love to…it’s just, do you think it’s a little soon for us to be going away together?”
Her question made something in my heart tug, because I knew what she really meant. She was nervous about spending the night with me. It was a big step, and, though I very much wanted to be inside her, I had no intention of rushing into anything.
“I don’t think so. But Rose” — I coughed to clear my throat — “I have a spare bedroom you can stay in. This trip isn’t about…sex,” I said, almost feeling shy saying the word. God, what a pair we made. “I just want to spend a few days with you away from the city. I want your company, that’s all.”
She bit her lip, and my eyes followed the movement before she let out a small, nervous breath. “Okay, then,” she said, mustering a smile. “I’ll come.”
My chest thumped wildly at her acceptance, and I squeezed her hand tighter.
“Thank you,” I breathed, and I meant it. She had no idea the gift she’d just given me, no idea how appealing I found the idea of having her in my home, the only place where my heart felt whole.
***
Early on Friday morning we caught a flight to Inverness, and then I drove us to the island in a rental car. There wasn’t a need to take a boat, as Skye was connected to the mainland by bridge. The entire journey Rose had her eyes glued out the window, fascinated by every new thing she saw. I couldn’t blame her. We were in a very beautiful part of the world, a place that had always made me feel at peace ever since I was a child.
When I was a teenager and my life was turned upside down by fame and a selfish, out-of-control father, I’d come here for refuge and never looked back until the day Gran died. At the time I thought it might be a terrible decision to go to London, but looking at the beautiful, kind, amazing woman sitting next to me in the passenger seat, I now considered it one of the best decisions I’d ever made.
“I seriously can’t get over this scenery. I feel like I’m in Outlander,” she said with giddy excitement. I had the urge to lean across the car and kiss her, but restrained myself.
“Whatever did happen to Jamie and Claire?” I asked fondly. I hadn’t listened in with her since that day we spent lunch together in the practice room, when I’d been so sexually frustrated I was sure twenty cold showers couldn’t cool me down.
She cast me an exasperated look but smiled anyway. “Sooo much. There’s no point even trying to catch you up. I’m already on book three. You’ll just have to read them yourself.”
“I think I will,” I said.
“Oh, my God! Are those sheep on the road? Look how close they are to the car. They don’t even care.”
“You’re such a city lass,” I chided her. “You talk like you’ve never seen a sheep before.”
Rose blushed. “I actually haven’t. This is my first visit to Scotland. I never have much disposable income for holidays.”
This news filled me with pride to be bringing her here for the first time, but also to be bringing her on what could be considered her first holiday in who knew how long. That’s what I loved about Rose. Even though her upbringing had been just as unusual as mine, she wasn’t jaded. She kept her sense of wonder about the world, and it was what made her special in my eyes.
“I’ll have to make this trip a good one, then,” I said low.
She looked at me as I concentrated on the road, and I could feel her studying my profile. “You seem different,” she said at length.
“I do?”
“Yeah. There’s this tension to you when you’re in the city. It’s not there anymore.”
“Of course it’s not. I’m home, Rose. No matter where my life takes me, Skye will always be my home,” I said, glancing at her briefly.
She wore a slightly dazed expression. “I don’t know why I find that sexy, Damon, but yeah, it’s kinda hot,” she blurted, and then seemed to think better of it. Her cheeks tinged with red.
“You’re sexier,” I said in an effort to soothe her embarrassment, my eyes tracing over her form. My words didn’t have the intended effect, though, because she seemed to turn even redder and focused her attention out the window. I smirked. “What? No