Love Me Forever Read Free Page A

earth, and it looked to be well tended, for it shined
with a silky radiance.
    One braid hung down on the right side of his
head, a brown leather strip entwined in the strands. His lip
swelled from the severe spilt and made it impossible to determine
the true shape of his mouth. And one look at his body left no doubt
that he was a warrior. He wore a dark shirt over a broad and
heavily muscled chest. His plaid was of dark colors and wrapped
snugly around a narrow waist; below that she could not see, for he
leaned over the edge of the bed, blocking the rest of him from her
view.
    “Now that you have looked me over, will you
trust me?”
    “Have I a choice?” Brianna asked, feeling
justified in blatantly taking stock of him.
    His hand gently pushed a stray strand of
hair off her face. “Nay, Brianna, you have no choice but to trust
me.”
    An unexpected cough seized her and she cried
out as pain stabbed at her chest. Without thought she squeezed at
his hand that held firm to hers, and his other hand instantly
reached out to gently cup her face and force her to rest her glance
on him.
    “Look at me and breathe calmly,” he ordered
in a tone that he must have used to command men in battle, for she
immediately obeyed him without question.
    “Calmly,” he repeated when she fought the
breath that followed. “If you struggle you will only worsen the
pain and bring yourself more discomfort. Ease your breathing.”
    She followed his words and took short
shallow breaths and realized the pain lessened, though her hold on
his hand remained firm.
    “Time and rest will heal your bruises.”
    She nodded slowly, knowing he was right.
    “I will get you some broth and you will
eat.”
    “A command?” she asked with effort, the pain
not having completely subsided.
    “If it is necessary.”
    His response warned her that he was a man
accustomed to having his command obeyed, and being that she had no
choice at the moment; she wisely chose to defer to him.
    For now.
    “Nay, I will eat what I can.”
    “It is good that you try, but first I must
raise you up more on the pillows so that you may eat more
comfortably.”
    Her eyes rounded, the thought of pain
filling her with dread, and he understood. “I will move you as
gently as possible.”
    He did not wait for her to respond or
object. He removed his hand from hers and slipped his arm beneath
the wool blanket.
    Her eyes grew even wider.
    He offered an explanation. “I had no choice
but to remove your clothes. They were torn and dirty. And I needed
to see how severe your injuries were. I could carry only you and
thought to return later for your chest, but I have been reluctant
to leave you alone.”
    She said not a word but gave him a brief
nod, letting him know she understood.
    “Relax,” he said softly, his hand slipping
slowly beneath her back. “I will not hurt you.”
    The strength in his arm was remarkable, for
he moved her with the gentlest of touches, his other hand pushing
the pillows beneath her back and head so that she lay reclined. She
suffered only the slightest discomfort and paid it no heed, for her
new position eased her aching body.
    “That feels much better,” she said, sending
him a brief smile. “Thank you, you are most kind.”
    He stared at her a moment with an intensity
that could frighten; she, however, slowly raised her hand to gently
touch his swollen hp. “I wish I had the basket of herbs my
sister-in-law Moira had sent along with me. I have something that
would help relieve your swelling.”
    He eased his hand out from beneath her back
and adjusted the blanket around her. It had slipped down when he
had moved her and near exposed her naked breasts. But then he had
already seen all of her, and that thought disturbed her. What had
he thought of her body? Every time her husband had made love to
her, he had told her that her body was undesirable. He had made her
flaws known and had made it known how inadequate a lover she was.
But what did that matter