Page 25 of Love Me Forever (Highland Duo #2)

She shook her head. Love made fools of people.

Or was it the need to love and be loved that made people foolish?

She had actually believed that Royce truly loved her.

He had been kind and caring. But then, what else could he have been to her?

She had been injured and needed care. But it was a kind and caring soul that tended the injured.

He could have left her to her own fate, not given a thought to her well-being.

But he had not; he had carried her back to his cottage and had tenderly cared for her in every way.

She shook her head again. None of this made sense, and the more she attempted to make sense of it, the more confused she became.

Remember.

That word echoed in her head and forced her to remember how gentle and loving he had been with her.

Could all of that have been lies?

A heavy sigh escaped her. She did not want to think that he did not truly love her. She wanted him to love her as much as she loved him. They had been so happy together alone in the cottage. But then, she had not known the truth about him.

Would it have made a difference?

And had she not learned about him during that time? Had she not come to truly know him and not the legend? If she had known him to be the legendary warrior Royce Campbell, how, then, would she have reacted to him?

She grew tired of the confusion and the endless questions, and she hurt desperately from the thought that she would never feel his arms around her again. She had found a comfort and safety in his arms that she had never felt before, and she longed for his arms at this moment.

“You should be in bed,” Royce whispered from behind her before his arms circled her waist.

“You should not be here.” She tried to sound annoyed that he intruded on her privacy, but she was not. She was glad for his presence.

“Aye, you are right,” he agreed with a slow and lazy kiss to her neck. “You should be with me in my bed.”

She silently reprimanded herself for smiling at his suggestion.

“You do not deny that you want to be there as much as I want you there?”

Her body was beginning to respond to his kisses, and if she were not careful, she would surrender without a thought or a care. “I cannot deny the truth, can you?”

His lips traveled up her neck to rest near her ear. “I cannot and I have spoken it to you.”

She feared the answer she might hear but asked her question. “Have you always spoken the truth to me?”

He was quick to respond. “I have not lied to you, Brianna. I love you, and as crazy as I may sound, I feel as if I grow to love you more each day. Believe me, Brianna, please.”

She wanted to believe him. The aching plea in his voice told her to believe him, and her body trembled with the need for her to believe him.

He felt her slight tremble and tightened his hold on her waist, forcing her body to relax against his. “Does your back pain you?”

She was honest in her answer. “A little.”

“You should be in bed.”

“I could not sleep, and I grew cold beneath the covers.”

“Because I was not there to warm you.” He nibbled at her ear.

She tried to ignore the rush of heat that raced over her, but it felt entirely too good to disregard. “You did keep me warm.”

“Let me keep you warm again.”

She attempted to be annoyed with him. “You have no right to be here.”

“I have every right. You are mine.”

“I belong to no one,” she argued.

“Nay, we belong to each other, and that you cannot deny, for you know it in your heart—and soul.”

It was difficult to fight the truth, and that was what she wanted from him—the truth. “Why did you not tell me?”

“It would have served no purpose. You would have been frightened of me.”

“I was frightened of you when I first laid eyes on you.”

He kissed her cheek. “You were frightened of my scarred face and learned soon enough you need not fear the man. I am that man.”

She shook her head, disagreeing. “I know not who you are.”

“Aye, you do know who I am, but you stubbornly wish to ignore it.”

“You are not who I thought.”

“I am who you thought me to be—only there is more to me.”

“More that makes me question,” she said softly. “You seek battle more than you seek peace.”

“Not by choice.”

“I thought you a warrior who could finally find peace with me and that we could live a simple life.” She sounded as if her dreams had been destroyed.

“I have found peace with you.”

“How long will that peace last before you go off to fight and conquer?”

“As long as I have you, that peace will always be in my heart.”

She winced at the sharp pain that stabbed at her back and allowed all her weight to fall against him.

He asked no permission and gave his action no thought—he simply scooped her up into his strong arms and carried her to bed. He gently placed her down and tucked the covers around her.

She thought he would take his leave but instead he hastily disrobed, and she was about to object when she stopped herself. She did not want him to leave. She wanted his warm body next to hers, though she did not seek to make love with him. She simply wanted him there beside her.

He slipped beneath the blankets and moved up against her. “This night shift is not necessary. I will keep you warm.” He had it off her in seconds and had her against him, the heat of his body seeping into her cool flesh and toasting her body to gentle and satisfying warmth.

She closed her eyes and thought of them alone in the cottage and so very much in love. There was just the two of them. The outside world did not exist.

Royce held her close and stroked her back, her head resting on his chest. “Rest,” he whispered.

Her eyes fluttered closed.

He whispered once more as she drifted to sleep, “Remember.”