Chapter 16

16

A rcher did not expect warmth. He enjoyed having her tiny arms around his body and feeling her softness press into him, but he could not let himself stay in that embrace for too long.

"You are not a monster," she whispered when he drew away from her and held her a shoulder length away from his frame. Her eyes softened on his, and he did not know how to handle the onslaught of emotions that clouded his judgement.

"Ye dinnae ken what ye speak of."

"I know monsters, Archer. I lived with one for six years. I know what a vile man is capable of." She reminded him of her scars and the plea in her eyes the day he had seen her back.

Archer fought the questions burning at the back of his mind. His eyes lowered to her lips in a momentary pause. Archer was reminded of her taste, and the urge to kiss her snapped within him like a twig in dry summer.

"My aunt plans a feast to celebrate our weddin', and I hope many Highland clans will be in attendance. We need to show them that we are united, and I need yer brother's help for that."

She nodded, and he was about to speak again when she said, "I shall write Flynn and insist he send our invitations. If the Highland clans are invited to here by him, they will respond."

Archer's heart filled with warmth and gratitude. He could not find the words to express the tenderness filling his heart right then. All he knew was that he was grateful for her understanding.

After a long moment of solemn silence passed, Archer realized they were staring at each other, neither of them willing to look away first.

"Yer back," he whispered, feigning a cough because he sounded hoarse. "How are ye wounds?"

"Quinn has helped me with an ointment for the pain, and it does not hurt anymore," she revealed.

"Thank goodness," Archer gasped. "If ye need anythin' else, ask me, and I shall make sure ye have it. I dinnae want ye to lack anythin' while ye are here, Maeve. Ye are my responsibility now."

He regarded her closely as he spoke, and his heart fluttered again. Archer raked his fingers through his hair. He found himself holding onto the sensations that tunneled through him.

It might be all I will ever get.

He felt the first prickle of the snowflakes drop on his skin and noticed the same on her hair. Without thinking, Archer lifted a hand to brush it away. He patted her hair while he was at it, and his eyes landed on hers again.

"There is one thing you can do for me," she said while holding his gaze. Archer felt his pulse speed up again, and he licked his lips nervously. "Dine with me. I want you to have supper with me and lunch. I want you to…"

"All right," he agreed before she ended her sentence. "It is the least I can do."

Maeve's smiled at him, and the light in her eyes sent a shiver through him. He loved it.

"We should head back to the castle," he announced next because the longer he spent watching her and standing this close to her, the more he forgot his restraints.

It took more effort to ride with her back to the castle and gently help her down from the saddle when they arrived the stables. Maeve walked ahead of him once they dismounted, and she pulled the skirts of her earasaid along with her.

When she twisted her ankle and nearly toppled over, he rushed forward and caught her by the waist. "Be careful," he warned, gently steadying her on her feet. "The grounds are not smooth, and hurryin' away will only make ye fall."

"I am all right," she whispered, sounding breathless and flushed. Archer wondered if it was because she felt the same heat that was coursing through him. It burned through his senses and made it impossible for him to think of anything else but her.

Maeve's scent filled his nostrils. Roses, he thought, inhaling as he dipped his head to one side.

"I…I should get to Quinn," she said, her eyes darting past him.

He hated how uneasy she was around him, but he also understood if she needed to be far from him after all he had told her.

"I dinnae want ye to hurt yerself, so nae runnin' around the castle grounds when ye arenae being chased."

His hands stayed on her waist even though he knew he ought to let her go. Her right hand rested on his chest, and he stared at her slender fingers, admiring them and imagining his linked with hers.

They did not realize Quinn and Lauren approached where they stood near the stables until his aunt's voice bellowed for their attention.

"Archer?" she called. "Maeve? A letter has arrived for ye."

Archer and Maeve sprang apart from each other once she came into view. Both Lauren and Quinn had seen them in their tight embrace already. Archer saw his aunt's smile, and Quinn also muffled a chuckle with her hand.

Mavee cleared her throat and arranged her skirts with both hands.

"Who is the letter from?" she asked, rushing towards Lauren.

"Be careful," Archer called out before he could stop himself. Why do I worry about her all the time?

She snatched the letter from Lauren, and Quinn tugged his aunt away, leaving him alone with Maeve again. Maeve did not move from where she stood as she ripped the letter open and read.

He saw her hands drop limply to her sides a second later and heard her loud intake of air before she mumbled, "Oh heavens…"

The hand holding the letter trembled, and the other flew to her chest. Archer knew something was wrong instantly. He moved to her with quick strides and turned her around to face him.

Maeve had paled. Her eyes sunk deep into their sockets, and he beheld the terrified wide look in her eyes.

"What is it?" he queried, his eyes searching hers briefly before he snatched the letter and read the words for himself.

I miss you, Maeve, and I cannot wait to see you again. I know you'll be delighted to see the surprise I have for you.

Love x.

There was no seal crested into the letter and no name signed on it, so he could not tell who the sender was. Maeve, however, knew very well who sent the letter.

Her color stayed ashen white, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

"Maeve," he called and shook her lightly until she shifted her dazed eyes onto his. "Who is the sender of this letter? Is it Lord Hampton? Maeve…"

She said nothing while he shook her then suddenly, her eyes snapped close, and she mumbled low words.

"I am free…I am free."

Archer pulled her into the warmth of his embrace because he could not think of anything else that would make her feel better right then.

"Ye are safe here," he promised as he patted her hair and stroked her back. "I will protect ye always, and whoever sent this letter willnae lay a hand on ye. Do ye understand? I am here…Ye have naethin' to fear now."

When she finally spoke, his name on her lips was a tantalizing whisper. He lifted his head to stare down at her, and Maeve moved at the same time. She brushed her lips over his with confidence and startled him when her tongue swept over his lips to seek his kiss.

Archer gave into his need for her. His body angled into hers fully, his hands held her tight against him, and he savored every inch of her lips, teasing, nibbling and caressing her mouth with his.

The whimpering breath that left her lips when he gave her only a second to breathe was enough to send him over the edge. Archer could not hold back. His tongue met hers with avid need, and every nerve ending in him fired up with desire.

Her lips were soft. Her embrace was heaven. Her hair fluttered over his face, and her scent enveloped him till he drowned. He tilted his head to deepen the kiss, and she matched his pace with the same appetite to devour.

Their kiss opened the world of his cravings. He imagined kissing more than her lips and inching closer to her feminine spot. Archer trembled from the wave of his longing, and he felt her shaking in his arms too. Her impossibly soft lips never left his even as his hands trailed to the back of her neck, and he held her steady, so he could explore her mouth.

There was no going back now. He knew it was only a matter of time before Maeve would steal the rest of his restraint and make him lose every ounce of control he prided himself on.