Page 33 of Highland Guard
Chapter 9
Pittmiddle
Kieran waited untilhe was sure Naomi and Dermid were asleep before he put down his claymore and openly gazed at Naomi sleeping. He watched her face soften. He saw her eyes moving beneath her lids as if even in sleep she was off on an unknown adventure.
There was something calming about watching her. Some of her curls fell across her face. Kieran wanted to reach across and feel their silken smoothness. Instead, he packed away his weapons, moved to scout the area, then settled in close, keeping watch.
The fire was burning low, but still giving off enough heat to warm him against the chill. He watched Naomi shiver with the cold. Without thinking about it, Kieran took his spare plaid and carefully draped it over her. She snuggled and sighed with contentment, and he could not help himself from smiling. Something about her wrapped in his clan colors had him taking a sharp breath. He liked it. He liked it a lot. There was a possessive surge that came over him. But he shook his head at the ridiculous thought. He had been a long time without a woman; he was now lusting over a nun.
Kieran placed more distance between them before he did something stupid like join her on her pallet and keep her warm.
When several hours had passed and he could not keep his eyes open any longer, Kieran woke Dermid. Then he lay on his pallet and fell asleep.
***
NAOMI WAS STARTLEDawake and trying hard to breathe when she saw Kieran hovering over her, shaking her.
“What, what happened?”
“You were having a bad dream, lass. I’ve been trying to wake you.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, it was just ... I thought I was being chased.”
“Tis all right. You’re safe now.” His voice was gentle, and he was frowning with concern. Without his realizing it, she felt his hand brush across her cheek as he pushed a curl away from her face and tucked it behind her ear.
Naomi smiled in return and whispered, “Thank you.” He gifted her with a warm expression before he masked it. Then his demeanor changed, as if a door slammed shut.
“Now go back to sleep so we can at least get some rest before we set off,” he said tersely. Then Kieran returned to his pallet and made a big fuss about it.
Naomi just shook her head. The man was such a curmudgeon and here she was, thinking he was lovely and gentle. She picked up her blanket and noticed his plaid wrapped around her. She was about to throw it at him when he appeared beside her again.
“Wear it! Your cloak is not warm enough.” Then Kieran stormed back to his pallet, wrapped a blanket around himself and closed his eyes.
Naomi snuggled under his plaid because it was warm, and she was not about to cut off her nose to spite her face. But she mouthed the word ‘asshole’ to his back and glared at him. Not before she caught Dermid sitting a few yards away, smirking at her.
“Keep your eyes on the forest,” she hissed at him.
“Be quiet, you noisy wench,” Kieran growled from behind her.
“Go back to sleep, you big oaf,” Naomi snapped.
Dermid just burst out laughing.
