She smiled slowly, her lashes lowering. She had never thought she’d feel such happiness.
Yet a feeling of unease fluttered within her stomach. She had kept nothing from him that mattered. And perhaps, one day she would share with him the years they had lost as openly as she prayed he might share the pain of his past with her.
But not now.
“You were speaking of the years before when you spoke of wanting me,” she said very softly.
“Aye.”
“Well…that was then,” she said matter-of-factly, meeting his gaze again. “This is now.”
“Dear God, are you never satisfied?” he demanded gruffly.
“Indeed, but?—”
She gasped as he rolled atop her once again, his eyes boring into hers, bright with passion once again. “You were a gorgeous child, headstrong, impetuous, annoyingly so—I thought you needed a good switching many times.”
“If this is a declaration of love—” she protested.
“Hear me out. Where was I? Ah! Then, you were no longer a child. You grew into a woman—gorgeous, headstrong, impetuous—and arrogant.”
“Now, really?—”
“And I wanted you. You were young Lady MacGinnis, and I cared for you. Then you were the very beautiful young woman I had known and cared about all of my life, but you had changed, I had aged, and I wanted you. I admired you. I loved your determination and your courage and aye, even your reckless loyalty to your family. In my heart, I knew that the day would come when a goodly distance could be kept no more, when you’d finally tease too far, and I would have what I wanted—all quite properly, of course. I had intended eventually, I’m quite certain, to ask Gawain and Lowell—and you, of course—for your hand in marriage. You seduced me into wanting you, but just by being yourself, with your pride and your sense of duty and loyalty and energy and all those other things about you—you seduced me into love. Five years has changed nothing. I’ve had you, and I want you more. I was in love with you before, and I am deeply, grievously in love once again. Now, my lady, will that do?”
Her eyes wide upon his, she smiled.
“Quite well!” she whispered.
“Good. Because such an impassioned, rousing speech has impassioned and aroused other things as well. My lady, you may feel free to simply whisper again—with tremendous ardor, of course—that you love me, then you may proceed to show me with that desperately fevered ardor.”
She still stared into his eyes.
“Well?”
“Oh, aye! I love you, David, dear God, you cannot believe how deeply, how desperately?—”
“I’m quite willing to be shown,” he whispered. And he kissed her.
And made love to her.
The fire blazed red and orange across the stone walls.
Until finally, the fire burned out, and the soft light filling the cavern was pink and gold.
The tide had receded.
And dawn was breaking.
Shawna was loath to leave the cavern, but David was anxious to return her to the castle.
“I still don’t understand why you don’t just announce your presence today.”
“There are still things I must discover,” he said.
“But how am I to get back into the castle? I can’t just walk through the front door naked?—”
“I would flay you alive,” he assured her. “I’ve shirts in my trunk and plenty of tartan. You can walk through the forest to the passageway entry kilted in Douglas plaid. I’ll escort you back to your tower room.”