the night, and the heat washed over them both.
Colombia was still overly hot, yet her shivering slowly subsided.
Despite that she’d told herself she wouldn’t be able to relax in Aedan’s arms, her eyelids started to grow heavy. She melted into the safety of his embrace, giving herself up to exhaustion.
And as she drifted off to sleep, a sense of belonging—one that had eluded Colombia her whole life—stole upon her.
Colombia stirred awake to find sunlight streaming onto her face.
The embers of the previous night’s fire smoked in the hearth, yet she no longer felt the warm strength of Aedan’s body curled into her back.
Instead, her companion was already up.
Aedan was sitting on the other side of the fire, sharpening the blade of his dagger on a smooth stone.
He glanced her way as she struggled up into a sitting position, and Colombia noted the dark smudges under his eyes, the tension on his face. The man looked tired, and she wondered if he’d slept badly overnight.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
Colombia took a moment to consider his question. Unlike the night before, her joints didn’t ache, and a fever no longer bathed her skin. The chill had abated. “Much better,” she murmured, favoring him with a shy smile. “Thanks to you.”
He smiled back, although there was a brittleness to the expression. “I didn’t do much.”
“You kept me warm.”
Colombia rose stiffly to her feet and moved out from under the ledge, peering out at the morning. Thankfully, the foul weather had ceased. The world around her glistened with moisture, and the air was fresh and sweet—a unique smell that only appeared after rain.
Heaving in a lungful of air, Colombia closed her eyes and gave a long, languid stretch, easing her joints.
What a relief it was to feel herself again. She’d been worried the fever would worsen and that Aedan would be stuck with a sick woman. This wasn’t the place to get ill; they were far from a physician out here. And she didn’t want him to have to carry her to Onnum.
Onnum. Nerves tightened her belly then, shattering the moment. Gods, her destination was drawing ever closer, and self-doubt was creeping back in.What if Linus doesn’t want me to join him?
When she opened her eyes, she found that Aedan had cast aside his knife and stood up. He was standing just a couple of feet from her, his gaze upon her.
And the look on his face made Colombia’s breathing catch.
It was a naked blend of hunger and longing, and her heart started pounding in response.
No one had ever looked at her like that—not even Linus on the day they’d said their farewells before he departed Italia for the northern frontier.
It was a look that made the world shrink to this spot, this moment. It made Colombia forget her worries about survival, and her gathering dread at how her betrothed, and her father, would respond when she arrived at the Wall.
All that mattered was the awareness that now crackled between them.
Wordlessly, Aedan moved closer. “I’m relieved you are better,” he said softly, although the hoarseness to his voice made Colombia suppress a shiver. “You had me worried.”
“Did I?” She tried to smile, to lighten the mood between them, yet her face muscles wouldn’t cooperate. All she could do was hold Aedan’s gaze as his hand rose to her cheek, and his fingertips traced a gentle path down to her jaw.
Colombia started to tremble, yet it wasn’t a fever that had her in its grip now, but wanting.
And when the pad of his thumb skimmed across her lower lip, she swayed toward him.
XIII. I HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN
AEDAN BENT HIS head, his lips brushing Colombia’s.
Curse him, he knew he shouldn’t be doing this. There were a hundred reasons why he should keep his distance from this woman, but at this moment, all of them had scattered like leaves in the wind.