Devil of the Highlands Page 0,68

surprise as arms slid around her from behind.

Evelinde didn't need to look to see who it was. She recognized the hands that suddenly covered her breasts as well as the way Cullen cupped and kneaded them through the cloth of her chemise.

"I came to ask ye something," Cullen rumbled by her ear.

"Oh?" Evelinde sighed, her eyes closing as she leaned back into him. She covered his hands with hers, squeezing encouragingly as he caressed her.

"Aye, but ye've managed to distract me."

She opened her eyes at that, a breathless laugh slipping through her lips. "I have done nothing."

"Ye were bending over the chest in naught but yer shift," Cullen explained.

"And that distracted you?" Evelinde asked with surprise, tipping her head back to peer at him.

"Oh, aye," Cullen growled, and claimed her lips even as he swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed.

"Wife?"

Evelinde opened her eyes but didn't raise her head from her husband's chest. He had exhausted her with his passion, and she was too spent to bother, so merely tilted her face up to glance at him. "Aye?"

"Tell me about the other day in the woods before I came upon ye."

Evelinde raised an eyebrow at the demand, then shrugged where she lay half on top of him. He was the one who had placed her there, and she had been content to remain. Now that he was talking to her, however, she felt self-conscious about her position and started to shift away to lie beside him, but his hand was suddenly there to stop her. Apparently, he liked her where she was. Relaxing back against him, Evelinde pursed her lips and shrugged.

"What do you wish to know? I got lost, climbed a tree to find the castle, then you came."

"Ye asked if I'd been following ye," he reminded her.

She wrinkled her nose. The events seemed so far away now. They had only been the day before, but so much had happened since then that they seemed a far-off memory, and Evelinde felt foolish about her fear in the woods that day.

"Wife," he growled insistently.

"I thought I heard someone," she admitted slowly. When his eyes sharpened on her, she quickly added, "But 'twas probably just a rabbit or vole."

Cullen was silent, his expression troubled. "And the arrow?"

Her eyebrows rose, but she shrugged." 'Twas probably there from a long time ago, as you suggested."

"Ye did no seem sure of that at the time," he pointed out.

Evelinde glanced away and shrugged. " 'Tis silly really." She paused and blew out an exasperated breath before explaining. "I was climbing the tree when I thought I heard a whiz thunk, and I—"

"A 'whiz thunk'?"

Evelinde chuckled at his confused expression, but explained. "A whizzing sound as if something had gone past me, then a thunk as if it had hit the tree."

When Cullen's eyebrows drew together on his forehead, she rushed on to say, "It was probably a branch or bird's nest dropping past me and hitting the tree on its way down. I was shaking the branches a good bit with my climbing."

His expression did not clear.

Evelinde continued, "Anyway, I instinctively released one of the branches I held to look around and see what I had heard. The branch I stood on chose that moment to snap, and I grabbed for something to hold on to, and once I regained a safe purchase with my feet and peered at what I had grabbed, I saw that it was an arrow." She shrugged and gave an embarrassed smile. "I know 'tis foolish of me, but at the time I thought perhaps that had been the 'whiz thunk' I'd heard."

Noting how solemn and stern her husband's face had become, Evelinde frowned. The man always looked serious, but this was different and was making her nervous. She decided a change of topic was in order and chose the first one to come to mind.

"Husband, do you not think torches should be set in the upper hall and lit during the day? It has no windows and is very dark."

Cullen shrugged, his voice distracted as he said, " 'Tis the way it has always been. Ye will get used to it."

Evelinde narrowed her eyes with displeasure, but before she could speak he was suddenly shifting her off of him and sliding from the bed.

"Where are you going?" she asked, sitting up to watch as he began to don his clothes.

" 'Tis the middle of the day. I've things to attend."

"But—" She glanced to