Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
His smile vanished. “What’s wrong?”
“You feel too good inside me. Don’t leave me yet.”
Knox’s smile returned as he shook his head. “You are unique, wife.”
She frowned. “Is that good or bad?”
“It’s excellent,” he said and kissed her gently.
She smiled content. “That was so much more than,” —she sighed— “I can’t even find the word to describe it.” She kissed him. “Just know I want to make love with you often.”
“I’m at your service, wife,” he said and slipped off her onto his back.
She quickly cuddled against him, his arm hurrying to secure her there.
“You do know there are consequences with coupling frequently, don’t you?” he asked.
She gasped. “I should have thought to ask Mave about what she gave my mum to keep her from having more bairns.”
“It might be wise, at least until you are free of danger, and we can start our life together without concern.”
“Do you really think that’s possible?” she asked, bringing her arm to rest across his waist and holding onto him as if she would never let him go.
Knox liked the way she touched him, held onto him. It made him feel wanted for the first time—since forever.
“I intend to make it happen.”
She shivered as if Fate had spoken, and it was done.
He moved to sit up.
Her hand to his chest stopped him. “Where are you going?”
“To reach for the blanket. You shivered. You’re cold.”
“Hurry, I need your warmth more than the blanket’s.”
And he did, pulling it over them and easing her back into his arms.
Dru’s head rested comfortably on his chest and she tilted it back to look at him, a serious expression on her face. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew who I was?”
“I hoped you would trust me enough to tell me yourself since that meant you thought well of me, had confidence in me, believed I was an honorable man.”
“I knew that as soon as we met. Another man with no honor would have thrown me down on the ground once out of the lake and had his way with me. Your concern was for me, not yourself. Only an honorable man would do that. And that you agreed to wed me was another good indication of moral character. Even though you had an ulterior motive, you struck a fair bargain with me.”
“Things began to get more complicated once I started questioning my feelings for you. I wasn’t even sure what I was feeling since love was so foreign to me—though not anymore,” he said with a playful poke to her side.
“So, what you’re saying is that you couldn’t resist my beauty and lovely nature.”
“Beauty, aye,” he said with a nod, then shook his head. “Lovely nature is debatable.”
She jabbed at his chest and grimaced, doing more damage to her finger than his hard chest.
He grabbed it and kissed it. “I am sure there is a lovely nature in you somewhere. Maybe it resides with Autumn since Dru had the difficult task of surviving.”
She sighed. “Autumn is a bit more cultured, more able to hold her tongue.”
His eyes widened. “Are you sure about that?” He kept hold of her finger when she went to poke him again. “You’ll just hurt yourself again.”
She sighed more heavily this time. “To be honest, I don’t even know if Autumn exists any longer. She’s been hidden away so long.”
He kissed her finger again. “She’ll be free soon enough.” Seeing how talk of Autumn soured the moment, he asked. “So, you put something in my food to knock me out.”
She grinned wide. “It didn’t seem to keep you out long. You caught up with me.”
“Thanks to Star. She got me to you fast once I realized you left me, which you will never do again,” he ordered sternly.
She shook her head. “Never. Never will I ever willing leave you again.”
His arm tightened around her. “As I told you. I will always find you no matter what.”
“You don’t know how much that truly means to me, husband, or how appreciative I am of knowing that you will always be there for me, and I will always be there for you.”
“Then we will have a good life together, Dru. I’ll make sure of it.”
“We both will,” she said and went to kiss him when her stomach grumbled.
He laughed. “You’re hungry and there is a hot kale and cabbage stew waiting for us.”
Dru licked her lips. “I am going to hug Mave next time we see her.”
“You know this is her home?” he asked as they both slipped out of bed and dressed, though Dru only pulled on her shirt that fell past her knees and Knox wore his plaid, leaving his chest bare.
They fell easily into each other’s arms as they left the room, and the familiar comfort touched Knox’s heart.
“It was easy to piece together once you look around,” Dru said and struggled to reach two bowls off a shelf.