Highlander’s Winter Rose by Fiona Faris
Chapter Five
The night before had been hell for Maximus. He had woken up from a dream where he held Rosallyn in his arms that afternoon and had pushed it out of his mind, embarrassed to admit even to himself that his infatuation was leading him to dream about her as though he were a lad. She had seemed upset, so it was not hard to forget about the dream in that moment.
He could imagine how she must have felt going down to the village and seeing everyone go about their daily lives completely oblivious to the fact that their clan had been overtaken by enemies. It truly was difficult living on the outskirts. He wondered if it would be alright for Rosallyn to tell them what had happened, but then it was of no use. It would only cause them to panic. Besides, it was not as though they were in any real danger.
All they had to do was remain quiet when the usurper’s soldiers came, and they would be alright. Since they were commoners, they risked arrest more than death. The usurper would most likely only kill those who were powerful enough to be a risk to him among the noble folk and keep the commoners in control by arresting them.
These were the things that filled his mind for the rest of the day until it was time to go to sleep. Rosallyn had taken his foot out of the fresh ice she had put it in while he ate dinner, and she brought her blanket and a candle into the room. Bathed in the firelight, her red hair looked even more like it was aflame. In the loose dress she wore to sleep in, her shoulders were bare to his eyes, painted golden in the light of the candle.
He suddenly found his throat too heavy to swallow as he lay watching her. With the candle behind her, he could see the silhouette of her body in her dress. All of his blood rushed south, and he turned around immediately, not looking at her again until she had laid her sleeping area and whispered a good night to him.
He did not think he had ever been that hard before in his life. Without his permission, his mind continued to picture the glimpse of her body he had seen. It was mere shadow, but it aroused him more than any woman he had ever touched. She was the perfect hourglass, with wide hips and a full bosom, her waist slim in the middle. His heart was pounding in his chest as he heard her moving around before she finally fell asleep.
It was then that the dream he had managed to push out of his mind came back with a vengeance. In his dream she had laid beside him, her back pressed against his chest with his arm around her small waist. She was warm and soft, and everything was right in his world, all his pain and fears were gone.
It was a pleasant dream since usually he could not go to bed without reliving the horrid night of the attack. He had not had a dream as bad as the first night when he dreamt of his father and brother being dragged behind a horse over and over. After she sang to him and began to sleep in the room with him, he had not had a dream that bad again, but his dreams were never great.
So it was a welcome surprise for him to feel so happy and safe in that dream, all his troubles melting away, leaving only the feeling of her body against his and the smell of the winter forest in her hair. The dream had been so vivid, he could still smell her on the bed beside him… but then again, it was her bed so that was not too surprising… Was it?
There was no way that it could have been real. She would not let him hold her like that. He told himself these things, yet his body remembered how she fit against him as though it had truly happened. The more he thought about it, the more his raging member strained against his kilt, creating a tent below the covers.
I cannae believe ye, Maximus! Are ye a child?! How could ye nae control yer body?
He had scolded himself, but it did nothing to quell his desire. He wanted to hold her… Not in his dreams this time, but in the real world. He was embarrassed at himself. She had gone down to the village to get things to help him, and even now she was sleeping on the floor because she had given him her bed and was too worried about him to leave him to sleep alone.
If she was not there, he might have horrible nightmares again. It was her presence that helped him to sleep properly at night, so why was he thinking such lewd thoughts of her? He was repaying her kindness with such filth. He cursed himself, ordering his body to behave. It was a difficult feat, costing him several hours of the night as he struggled to get rid of his lust. He even imagined how the General would react to seeing him aroused by his daughter.
Eventually he got the thought out of his head and had fallen into a deep sleep. It was from that deep sleep that he woke up that morning to find Rosallyn putting his foot in another ice bucket. He had overslept.
“Good mornin’ to ye… Did ye sleep well? I dinnae think ye have slept this late in a while,” she said the moment she noticed his open eyes watching her.
He pursed his lips, the events of the night before flashing through his mind. She certainly did not want to know how he slept.
“Aye, I slept really well,” he lied. She did not notice, as she was focused on pouring the cut ice over his foot in the bucket. He had actually gotten used to the feeling of numbness creeping up his entire leg from the cold, and he did not even flinch as she worked. He was instead looking at her. Sunlight was streaming in through the open windows, and she looked like a dream. If it were not for the sting of the ice, he might have thought that he was still asleep.
The light was hitting her just right, making her green eyes sparkle and her hair an even more vibrant hue of red. Her pale skin was highlighted by the faint red flush in her cheeks. Goodness, looking at her every day, he was at risk of falling in love. He did not see himself coming out of this with his heart the same way. She was like an angel sent down from above to heal him.
“I cleaned the rest of yer wounds and changed all yer bandages while ye were asleep. Everythin’ is healin’ really well. I am so glad,” she said. He flexed his injured arm and smiled. She was right. He felt so much better than before. Even his back was more comfortable now, even though he was lying on his back.
“I dae feel much better,” he agreed.
“I was surprised ye did nae wake at all. I guess it is a good thing that ye were able to sleep so well though,” she chuckled.
He looked away guiltily, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. He could not exactly tell her that he had fallen asleep late because he’d been lusting after her all through the night.
“Tis all because of yer wonderful care,” he said, scratching his head. Then more honestly, he added, “Thank ye, Rosallyn.”
She stopped for a moment, hearing his grateful tone, and gave him a dazzling smile.
“Ye are welcome,” she said.
…
Breakfast was bread and goat cheese. Rosallyn had wanted to make it milk, but she could not buy milk at the market the day before. Milk spoiled too quickly anyway. She had been a bit surprised that Maximus did not wake up early, as ever since the night she sang him to sleep, he always woke up at the same time she did. She was glad that he was resting though.
She had put her own breakfast in his tray as well. Without meaning to she was forming a habit of eating breakfast with him. When she entered the room, she found him sitting and looking at his foot in the bucket. When he saw her, he leaned back and held out his hands to take the tray from her.
“What is the matter? Is there a problem with the ice?” she asked as she gave him the tray and sat beside him on the bed. He shook his head as she took the two cups of water and put them on the bedside table, so they would not spill even if he moved.
“Nay, I was just lookin’ at me foot in the bucket, considerin’ I cannae feel it at all right now,” he chuckled.
She frowned, wondering if she should stop with the regular ice treatments for a while. He needed to get better though, and using ice was the only way she knew. She had already set the ankle back in place, he just needed for the flesh inside to stop being inflamed. He paused with his bread halfway to his mouth as he saw her worried expression.
“Ah, nay, nay, dae nae be worried. I was only observin’ is all,” he said, trying to quell her worries. She gave him a small smile in response and began to eat. It would be alright even if the cold was beginning to bother him. She gave him medicine after each meal, so he would not get another fever, and he would heal quickly. She was sure that it would only take a little while before he could walk around and not be injured anymore, but perhaps to ease his discomfort, it would be best to give him more potent sleep medicine.
They ate together pretty quickly, making small talk about the visit to the village and her grandmother. She had already decided immediately after he told her what had happened that she would not allow her grandmother to become involved, and he also thought the same way as they discussed that the villagers would be safer if they did not know anything. When the enemies came, they would be devastated, but since they truly did not know anything, there would be no trouble. The enemy would pass over their village.
After the meal, she gave him his medicine and took the dishes away, along with the ice bucket which was now water. She finished taking care of everything before going back to the room. She met Maximus in the middle of trying to arrange his pillows behind his head. Instinctively, she rushed to help him, not wanting him to move his injured arm, in case he somehow opened his wound.
“Oi, what are ye doin’?! If ye needed help ye could have just asked me!” she thundered, snatching the pillow in his hand from him. He blinked at her in surprise, and she froze, her face immediately reddening.
Eh… What is goin’ on? I was the one who told him that he was healin’ nicely, so why am I bein’ so overprotective?
She asked herself, but she could not answer. He was giving her an incredulous look, and then he burst out laughing.
“Rosallyn, tis just a pillow. I am only tryin’ to get comfortable. I cannae dae much damage to meself this way. Besides, I am being careful,” he said with a grin. She was blushing so hard that she felt as though her cheeks could cook an egg.
“Um… Uh… Still!” she stuttered, trying to find the words to excuse her actions. “I am the one takin’ care of ye, so I ken best whether ye should move yet. Ye should have asked me first just in case.”
Even as she spoke, she hoped that the words sounded even a bit reasonable so that she would not have to face the embarrassment. Thankfully, he nodded and held his hands up in surrender.
“Alright, ye are correct. Whatever ye say. I got uncomfortable sitting, but I didnae want to lie flat either. Please help me to put me pillows in place,” he requested.
She nodded and took a deep breath to calm herself. She was thankful that he did not make it a big deal.
Ye need to get yerself under control. What was that? Ye will just make a fool out of yerself if ye continue like this.
She exhaled shakily and then fixed him with a smile. He lay back on the pillows he had already placed and allowed her to raise his head slightly, arranging the last pillows behind his head and keeping him from lying at a bad angle. She made sure to do it perfectly, since she had gone and made such a big deal out of doing it herself in the first place.
She had just placed his head down on the pillow and looked down at him in childish triumph, proud that she had done it better than him. It was then, however, that she noticed that he was already looking at her. In her surprise, she could only stare back at him, wide-eyed. His eyes were glazed over, and he was staring with so much concentration it was as though he were lost to the world.
What is he looking at? Is there somethin’ on me face?
He was not looking at her the way one would when there was something on another’s face, however. He was staring at her in a way that made her stomach explode with butterflies. He looked as though he could not believe that she was real.
“Bonny…” he whispered as he stared at her lips, and her face flushed in response. He was calling her beautiful? No man had done that before except her father. Everyone else had maybe called her a pretty girl or a lovely woman and all just in passing. None so up close and personal the way that Maximus was.
In her nervousness, she realized that they were indeed very up close and personal. If she moved her head just a bit lower, their lips would touch. His brown eyes were full of passion as he held her gaze, and her face grew hotter with each second that they were locked in each other’s gazes. He seemed completely oblivious to this staring contest as he continued to drink in her appearance.
She had not looked away, yet she felt as though she was losing. The heat in her face had ignited in her belly as well, and suddenly her body was hot as well, her knees struggling to hold her up. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to kiss him so badly, and all it would take was for her to move her head a little.
She sucked in a sharp breath and shook her head to clear it. What was she doing allowing herself to be pulled in like that?
“Ah, it is good that ye are comfortable. I should go feed the horse now,” she managed to stutter out an excuse and made her escape in a hurry.
What was that all about?!
She stood bent over the dining table panting like she had just run through the forest in the summer. Her heart was pounding, all from a stare. How could she have such a strong reaction from mere seconds of staring at him? Her legs were shaking, and her heart continued to thud in her chest.
No man ever looked at her like that before… What was that look in his eyes? It was as though he wanted to devour her. Was she shaking because she was scared? No, that was not it… That look in his eyes, it excited her. It excited her so much that her legs were shaking, and her heart was pounding.
Once again, just like it had been when he hugged her in his sleep, she was hot all over. She needed a bath. A cold one to cool down her whole body.
I cannae control meself when he is around… This situation has gotten to be rather difficult.
