To Marry A Scottish Laird by Lynsay Sands Page A

long journey indeed, she thought grimly as her gaze dropped to his naked legs below the plaid. There was no way she was going to resist him. She may as well just give in and enjoy him while she had the chance. Joan was pretty sure no other man would stir her as he did. Cam would probably be the only lover she ever had, a fond memory to keep her warm on countless cold nights. She may as well make as many memories as she could, she reasoned.
    “If ye do no’ stop looking at me like that, lass, ye’re likely to bring on something ye do no’ want,” Cam warned suddenly, turning to eye her with his hands on his hips in a manner that suggested he was annoyed.
    “Mayhap I’m wantin’ to start something,” Joan said quietly.
    Cam stilled briefly and then tilted his head, confusion playing on his face. “Did we no’ just agree we’d try to behave?”
    “Aye,” she said and then shrugged helplessly. “But I don’t want to. That’s why I was leaving, because I knew so long as I was with you I’d want you. And it just seems to me we aren’t likely to succeed at behaving, at least not for more than a day or two. Then we’ll give in to it, but we’ll have wasted those two days, so why bother? Besides, ’tis not as if you can put the eggs back in the shell once you’ve cracked them.”
    “Eggs?” he asked blankly, and she clarified.
    “My innocence is gone, and I can’t get it back. Denying ourselves will not change that. ’Tis a long journey and—”
    That was as far as she got before Cam closed the distance between them and drew her into his arms. Joan went willingly with only a pinch of regret and self-recrimination. There would be much more of that at the journey’s end she was sure, but for now, her conscience was content to wait.
    “ W AKE UP, LASS. W E’RE IN S COTLAND.”
    Joan blinked her eyes open and peered sleepily around, confused at first as to where she was. But then she realized she was sleeping in Cam’s lap on his horse. She’d obviously dozed off and shortly after they’d set out, from what she could tell. At least she didn’t recall being awake for long after they’d broken camp and set out. Joan wasn’t terribly surprised that she had, they’d been up most of the night as Cam had taught her several ways to find the release he gave her.
    “I’m sorry,” she murmured, straightening in front of him.
    “Fer what?” he asked with surprise.
    “For falling asleep on you,” Joan explained. “You must be tired too after last night.”
    “I slept all day yesterday,” Cam reminded her gently. “I am fine. And ye’ve naught to apologize for. Ye need yer rest. In fact, I only woke ye because there is an inn just around the bend that I was thinking we could stop at fer the nooning meal.”
    “Oh,” Joan said with surprise and smiled. “That sounds nice.”
    “Aye. I thought so,” he said with amusement and urged his mount to move faster now that she was awake.
    The inn they stopped at was a pretty little building that sat all by itself on the side of the road. There must be a village or town nearby, but Joan had no idea where it was. She couldn’t see any other buildings about. Cam left his horse with a stable boy who ran out to greet them, then ushered Joan inside. The door led into a good sized great room lined with rows of trestle tables and a stairwell leading upstairs where she was sure there would be bedchambers to rent. The great room was empty when they first entered, and Cam was seating Joan at one of the benches that ran the length of the table when a door at the back of the room opened and a big bellied man with a wide smile stepped out to join them.
    “Good day, good day, sirs, and what can I get fer ye on this fine day?” the man said cheerfully as he bustled over to them.
    “Ale fer myself,” Cam said.
    “And fer the lad?” the man asked when he hesitated and glanced to Joan in question.
    “The same,” she said, trying for a deeper voice than her own. It