The Bold Heart (The Highland Heather and Hearts Scottish Romance Series) by Carmen Caine Page B

breathing heavily.
    And then turning on his heel, Ewan approached the door, pausing with his hand poised over the latch. “Let us quit this place afore we are caught,” he said, but his voice had softened.
    It wasn’t an apology but more an unspoken peace offering, and with her anger melting, she stepped out behind him into the afternoon sun.
    They’d scarcely left the alleyway when Ewan suddenly stepped sideways. And curling an arm about her waist, he whirled her back. She fell against him, her soft breasts colliding with his chest, as he pushed her around the corner of a low stone building and back against the wall.
    “Hssst,” his hot breath brushed her cheek as he whispered. “Dinna move.”
    She froze.
    Voices advanced, the voices of English soldiers, and it seemed an eternity before they’d passed.
    Merry held still with her hands upon Ewan’s chest, and then all at once, she was conscious only of the awareness growing between them.
    He seemed to feel it too.  For a moment, his fingers lifted as if to touch her face, but apparently thinking better of it, he let his hand fall to his side instead.
    She felt a small wave of disappointment.
    But then his gaze locked upon hers and she felt herself drown in the intensity of his blue eyes, an intensity that made her shiver.
    It would be so natural to reach up and to kiss him. Already, h er lips were only a hair’s breadth away from his.  She could feel the warmth of his breath on her mouth.  Silently, she begged his lips to cover hers, her heart rioting at his nearness.  Aye, she wanted to kiss him. And she wanted to touch him, every part of him, from his head to his toes.
    He shifted then, and with his lips dangerously close to her own, he whispered, “We should be going now.”
    His voice was low, sending desire rippling through her.
    She didn’t move.
    And neither did he.
    The silence between them lengthened.
    And then slowly, he lowered his head and pressed his lips against her forehead in a chaste kiss, not the hot passionate devouring of the lips she’d wished for.
    He stepped back then, and taking her wrist, returned to the street.
    She blew her bangs out of her face, catching her breath in her disappointment.
    Neither spoke as they left the town, and after each had retrieved their horse, they made their way to the agreed upon meeting place.
    Alec and Lothar were there, waiting by the river with a sack of provisions. And with little more than a brief exchange of greetings and an explanation to Merry that they’d broken into smaller parties to evade the soldiers, they urged their horses north toward Scotland.
    Merry followed, depressed.
    She hadn’t returned the kirtle as she’d planned. It hadn’t been her intention to steal from an innocent soul.  And she’d revealed her secret to Alec.  Aye, she’d also essentially lied to Ewan—or had avoided telling him about her encounter with the English soldiers, anyway. And he hadn’t kissed her as she’d wished.
    Aye, nothing ever went according to plan.
    With darkening thoughts, she trotted behind the others, growing grumpier with each step north.
    The going was difficult.  The roads were muddy from the recent rain, slowing their progress. Tall sloping trees clothed each side of the road, dipping and swaying gently in the wind for mile upon mile. But fortunately, t hey met no one on the road, and as the sun sank on the horizon, they found a grove of rowan trees clustered closely, forming a natural shelter.
    After seeing Diabhul tended, Merry joined the others by the small fire.
    “Eat, lad,” Alec ordered, tossing her a hard loaf of barley bread and a dried fish.
    “Thank ye,” she murmured, tossing her saddle down and sitting upon it.
    He only responded with a grunt.
    For a time, no one spoke, and the crackle of the fire and the occasional call of an owl were the only sounds to be heard.
    Tearing off a large bite of bread, Merry chewed in silence and gradually became aware that she was staring