Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 92771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
He turned and left so fast that she had no time to respond, not that she had a response for him. She went to the door and latched it firmly. He was being honest with her. Letting her know he would not be staying with her permanently. The decision would not be an easy one. She realized she cared deeply for Quint and was probably on the verge of falling in love with him if she hadn’t already. She did not want to give that thought much credence since it would be that more difficult to bid him goodbye. Did she accept what he offered her? Or did she deny him and herself since it would only be for a short while?
She rested her brow against the door, not knowing what to do.
Quint stood with his head tilted back letting the rain pour over him. How did he go to Shade after what he just did? He brought his hands up as he lowered his head to look at them. The rain had washed the stains of blood off him but that hadn’t cleansed him. He didn’t regret what he did. Shade was safe now and he had a piece of information concerning his search.
Still, he wondered if he was being fair to her, seeking peace in her arms. That thought and the fact that his desire for her matched that of the desire he once had for his wife left him feeling baffled. He did not think he would ever feel that strongly for a woman again. It made him admit to himself that it wasn’t only passion he felt for Shade but that he cared for her and not simply as a friend. He had found a comfort in her arms that he did not quite understand, and he found himself wanting to explore it. Unfortunately, he had no time to do that.
He shouldn’t worry about anything going on between them tonight. It had taken longer than he had expected to accomplish what needed to be done, and it was late. Shade, no doubt, was asleep and he would not wake her. He removed his shirt as he approached the cottage and his plaid as well, squeezing what rainwater he could from both garments before entering the cottage.
His glance went straight to the bed. She was turned on her side away from him, the blanket tucked around her up to her neck. He was relieved and disappointed at the same time. He spread his garments on the bench she left in front of the fire for him, her garments drying on the bench beside it. He removed his boots and grabbed a couple of cloths off the narrow table under the lone window and got busy drying himself. He looked at the spot on the floor where he usually slept. It was a puddle of mud. Shade must have wrung the rainwater out of her garments there.
He stared at the mud. Had she wrung her garments out there on purpose, leaving him no alternative but to share her bed? Or had she been so exhausted she hadn’t realized what she did? It didn’t matter since his only place to sleep was beside her and he couldn’t say he minded.
He waited until his body was completely dry and his hair nearly dry before he approached the bed. He lifted the blanket just enough for him to gently slip beneath it and while the bed was a decent size it didn’t allow two peoples’ bodies not to touch. His arm grazed her back and he realized she was naked.
She turned and looked at him with eyes that held no sleep. She had been waiting for him.
“I can offer you no promises, Shade, but I can say that I care deeply for you,” he admitted. “You bring a comfort to my soul that I have long missed.”
“I’m not asking for any promises and my decision came easily since I have grown not only to know you but to care for you as well. I understand you will leave but I prefer your departure leaves me with pleasant memories rather than bitter regrets.”
Quint turned on his side to run his hand slowly over her cheek. “You are a beautiful woman, Shade, in far more ways than simply appearance.”
His kind words touched her heart and helped her to know she had made the right decision. “You should know, Quint, that I have never been with a man.”
He couldn’t hide his surprise. “You’re a virgin?”
She nodded. “I never met the right man or had the time to find one. Any man that showed interest, I found no interest in. Some thought me too fussy, others believed my healing was more important and I cannot argue with that, for at times that was so.”
Quint heard all she said but only part of it echoed in his mind… I never met the right man, and he asked, “You believe me to be the right man?”