she loved that she put herself at risk.
Her diamond shell was quickly becoming a pearl.
He may have just completed his quest.
***
Dyna awakened in the middle of the night, not surprised to feel overheated from the massive man plastered across her. Slipping out from under his arms, she managed to find her way out of the cave in the dark to take care of her needs without awakening him.
The nights in the Highlands were her favorite. She loved sitting beneath the stars, listening to the night sounds, her favorite being the hoot of an owl. So she lowered herself in front of the entrance to the cave, hugging her body against the night, and listened. As if answering her call, an owl cried out.
There was enough of a breeze to stir the leaves on the ground. Glancing over her head, she thought of the night she and Derric had stargazed together. If only she could go back to that simpler time, when her grandfather and Claray had both been safe.
Before she had lost her maidenhead.
She’d have to apologize to Derric when he awakened. She’d not been fair to him, but the entire situation had taken her by surprise. Normally, she had a strong tolerance for pain, but this pain had come in the midst of unimaginable pleasure. It had caught her by surprise, like a betrayal.
And her instinct had been to push back at the pain. At him.
She jumped when Derric touched her shoulder, alerting her to his presence, and then wrapped his arms around her from behind once he sat down. Settling his chin on her shoulder, he whispered, “I’m sorry, Diamond. If I could have done it without hurting you, I would have.”
“Derric, you need not apologize. I acted like a wee bairn, and I don’t know why.” She leaned back against him. “I knew it was supposed to hurt. It wasn’t even that bad, it just surprised me. I never asked you what you found out about Senga.”
“I met wee Senga,” he said with a chuckle. “Her father, to whom she bears an uncanny resemblance, named her after her mother. She is well cared for and happy, which is what I wished to learn.”
“Did you have any regrets when you found out she wasn’t yours?” She turned around to face him, wanting to see his expression.
“A wee bit. That surprised me, although I knew it was for the best. Her father is quite taken with her, has a mother at home to help him, so I left without admitting why I was there. No need to say anything.”
She reached up and straightened some of his hair, wild from sleep. “You’re a wise man, Corbett.”
He arched a brow at her, a doubtful look.
“And I’m starting to really like having you around.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “I hope you’ll stay with me. I’m sorry I keep trying to push you away. It’s…it’s not what I want.”
He paused before he spoke, and she wondered what thoughts carried through his mind. How she hoped he’d accept her, quirks and all. She was a unique individual and her parents had never tried to change her. For that, she would be eternally grateful, but she didn’t know if any man could accept her odd ways.
He said, “Every time I’m near you, all I want to do is move closer. You have an odd pull on me. I’m enjoying our time together.”
“Even when we bicker?”
“Especially when we bicker. You challenge me, Dyna, and somehow I think I’ll be a better man because of it. Until this chaos gets straightened out, you can expect to see me whenever you turn around.”
She scowled but was still pleased by this declaration.
“Somebody has to watch over you, lass. You’re too careless and arrogant by far.”
“Arrogant? I think you’re speaking of yourself, Corbett. That swagger, that grin.”
He squeezed her shoulder, then stood and made his way toward the trees. As he strode away, she called out, “That arse.”
“Just keep watching it. I know you can’t help yourself.”
Chapter Nineteen
She slept way past dawn, and when she awoke, she searched for the heat that had surrounded her the night before. “Derric?” she said, panicked for a moment. Had he left after all?
But he entered the cave as soon as she called his name, carrying a skin of water that he held out to her. The first thing he asked was, “Are you hale?”
“I’m fine. But we must move quickly.” She didn’t let on how much she’d enjoyed sleeping in his