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And the more she cared for him, the more she was going to hurt. Because no matter how wonderful he’d been to her, he was a man. And sooner or later, something would go wrong, and he would end up blaming her and dragging her down.

Chapter 16

Owen held Amber in his arms as she fell asleep. Limp and warm against him, she breathed evenly, her eyelashes fluttering as if she was dreaming about something…something good, Owen hoped.

He was not as lucky. Amber’s confession had woken old demons inside him, the demons he was trying to forget.

He needed to keep his head cool to deliver the news of the Pass of Brander to his family and to the Bruce. The outcome of the war could depend on it.

And yet, just like before, when he was given an important task, he had a beautiful woman in trouble who needed him. He just didn’t trust his own judgment. Amber stirred more feelings than he’d ever felt for anyone. He’d cared about the women he’d bedded, of course. But it had never gone further than a night or a sennight. Then he bid them farewell and hoped they had a long and healthy life.

With Amber, he wanted to put a smile on her face every day. He wanted to kill that bastart, Major Jackson. He shared her anger at being treated so unfairly. He knew the burden of a false accusation all too well. As a result, his father had picked him last for battle and hesitated to give him any responsibility. And not just his father—his brothers, too.

Lachlan’s death, the feud between the MacDogualls and the Cambels, as well as King John Balliol’s lost favor would forever be on Owen’s hands and conscience.

All because he was distracted by women.

He studied Amber’s peaceful face, her lips, so full, so kissable. Her hair was still wet and lay in small curls around her shoulders. He admired her spirit, her bravery, her fighting skills. She was a warrior. He’d never met a female warrior before.

And that she was a fugitive—

He believed she was innocent. Like he wished his clan had believed him with the gold.

She was too kind, and she’d let people use her. She’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time. That was her only fault. He was furious that men like Jackson had used her. Men like John MacDougall and de Bourgh.

He was furious for her and for his own sake. The time would come when he’d use the knowledge he’d gained against them and have his revenge.

But for that to happen, he couldn’t allow himself to be distracted. For the first time in his life, he vowed he wasn’t going to give in to lust. He wouldn’t bed Amber. He wouldn’t allow his cock to ruin the most important mission of his life.

He woke Amber up when the wood in the fireplace turned into dying coals and the sky behind the shutters began to lighten. The sun would soon rise, and they needed to go.

“Lass,” he whispered.

She stirred, and her breasts brushed against his chest, only a thin layer of linen separating them. Under the powerful spell of her body, his cock woke up and hardened. She opened her eyes and looked at him, sleep fogging her eyes.

“We must go,” he said.

“What? Why?”

“So that we dinna attract attention. The English might look for us here today, and if nae today, then on the morrow. We’re nae that far from Stirling.”

“Right.”

She stretched, arching herself into his body. He clenched his jaw and begged God and the faeries to give him strength not to get any harder than he was. She melted into his arms again, and their eyes locked. For the first time since he’d met her, hers were unguarded. There was an openness in her gaze he’d not seen before. She wasn’t pretending to be someone from his time. She wasn’t hiding. And she wasn’t running.

He looked into her soul, and he knew then that he was lost in her. Forever. From this moment, his heart beat for her. He breathed for her. He was in love with her.

For the first time in his life, he was in love.

The feeling sparked a lightness in his chest that expanded in all directions around him. It was like the sun resided right in his heart.

She was the sun.

He lowered his head and kissed her. She didn’t fight it, didn’t turn away. She kissed him back like it was the most natural thing in the world. The kiss was gentle and soft, loving. There was not a trace of hunger or passion, and yet it spurred the need in his already throbbing erection.

It took all his willpower not to deepen the kiss, not to throw the sheet to the side and cover her mouthwatering body with his kisses.

Ye canna fail, he reminded himself. Ye canna let yerself fail this time.