The Wellspring (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #12) - Diana Knightley Page 0,83
invitation, please. Tell her Magnus needs to speak to her, we don’t want her hogtied and pissed off.”
Hayley whined, “But it would be so much fun!”
* * *
Our bed was full of pillows, so Magnus had a berm around him, and as the day carried on, I came and went, visiting in the kitchen, returning to bed. I sat with him, reading and talking, and lay beside him thinking and resting. I put a shoulder under his arm to help him to the bathroom, though he was steady now, so much better.
He preferred sleeping on his left side, mostly, then wakened to talk, and then slept, on and off all day, rebuilding his strength.
The kids came in to visit. Archie buzzed in to tell him things. At one point he brought a box of bandaids, and placed his little hands, palms up, on Magnus’s stomach. Magnus one by one replaced the bandaids on Archie’s fingers, while Archie told him about the night we escaped. He described how the helicopters were coming for us. And how he was scared while he was digging. He said, “This cut was from the lid, I wasn’t strong enough to lift it.”
“Tis okay, dost ye ken what grandma Barb used tae say tae me? She used tae say, ‘Ye are just a man, nae a god.’ Tis important tae remember it. Ye did yer best.”
“Aye.” The last bandaid went on and Archie buzzed from the room to go see what Ben was doing.
Isla came in, crawled on the bed, dragging her stuffed giraffe and a board book with her. “Da!” She drew her face down. “Da has boo-boos.”
“I do, wee’un.” He patted the side of his chest and she curled up beside him and showed him her giraffe and how he had eyes and a mouth. “A vewy silly mouth.” She giggled and said, “Read book.”
He picked up the book of alphabet animals and read her the pages, but grew tired doing it. His voice got low, husky and slow. Isla loved to sleep on her stomach with her knees tucked under, so she got into the position, with her cheek heavy on his bicep and fell asleep on Magnus’s arm. They napped for almost two hours together in the quiet darkness of our room.
Over the next day, he felt better. He took a shower and came to the table for meals and then at night told me he would go out to guard duty on the decks. I asked him if it was too much and he said, “We must be guarded and I hae been sleepin’ a great deal. I will go stare out at the night and wonder what will come, tis what I need tae do.”
“You’re the only person in the world who likes guard duty.”
“In the eighteenth century, twas cold and bleak and borin’, but in the twenty-first century it can be verra nice when Chef Zach brings me a snack, and if I need warmth I can crack the door tae feel the heater. I can call for a cup of coffee if I am tired. And I can hear m’family inside. Fraoch said he likes tae take the downstairs watch so he can listen to the family laughin’ at the tv shows. I like when Zach turns the music up verra loud.”
“When you put it that way it does sound pretty good.”
He crawled across the bed to kiss me and left the room.
I didn’t mind being left for guard duty, there was a sexiness to it, being in bed thinking about him guarding my safety — like a primal hotness. Plus I was tired after a day in the trenches watching over the kids and worrying about Magnus. So I sprawled out on the bed, spread-eagle, and fell fast asleep.
Just before dawn there was Magnus’s lovely hand sliding up the inside of my leg and his lips following and I was drawn awake by the pull of my panties down my legs, and then his lips, with his beard-growth soft and scratchy, kissing up my thighs and settling between my legs.
I whispered, “Hi, Master Magnus.”
“Wheesht, ye daena ken I am here.” He went back to his licking and kissing.
“Oh god, I… I know you’re here, I’m… yes… you’re…” I lost my train of thought. “What were we talking about?”
“I am nae talkin’ so ye daena hear me, and ye daena get out yer tickets again.”