“Come on. I willnae bite.”
Her lips parted, but she said nothing.
Slowly, she stepped forward. “I saw the stars from me window and thought I would come see them here.”
He gestured to the empty spot beside him. She hesitated, then moved to it, keeping her eyes on the sky.
“Do ye remember the first time we met?” she asked after a long pause.
Alasdair’s gaze flicked to her. “Aye. Ye were at the rail, staring up at the sky.”
Lily laughed under her breath. “And ye made the foolish decision of sneaking up on me.”
His mouth curved. “And ye turned and slapped me so fast that me cheek burned for hours.”
Lily laughed again as the memory flooded back in a euphoric rush.
“Anyone else might have been afraid of me that night, but nae ye. Ye were only annoyed. As if I were nothing more than an inconvenience ye had to deal with,” Alasdair recounted. “That was when I kent there was something special about ye. Something I never stopped seeing.”
She shook her head. “Even the day ye took me from the village?”
“Aye,” he said without hesitation. “Even then.”
“So ye admit ye took me?”
He shrugged, nothing but mischief in his eyes, and she laughed, unable to stop herself.
Silence stretched as she turned back to the night sky one more time, and he did the same.
It was no longer awkward now. If anything, it felt convenient.
“Brigid was right. It truly is beautiful here,” Lily murmured.
“This was where Jeremiah came often,” Alasdair revealed, nodding toward the expanse below. “It gave him a full view of the gates and the road beyond. But more than that, it was his sanctuary.”
She glanced at him, heard the small hitch in his breath. His brother was clearly still a sore spot. One she wasn’t sure she wanted to press. So she decided to change the subject.
“I still cannae believe I stabbed ye in the thigh.”
“I can,” he said easily. “That is why I’m here with ye.”
Her chest tightened. “Ye have risked yer life twice with me now.”
“That is nothing. I would risk it a hundred more.”
The words rang with such simple truth that Lily could not look away. The moon caught his profile and silvered his hair. At that moment, realization struck her.
He truly meant it. He would go through hell for her if he must.
He turned, and his eyes narrowed as he caught her staring.
“What? Do I have something on me face?” he asked, running his palm over his cheek.
“Nay.”
“Be serious.”
“I am. Ye look fine.”
