by Stone, Jenna
Rowan looked up at the night sky and tried to focus on making patterns out of the stars, looking for anything that would distract him from Anna. He forced his desirous thoughts from his mind in an effort to deny how his body had so eagerly responded to her. Rowan’s hand stroked Anna’s back and he realized how small, how defenseless, and how trusting she was of him as he held her tight.
Rowan found his hand caressing its way up to Anna’s neck. He rubbed her shoulders slowly, releasing the tension from her muscles. His fingers twined in her blond hair, brushing it back from her face, enjoying the feeling of its silky threads between his fingers.
His cock pulsed painfully and testosterone rushed through his veins as Anna’s sweet feminine smell aroused him further. The scent in her hair was definitely lavender. Rowan closed his eyes and thought of the lavender bush, thrumming with bees in the sunshine that had grown outside his childhood home. He sent a prayer heavenward that Anna would fall asleep quickly.
“Goodnight, Rowan,” Anna whispered sweetly. She lifted her head slightly off his chest to place a soft kiss right at the base of his neck, just below his ear.
Electricity shot through Rowan’s veins. He thought that he might spill his seed right there in his pants. Just the slightest touch of her lips to his skin had evoked a response unlike any he had ever experienced. Rowan felt his breathing speed up and he struggled to remain still as Anna pressed herself against him and settled her head back onto his naked chest.
“Goodnight, lass,” he forced the words out, teeth gritted together, and settled in for what was looking to be a very long night.
Rowan lifted his head off the sand so that he could look down at Anna. Within a few minutes, her breathing had slowed into the rhythmic nature of deep sleep. His eyes scanned her face, lit by the subtle glow of the full moon. It was then that Rowan realized that all of his dreams had not died with his exile from Scotland.
Chapter Five
Rowan awoke in the first light of morning, arms still wrapped protectively around Anna. His arms were stiff from holding her tight against his body through the night. He raised his head slightly and looked down at her. Anna was sleeping peacefully nestled against his chest, dark eyelashes resting on her cheeks and lips slightly parted in her slumber. She was beautiful. Rowan felt his body begin to stir in response to her immediately. Impulsively, Rowan leaned down and placed a light kiss atop her forehead and when he drew away from her, he was rewarded as her lips turned up into the slightest of a smile.
Rowan groaned and pushed himself up onto his elbow so that he could look around, being careful not to disturb Anna. The first thing that he saw was Malcolm, eyebrows knit together in a scowl. The daggers in his eyes were evidence of his clear disapproval at his brother’s sleeping situation.
Rowan smiled ruefully at Malcolm and whispered, “May the best man win,” taunting his brother as he glanced back at Anna.
If looks could kill, Rowan would be dead.
“Ouch! Ye wee bugger!” Rowan exclaimed, flinching, as a rock bounced off his forehead. He reflexively reached up to rub the stinging mark that the rock had left on his skin.
Rowan’s sudden movement startled Anna into wakefulness and she sat up quickly, pushing Rowan away.
“Serves ye right,” Malcolm said, shaking his head. He was already on his feet, prepared to flee the scene if need be. Rowan was known for his reckless temper when he was provoked.
“What happened?” Anna asked, stretching her arms languidly above her head. Rowan was glad that at least one of them had gotten a restful night of sleep.
“Nothing,” Rowan said, eyes darting towards Malcolm to give him a glare. “Did ye sleep well?” he asked, turning his attention back to Anna.
“Like the dead,” Anna smiled, suddenly embarrassed by just how much she had enjoyed sleeping next to Rowan. She had felt so safe, so protected by the warmth and the strength of his body. “Thank you,” she whispered, looking down at the sand as she tucked a stray length of hair behind her ear. Anna scooted a little farther away from Rowan, heart racing as she felt his gaze settle on her.
Rowan’s eyes locked with hers for a split second and Anna felt as though she had looked right into his soul. Last night, Rowan had gifted her with a glimpse into his painful past. In telling Rowan of her losses and hearing of his own, Anna felt as though she had bonded with Rowan through their shared pain. The yearning that Anna saw in Rowan’s deep green eyes sped up her heart beat and she tore her eyes away from him.
In that instant, she was sure that he had felt it too. There was a connection between them. It was almost palpable in its realness.
Anna’s hand brushed the warm skin of Rowan’s arm as she moved away from him. His touch raced like wildfire over her skin, sending reverberations straight down to her toes.
Anna’s eyes flitted back up to meet Rowan’s. The look on his face was evidence that he had felt the energy that flowed between them. Rowan looked away briskly and cleared his throat. He raked his hand through his unruly hair and refused to make further eye contact with Anna.
Quinn ambled up to the group and sat down in the sand next to Malcolm.
Anna studied him as he approached. He had tied his hair back and she noticed that Quinn was also quite handsome, especially when he didn’t have his usual look of disdain heavy on his rugged face. She wondered what tormented Quinn. Anna had not seen him smile. Not even once.
“I walked the beach this morning while yer lazy arses were sleeping. Didna find much of use. Everything must have gone down with the ship or been swept out tae sea,” Quinn said, brushing the sand off his pants.
“Did ye see any other survivors?” Rowan asked, distancing himself from Anna and standing as he bound his hair at the nape of his neck with the length of twine that he had found on the beach.
“Not a one. Either we are the only ones who survived, or the others washed up further down the shore.”
“Did ye find anything that we could eat?” asked Malcolm eagerly, his stomach letting loose a timely growl.
“Nay,” Quinn responded. “Yer belly can wait awhile yet, Malcolm. We need tae set out a course of action before we search of food.”
“Where do you plan to go?” asked Anna, looking between the faces of the brothers, slightly embarrassed that she had not thought to ask them earlier.
Rowan looked at Quinn, eyebrows raised, asking the silent question of just how much they should divulge to Anna. They had only just met her and although she seemed innocent enough, it might be unwise to divulge too much about their situation. Quinn shook his head slightly, reading his brother’s signal. Better not to tell her that their voyage to the New World had not been a matter of choice.
“Coincidentally enough, we’re headed to Williamsburg too!” Malcolm jumped in, eyes darting at Quinn who was already shaking his head in disapproval. “It would be our pleasure tae escort ye tae yer family,” Malcolm smiled at Anna, eyes reminiscent of a lovesick puppy.
“I could not ask that of you. You’ve been kind enough already,” said Anna in mock protest as a wave of relief swept over her. The Murray brothers were all that she had at present and she could not fathom the idea of making her way to Williamsburg alone.
“No, Anna, we want tae help ye get there. We want tae make sure that yer safe. Don’t we Rowan,” Malcolm said persuasively, raising his eyebrow suggestively at his brother.
“Aye, we can hardly just leave ye here, and being that we’re going tae the same place, ye might as well tag along,” Rowan said, knowing that they should be heading in the opposite direction of Williamsburg if they wanted to capitalize on the stroke of luck provided by the shipwreck. “We Murrays are not in the habit of neglecting womenfolk in need. Ye may find this quite contrary tae yer beloved English relatives,” Rowan chided sarcastically, drawing a swift glare from Anna.
Rowan smiled at Anna and to his relief, her glare melted away. The look in her hazel eyes caused his heart to race. Rowan tore his eyes away from Anna and turned his a
ttention to his brothers.
“Well, now that that’s settled, let’s go find some breakfast,” Malcolm chirped enthusiastically and stood up, starting down the beach. He was eager to slip away from the burn of Quinn’s scalding glare.
Quinn rolled his eyes and trudged after Malcolm. He planned to give Malcolm a sound tongue lashing as soon as they were away from Anna. Quinn was eager to take advantage of the unlikely chance at freedom that the shipwreck had provided. He was wary of losing this freedom by escorting Anna to the very place that said ship should have arrived. Malcolm’s puppy love for the lass showed explicitly across his face and was evident in every action that the boy made in Anna’s presence.
Quinn stopped abruptly, abandoning his pursuit of Malcolm. He spun quickly on his heel.
It was Rowan that Quinn should be worried about.
Quinn had watched as Rowan worked with every shred of his composure to fight his attraction to the lass. Quinn needed to stop whatever was developing between Anna and Rowan before it got out of hand. Hell, Quinn knew that it had already gotten out of hand as he watched Rowan’s eyes follow Anna as she walked down the beach.
“I need tae talk tae ye, brother. Now,” Quinn growled at Rowan, who sat still as a statue, eyes trained on Anna as she walked down the beach after Malcolm.
“It was Malcolm’s idea tae take her tae Williamsburg, not mine,” Rowan said defensively.
“Williamsburg isna the issue,” Quinn said sternly as he towered above his brother who was still seated in the sand. Quinn dropped down into a squat and looked straight into Rowan’s emerald green eyes. “Ye canna have her,” he said with a tone of warning in his voice, knowing that he was taking a great risk in telling Rowan what he could not have.
Rowan Murray had a rebellious spirit and was nothing if not determined.
“And what makes ye think that I want her?” Rowan asked, now avoiding eye contact and shifting his gaze away from Quinn’s glare out to the crashing waves of the Atlantic.
“Yer desire for the lass plays so openly across yer face that I’m surprised she hasna slapped ye for it!”
Rowan chuckled, accepting defeat as he raked his hand through his chestnut hair as he often did when uncomfortable. “I ken that I canna have her brother,” Rowan said coolly as he drew his gaze back to Quinn. “I’ve not a pot tae piss in, nor a shirt tae cover my back. I ken that I canna have her well enough, brother.”
“I hope that knowledge stops ye from tryin’ tae woo her. Nae good will come of it Rowan. Mark my word, nae good will come of it,” Quinn’s voice shook with warning as he stood and stalked off down the beach.
Rowan knew that Quinn was right. No good would come from indulging his desires with Anna. Rowan shook his head and cradled his head in his hands, resting his elbows atop his knees. He knew that he should push the lass from his thoughts and strive to build a new life with his brothers.
And yet there was that look in her hazel eyes that had struck him to the core. When her hand had brushed against his arm this morning, Anna had looked into his eyes. The hazel depths of her eyes held no secrets from Rowan.
Anna had felt it too.
..ooOoo..
“What happened to Quinn?” Anna asked, breaking the silence as she trudged up the beach to walk in step beside Rowan.
Rowan arched his eyebrow suspiciously. Anna was a most perceptive lass.
Rowan kicked at a bunch of sea grass that had blown into his path and chose his words carefully. A breeze blew off the ocean, cooling Rowan’s face. He could taste the salt from the sea on his lips. He licked his lips, noting the unfamiliar taste of salt in the air as he considered his words.
“Something verra dear was taken from him,” Rowan said as he raked a hand through his hair and looked straight ahead. The horrors of Quinn’s past were closely intertwined with Rowan’s and it pained him viscerally to speak of them.
“He must have loved her very much,” Anna said softly, knowing somehow that Quinn’s pain stemmed from the loss of a woman. She glanced over at Rowan and noticed the pain that resided in his green eyes. It was there, just below the surface, despite Rowan’s best effort to hide his emotions beneath his stone-faced façade.
“I canna betray him by speaking of the matter further. ‘Tis no my story tae tell. If ye ask him, he just might tell ye. Yer a good listener,” Rowan said.
Anna smiled shyly at Rowan’s compliment. She enjoyed conversing with Rowan. His easy demeanor and quick wit put her at ease. Anna had found a kindred spirit in Rowan Murray.
“I think that Malcolm’s in love with ye,” Rowan said with a chuckle in an effort to lighten the mood.
“Whatever gave you such a notion?” Anna exclaimed as color flushed her face.
“He told me,” Rowan admitted, smiling as he watched Anna’s reaction. Her face was flushed pink with embarrassment. Rowan could not help but notice how lovely she looked in the early morning light. Anna’s blonde curls had been blown free from her attempt to confine them in a loose braid, lending her an ethereal, natural beauty.
“How could he possibly love me?” Anna asked incredulously. “He’s known me less than a full day!”
“He’s a boy yet,” Rowan explained as he tried to suppress his smile. “And boys have a tendency tae fall in love easily.”
Anna giggled shyly. She was complimented by Malcolm’s affection yet knew that she was in no place to return his feelings.
“He is a sweet boy,” she said as she watched Malcolm and Quinn walking ahead of them on the beach.
“Aye,” Rowan agreed. “And ye’ve nae need for a boy,” he said as the smile fell from his face. There was a masked insinuation in his remark and as soon as the words fell from his lips he regretted them.
Anna smiled briskly but did not respond immediately. Rowan was correct; she had no need for a boy like Malcolm and yet she found that she cared for Malcolm still.
“Will you help me to let him down softly?” Anna asked Rowan as she crossed her arms to gather her borrowed shirt more firmly about her body. The morning sunlight was beginning to warm her skin, but the confines of her damp clothing kept the night’s chill from completely leaving her body.
“Aye,” Rowan agreed, smiling softly at Anna’s care for Malcolm’s tender heart. “The lad has a thing or two tae learn about love.”
“The best lesson for him to learn is to guard his heart and not give it away so easily,” Anna said as she gazed out upon the crashing waves. “It will save him much pain.”
“I doona agree with ye, lass,” Rowan said as he stopped in his tracks. The ocean breeze blew his unruly hair about his face and he reached up to retie it at the base of his neck.
Anna stopped and stared up at Rowan, unsure of what the intention of his words had been. “What exactly do you not agree with?” she prodded as she stood facing Rowan in the sand.
“I think that it isna always possible tae guard yer heart, that’s all. I’ve always thought that when true love comes tae find ye, it comes crashing in like lightning and perhaps it is impossible tae stop it once it hits ye.”
“And you think this is what Malcolm feels for me?”
“Nay. I certainly doona. He may think that what he feels is love, but I’ve seen it in his eyes and it is simply a boyish infatuation. If it were love, he could think of nothing else because it would consume him completely and control his every action, his every emotion. He would be powerless to fight it.”
“How do you know so much about love, Rowan Murray?” Anna asked as she tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
Rowan chuckled and shook his head in protest. “The truth is that I ken nothing about love,” he lied coolly. “Take my advice as ye may, but promise that ye’ll be kind tae my brother,” he said, nodding to bring the topic to a closure before he began walking off down the beach.
Anna strode after him, eyebrows knit together in puzzlement. For a man that knew nothing of love, Rowan Murray sure seemed to be insightful. Anna caught up with Rowan
and walked silently beside him in the wet sand.
Rowan gritted his teeth together in agitation and avoided speaking to Anna. He had said too much, revealed too much already. There was one thing that he knew for certain; Malcolm was not in love with Anna as he had claimed to be. A sudden, frightening possibility took hold in Rowan’s mind. Malcolm was definitely not in love with Anna, but Rowan feared that he himself might be!
The feelings that had overtaken him since he had met Miss Anna Stanton had struck without warning or invitation and they were powerful and completely all-consuming. At first he had taken these feelings as lust or simple bodily attraction to the beautiful young woman that he had pulled from the waves of the Atlantic. But somehow the realization had dawned on Rowan that his feelings were more than lust, much deeper and much more pure.
Rowan feared that love had come to find him at the most inopportune time. He feared that he was going to fall in love with Anna Stanton and become a broken shell of a man when she left him, just as his brother Quinn had done.
Chapter Six
Anna’s stomach rumbled in a most unladylike fashion. She wrapped her arms tightly about her waist and tried to think of anything besides food. The mid-day sun was warm and delicious against her skin and Anna turned her face up towards the sun, closing her eyes and basking in its warmth.
“Hungry are ye, lass?” Rowan asked with a soft laugh. He stood from the driftwood log and began to walk towards the crashing waves. “The tide has gone out. Perhaps we can find something in the tide pools just beyond those rocks,” he said hopefully as he pointed towards the water.
“Will Malcolm and Quinn be able to find us?” Anna asked, squinting in the bright sunlight as she watched Rowan walk towards the ocean.
“We willna go tae far down shore. They should be back soon anyhow,” Rowan surmised as he glanced towards the dense undergrowth of the forest. Quinn and Malcolm had gone inland to search for a source of freshwater.