Highland Champion Read Free Page B

an uncomfortable position, knowing she would ache when she awoke, but he was still reluctant to release her.
    She looked as innocent as a child as she slept. Yet, in the sensuous curve of her mouth, there was the hint of a passionate nature. She was beautiful in a way that grew more evident the longer one looked at her. When she entered a room, men might give her a brief, curious glance, but they would soon find themselves looking again and again until she firmly held their interest with the purity of her features—her beautiful skin; her thick, long hair; and the delicate, feminine curves of her slim body. Liam suddenly recalled the sound of her voice, a soft, sultry music, and knew she would only have to speak to firmly catch the attention of any man.
    He felt her hand move in his and resisted the urge to clutch it tighter. She placed her hand over his heart, and her neatly curved brows lowered as she frowned. If he did not know better, he would think she could tell he was awake simply through that touch. Slowly, she lifted her head and looked at him. Liam looked into her sleep-softened deep green eyes and felt an odd twist in his heart, as if she had reached into his chest and pinched it. Pain was making him delirious, he decided.
    Keira slowly sat up, wincing at the many aches she had gained by sleeping in such an awkward position. She blushed a little as she met his gaze, embarrassed to have been found with her head on his stomach and her hand upon his chest. Recalling how he had refused to release her even as he slept, her embarrassment eased.
    His eyes were not quite so swollen today, although he wore a livid mask of bruises. Those eyes were surely tools of seduction, she mused. Well shaped, surrounded by lashes almost feminine in their length and thickness, they were an intriguing and beautiful blend of blue and green. She had once seen water that color. Shaking herself free of her fascination, she idly rubbed her back as she studied his color.
    “Ye look improved,” she said.
    “Do I? I still feel weel trodden on,” he replied, wincing a little as his bruised mouth protested the movement.
    “And so ye shall for a while yet, but soon, ye will be cursing that leg for keeping ye abed.”
    “Was it a bad break? I ken ye spoke of it last time I awoke, but I cannae remember much.”
    “Nay, ’tisnae bad. Ye were lucky. A verra clean break, and the bone didnae come out through your skin. Howbeit, ye will need to be verra careful. ’Tis why I shall continue to tie that leg down whilst ye sleep. It must set firm, ye ken.” She stood up and brushed down her skirts. “’Tis difficult to say just how long that will take.”
    Just as she was wondering how to ask if he needed any personal assistance, Brother Matthew arrived. Keira breathed a sigh of relief as she left the small cottage. Dealing with an unconscious man could be done with a measure of calm. A wide awake man with beautiful eyes was another matter altogether. Even when he was no more than a limp, occasionally moaning, body, she had not been able to be completely impersonal. She doubted any woman could be while tending to such a handsome man. She did not want him noticing her appreciation, however. That could bring her the kind of trouble she had no time for now.
    After a quick visit to the bushes, she stood by the well and washed as much of herself as she could without completely disrobing. Ever since she had caught Brother Paul spying on her, she had been careful. Worse, he seemed to think it was all her fault he was having difficulty controlling his sinful thoughts and urges.
    Keira sighed and started back to the cottage. She had the sinking feeling she was going to be having similar troubles. Knowing that no woman alive could remain immune to the allure of a man like Liam Cameron did not make her feel all that much better. She still felt the sting of her husband’s lack of desire for her. The very last thing she needed was to expose herself to that