Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Rogan moved to nibble at her ear. “I told you the choice is yours. Do you want to make love with me?”
Damn him and damn herself for responding to him. Of course she wanted to make love. Love! Not make lust with him.
“No,” she spat.
He released her hands and grabbed her chin. “Be careful that your stubbornness does not lose you something you will regret.”
He rolled off her and turned on his side away from her.
Aliss lay there, her body aching for him, her mind admonishing her for her stupidity and her heart hurting as she had never known it could.
Chapter 23
Rogan stood on the bow of the ship that rose and fell with the swelling waves and stared at the approaching isle. A white sandy shore greeted them and a rocky terrain followed behind, attached to lush green land dotted with trees that thickened to woods.
Hills speared the gray sky, capped by a fine mist that would probably grow thicker with the approaching storm. Rogan had wasted no time this morning; the scent of a squall was strong in the air. The ships were ready and the people willing. They set sail soon after sunrise knowing it would take, weather permitting, until evening to reach the isle.
He had dreamed and planned for this day for years. Unfortunately, his victory tasted bittersweet. He had known a strong love with Kendra, but his love for Aliss was nothing less than profound. He had not even known when he had fallen in love with her. He could not say it had been sudden, though it had been unexpected.
He only knew now that he did not wish to live without her. He had six months to prove his love to her. Six months to speak the truth and wonder if she would hate him even more because of it.
He cringed at the idea that Aliss could hate him. He had known she had spoken with anger last night but her words still cut deep. He had hoped she would understand, but then she did not know the whole of it. He was not sure he wanted her to know all of it. Some secrets were better left buried.
He had wanted so badly to make love with her last night, show her how much they truly loved each other. She had wanted to just as badly, but he had given her a choice and he would honor his word, no matter how difficult. He hoped with time her hurt would pass and she would see that their love had survived, had always been there and would never go away.
If not?
He pushed the painful thought from his mind. He would not visit it again. He was a warrior who had claimed victory in many battles. He would claim victory in this battle or die trying, but he would not—would not let Aliss go.
“We land soon?”
He turned to Aliss, her face pale and her body trembling.
He reached out and drew her into his arms, resting her face to his chest.
“I am not a good sailor.”
“The sea is not pleasant today even for a seasoned sailor,” he said, feeling her arms slip around his waist and hold on tight. He hugged her to him, wanting to ease her discomfort yet knowing only land beneath her feet could do that. “We will touch land soon.”
She moaned. “I am so grateful and jealous.”
He chuckled. “I heard your sister, as you bade each other good-bye this morning, tell you how much she enjoyed sailing.”
“And she is with child. It is not—” She pulled away from him.
Her face was deathly pale and he knew she was about to be sick. He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her to the side of the ship, gently bending her head over the side.
Waves rocked the ship and sea mist sprayed her face and dampened her garments but he held her firm. He did not intend to let the sea claim her. She belonged to him.
She fell into his arms when she finished, drained from her ordeal. He wrapped his arms around her and carried her to where Anna sat with a few other women. They moved to make space for her.
“I will be back to get her once we reach shore,” he told Anna. “Make her stay here. The landing will not be an easy one.”
Anna nodded, looking pallid herself.
“It will be over soon,” he assured Anna and looked over to Aliss, who had yet to open her eyes. “Keep watch on her.”
Rogan walked off, directing the men to make ready to land. He had hoped they would beat the swelling waves but they were rising fast. It was a tricky feat to land the ship in such hazardous conditions. Sometimes men were lost, ships damaged.
He yelled out instructions and the men obeyed knowing their lives depended on it.