Chapter 28

28

H unter stood in the Great Hall long after Erica had fled, the echo of her footsteps still reverberating in his mind. The fire crackled in the hearth, its warmth doing little to thaw the icy knot forming in his chest. He stared into the flames, his fists clenched at his sides.

She wants to leave?

The words replayed in his head, and every time they did, they cut deeper.

Hunter had faced countless battles, but this felt like losing a war he hadn’t even realized he was fighting.

“Me Laird?” Calvin’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. The man-at-arms stood by the door, his expression hesitant. “Is everythin’ all right?”

Hunter sighed heavily. “Nay, Calvin. Nothin’ is all right.”

Later that evening, after much pacing and thinking, He found himself standing outside the door to Erica’s chamber. His hand hovered over the handle for a moment before he turned it quietly and stepped inside.

The sight of her broke something in him. She was curled up on top of the blankets, still fully dressed, her tear-streaked face pressed into her pillow. Her shoulders rose and fell with the steady rhythm of sleep, but even in rest, her brow was furrowed, her lips slightly parted as though caught in an unresolved argument.

Hunter set down the small basin of warm water he’d brought on the table and moved to the fireplace. He added wood to the embers, coaxing the flames back to life. Once the room was warmer, he fetched the small tub from the corner and began to draw a bath. His movements were deliberate, his mind focusing on the task rather than the storm raging within him.

When the bath was ready, he crossed to the bed and crouched down. “Erica,” he said softly, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. “Wake up, lass.”

Erica stirred, her eyes fluttering open, and then she blinked up at him in confusion. “Hunter?”

“Ye’ve had a rough night,” he murmured. “I’ve drawn ye a bath. Let me help ye.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she sat up slowly, wincing as though the weight of the day still clung to her. “I can manage.”

Hunter shook his head. “Let me take care of ye. Please.”

Too exhausted to argue, Erica nodded.

He helped her to her feet and guided her to the tub. She hesitated for a moment before allowing him to help her out of her clothes. Though they had been intimate before, there was a new vulnerability in the way she stood before him now, her eyes flicking to his as if seeking reassurance.

Hunter’s touch was gentle as he helped her into the warm water. He knelt beside the tub, washing away the remnants of the night’s ordeal with slow, deliberate movements.

Neither of them spoke, the silence broken only by the sound of the water and the crackling fire.

When she was clean and warm, Hunter helped her into a fresh nightgown and tucked her under the blankets.

“Stay,” she whispered as he moved to leave. “Just for one last night.”

The ache in her voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned to look at her, his resolve crumbling.

How could she think that I’d let her go?

“All right,” he agreed softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. “But nae because it’s the last night, Erica. I have nay intention of lettin’ ye go.”

Her eyes widened, but she said nothing, simply watching him as though waiting for him to continue.

“Ye are blamin’ yerself for everythin’ that happened,” Hunter sighed. “But ye arenae to blame for James’s madness. I dinnae care what I said before—I was wrong.”

Erica sat up, her hands clutching the blanket. “How can ye say that? He came here because of me. Lily was taken because of me. Kara?—”

“Kara made her own choices,” Hunter interrupted, his voice gentle but unwavering. “She was manipulated, aye, but that doesnae mean ye are to blame. And as for James, he would have found an excuse to harm ye nay matter what. His obsession wasnae yer fault.”

Tears welled up in her eyes again, and she looked down at her hands. “I feel like I’ve brought nothin’ but trouble to ye and Lily. I think it would be better if I left?—”

“Stop,” Hunter said. He cupped her face, tilting her chin up so she had no choice but to look him right in the eyes. “Ye arenae goin’ anywhere, Erica. Nae because I’m holdin’ ye here, but because I love ye.”

Her breath hitched in her throat, and she stared at him, her green eyes wide with shock. “Ye… ye love me?”

“Aye,” he murmured, his voice softening. “I do. I fought it for a long time, told meself I didnae deserve to feel this way after everythin’ I’d lost. But then ye came into me life and turned everythin’ upside down in the best possible ways. Ye make me want to be a better man, Erica. And I’m nae lettin’ ye go.”

Tears spilled down her cheeks, but a small smile broke through her sadness. “I love ye too, Hunter. I think I’ve loved ye for longer than I even realized.”

He leaned in, taking her lips in a kiss so tender it made his heart ache. She kissed him back, her hands reaching up to tangle in his hair. The kiss deepened, growing more passionate as the barriers between them dissolved.

Hunter pulled her into his arms, cradling her against him as they sank back onto the bed. The world outside ceased to exist, and for the first time in weeks, there was no tension, no fear—only the undeniable connection between them.

Their movements were unhurried, each touch and kiss filled with reverence and affection. Hunter whispered words of love against her skin, his hands tracing her curves as though committing them to memory. Erica responded in kind, her soft sighs and murmured confessions weaving a tapestry of intimacy that bound them together tighter than ever before.

As they lay together afterward, her head resting on his chest and his fingers tangled in her hair, Hunter felt a sense of peace he hadn’t known in years.

“I’ll forgive Kara,” he said suddenly, his voice breaking the comfortable silence.

Erica lifted her head to look at him, her eyes searching his. “Ye will?”

“I will,” he confirmed. “Nae just because ye asked me to, but because I see now that holdin’ onto anger willnae help anyone. She deserves a second chance, just as I’ve been given one.”

Tears filled Erica’s eyes again, but this time, they were tears of gratitude and relief. She kissed him, her lips soft and lingering against his. “Thank ye, Hunter, for everythin’.”

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. “Nay, me heart. Thank ye for savin’ me when I didnae ken I needed savin’.”

His lips found hers again in the soft firelight, their bond strengthened by the love they had for each other. The kiss felt like an explosion between them. Tired limbs, sore muscles, and stiff joints came second to their need to be closer to each other.

Erica nearly tore off Hunter’s clothes, her need to feel his bare skin under her hands egging her on. His boyish smirk melted her heart as he gripped her hips and shifted her beneath him, and her arms wrapped around his neck as he positioned himself above her.

“Is this what ye want?”

“I want ye,” she said firmly, sure that everything she could need was right in front of her.

“Och, I ken that enough. I want ye to tell me what it is that ye want.”

Instead of obliging him, she gripped his hand, and Hunter laughed knowingly as a frown creased her brow.

“I want this,” she said, tugging on his hand.

Hunter shifted his weight on his other arm to let her pull his hand up.

She maneuvered it between her thighs and looked back up at him. “I want ye to make me forget me name with just this hand, Hunter Buchanan.”

She felt his manhood stiffen against her belly in response.

Hunter rolled his hips forward, and desire shot through her veins.

She dug her nails into his shoulders. “I want to feel ye throbbin’ inside me, stretchin’ me to me limits until I finally fall over the edge ye have put me on. I want ye. I need ye.”

His mouth captured hers. “Very good, Erica Buchanan. I’m happy to oblige. But first…” he said, before slowly crawling down her body, trailing kisses down her torso.

She sighed loudly as his tongue slid into her wet desire.

“But first, I will taste every inch of ye,” he growled possessively, his fingers making quick work of stretching her.

After what seemed like hours later, they lay together beneath the blankets.

Hunter watched Erica, who was fast asleep in his arms, and before he drifted off, he whispered, “Nay matter what the future has in store for us, Erica Buchanan, I will fight for ye, for the life we are buildin’ together, and for our love.”