He nodded firmly. “Yes I was. I took advantage, knowing how you would respond when I promised the choice would be yours.”
“It was mine.”
“You did not initiate it. I forced the issue and you simply responded.”
“But you pleased me, not yourself,” she said, defending him.
“I may not have climaxed, but I took pleasure in making love to you. The choice remains yours as to when we make love.”
Aliss stared at him, speechless. He had yet again proved his honor to her and she continued to think him deceitful? She should put an end to this tormenting situation right here and now. She should forgive him and love him and share her life with him. But she had yet to have all the answers. She had yet to be sure of his intentions. She had to know for sure. She could not be made to feel a fool again.
She moved to the end of the bed, holding the sheet to her chest.
“I am a patient man. I will wait.”
She almost winced at the thought that he contained his own desires while seeing to hers. How unselfish of him.
Or wise.
She wanted to slap that pessimistic voice right out of her head. But it was a warning she needed to heed. She had to make certain he loved her without reservation. She wanted no doubts, no barriers in the way of their love. She wanted love pure and simple and unburdened.
She shook her head. Could that ever be?
“Is something wrong?”
“No, my thoughts just drive me crazy.”
“I know what you mean.”
He smiled and her heart leaped. He was such a handsome man, ruggedly handsome, the kind that makes a woman act foolishly. A fate she could attest to. Or was it her heart that actually found him more handsome than she had realized?
“Your brother grows impatient to visit with you. He insists that you usually rise with the dawn and it is already well past dawn.”
She gasped. “You jest.”
He laughed. “No, you slept and snored quite soundly.”
“I did not,” she protested.
“You did, but I will not tell anyone if you wish me not to.”
“I cannot believe it. I always rise with the sun.”
“Your brother’s exact words. I think he thinks I keep you prisoner.”
A prisoner of love. She blushed a crimson red.
He laughed, walked over and kissed her. “I love you.”
She stared motionless as he shut the door behind him.
Aliss and her brother hibernated beneath the heavy branches of a large oak tree after she had finished a later-than-usual morning meal, while Raynor had enjoyed a second one.
“Rogan treats you much better than I had expected. He is considerate of you, patient with you, and sees to your needs better than you do.”
“You sound disappointed,” Aliss said, considering her brother’s remark. Had she neglected to see the obvious?
“The Wolf has been a nemesis for some time. It isn’t easy to go from considering him a foe to a friend when the past keeps rearing its ugly head.”
“You think me foolish for wedding him?”
“I never thought you foolish or stubborn, those qualities belong to Fiona.”
They both laughed.
“I just want to make certain the Wolf isn’t using you to benefit himself.”
“Which is why you think he treats me well?”
Raynor shrugged. “I cannot say for sure. I was surprised by his attentiveness toward you. But it could be a ruse to make certain he keeps this land.”
“The land is his. Tarr gave it to him freely.”
“It was a wedding gift to you both and for a good reason. Tarr knew neither you nor your sister would be happy living too far apart.”
“He was right about that, but I’m curious. Did this land hold any special meaning for Tarr?”
“It was an inheritance from his mother’s people, as far as I know. I think Tarr mentioned that his mother’s father designated it to someone specific, though I don’t recall who.”
“It does not disturb him to see the land leave his family?”
“The land does not leave his family,” Raynor said. “You became part of the Hellewyk clan when your sister wed Tarr. As far as he is concerned the isle remains part of his clan.”
“The Wolf clan now being an extension of the Hellewyk clan,” Aliss concluded.
“It is the way to become an unequaled force: smaller clans expanding larger ones and the chieftain’s power growing when each unite. I am sure Rogan is pleased that his insignificant clan has joined with a powerful clan. After all, a chieftain’s duty is to make choices that will benefit his people.”
“A good reason to wed me, but then aren’t many marriages arranged just for that reason?”
“The differences being that most betrothed women know that before they wed. You made a choice to wed based on lies,” Raynor said. “Can you live with that?”