Chapter 5

As the sun rose in the sky, Fann had grown over warm. His chest was now bare, beads of sweat collecting on the firm planes of muscle. Not wanting to be caught staring at his finely chiselled body, Eleanor spent the last bit of the morning lost in thought, staring out over the endless waves and praying that this stranger knew where they were going. She did not fancy being lost at sea. Her head was pounding and her stomach began to complain, but the height of the sun told her it was only about noon. There would still be several hours before they arrived at their destination. Assuming they were heading the right direction. There was nothing but blue sky and blue ocean as far as she could see. She had no idea how Fann knew where they were going. Her stomach clenched and she glanced at the satchel. Fann had not eaten yet. She doubted she could bring herself to eat another bite this day, but he should have something. If he lost strength they would be lost for she certainly couldn't row with the strength he did. She licked her dry lips and chanced a sideways glance at his naked torso.

Why did her heart beat faster and heat pool in her every time she looked at him? The nuns were forever warning her not to give in to these wicked feelings that plagued her on occasion, but she couldn't stop herself from glancing at him. Giving in to these feelings before marriage would lead to bastards they insisted. And after marriage, she was to wait for her husband to cure her of these cravings she had. How could something that felt this pleasant be wicked? Surely God had intended women to enjoy the creation of offspring as much as their husbands did. It would only be fair since women had to carry and birth the babe, then got most of the work involved later with tending the children. But why was it Fann who made her feel this warmth and anticipation, and not the man her father had sent for her to consider for marriage?

Liam had never had this pleasing effect on her. Or much of any pleasing effect at all. At first, she had enjoyed his visits. Having someone to talk to had been a welcome change, even though the way he looked at her made her uncomfortable. Most men made her feel that way though. Recently she'd realized that she was only just tolerating him because she felt she had little choice. It wouldn't due to be rude to a man her father wanted her to wed, but she preferred her own thoughts to his company. That was really saying something since most nights the only things she prayed for were someone to talk to and that her father send a decent man for her to wed. Unfortunately, conversation with Liam wasn't very interesting, and he was the only man who had been sent for her to meet. He liked to talk and for her to listen without expressing her thoughts or opinions unless he specifically asked her. She knew of his education and his friends, his past times, travels, and adventures. He had asked little of her. Liam's features were fair enough, but not once had she been drawn to look at him the way she wished to look on Fann now. She glanced his way again and her breath caught. His kilt had fallen open over his legs and he was barely covered. If she shifted, she might see... Eleanor gasped at her thoughts and turned to face back to the water. The brightness of it pierced into her eyes.

"Are you well lass?" Eleanor spun to face Fann, wincing and slamming her eyes shut when her head and stomach both objected to the movement. She opened her eyes she spent a moment taking in his straining muscles before moving her gaze up to his face. His eyes held hers with what seemed to be a real concern.

"My head is aching," she admitted quietly.

"You should eat some more. Ale might help your head as well."

Her hand went to her stomach. "I fear that would be a waste of our food as my stomach will simply send it back out again."

"You do not travel well?"

"I don’t know. I haven't left the island in eight years. I don't remember much of the trip there, except looking up at the stars and praying for my father to change his mind and return me home. I was too uncomfortable in the box to know if I was feeling ill on the barbarian ship, and the ride with Liam and his men was not a long one. I expect I might enjoy the boat ride if my head would stop pounding for a moment."

"Come closer," Fann said, spreading his legs wider, "Turn around and lean back against me." Eleanor shook her head, pulling her shawl around her and backing away as much as the small confines of the wooden craft would allow.

"That wouldn't be proper."

Fann cursed and dropped the oars, reaching out for her so quickly she didn't have a chance to stop him. The next thing she knew she was facing away from him, her legs out in front of her and her head resting against him. He bent to the side and picked up the piece of cloth he had stuffed in her mouth before.

"Close your eyes and rest while I row. The king himself entrusted your care to me. Our behaviour will not be questioned.

Lie still and let me cover your eyes with a damp cloth

to dim the light. If you continue to squint out at the sea you will only increase your discomfort." Something cool and wet came to rest over her eyes and the tension left her head immediately. She sagged against him in relief. She felt him adjust her shawl to keep her covered chest and neck protected from the sun. "There, you’re feeling better already, aren’t you? Now rest your body and your eyes. Your head should be back to normal in a little while, then we will eat." The steady swaying of the boat and the motion of his rowing soothed her more. Eleanor yawned and slid sideways a little, her head falling to rest on his thigh.

"Did you not sleep last night?"

"Weren’t you watching?"

"I was not close enough to know if you slept or simply lay there."

"Oh."

"Did you sleep?"

"Not much."

"You did not trust Laim to keep you safe?"

"He never promised to keep me safe."

"I do." Eleanor scrunched her tired face and tried to stir herself into enough wakefulness to follow the conversation.

"You do what?"

"I vow to keep you safe."

"Oh."

"You will always be as safe as you can be when I am near. Now sleep, Leannan. You will probably feel much better when you wake." Eleanor relaxed again, vaguely wondering why he called her by another’s name, and why it was she believed this stranger so completely.

Fann tried to focus on the task of rowing and put every ounce of strength he could muster into each pass with his oars. The sea settled as the sun rose and was the calmest he had ever known it. The knowledge that such a calm usually came only before a storm had him straining to reach their destination as quickly as possible. The sky was clear and there was no wind to speak of, but something had to be brewing out at sea for the swells here to be so few. He looked down at the woman asleep on his lap. Strands of her silken hair brushed against his bare legs as he shifted with the rowing. Her head rested on his leg, her body leaning intimately against his, his cock resting at half-mast behind her neck. Her skirt-covered legs were spread wide on the bottom of the boat, her breast rising with each breath. His cock stirred more.

Damn.

Even wearing himself ragged rowing didn't temper his need for her. A drop of sweat fell from his chin to her cheek and ran down her face to her neck. His fingers itched to collect the droplet and smooth the hair from around her face. If only he could row without his hands on the oars.

She had been asleep for a few hours now. His stomach was begging for food, but he wasn't going to wake her to feed him. He didn’t want to stop rowing long enough to fill his belly, but if she hadn't slept well since the start of her ordeal she needed the rest more than he needed food.

After a while longer, there was a shift in the wind. That was the first thing he noticed. A cool breeze, chilling the sweat on his face. Then a swell of water carried the boat higher. A storm was indeed brewing. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the faintest dark line of the shore. He scanned the horizon on all sides. No clouds yet. Maybe they would make it to shore before the sea grew fearsome. The boat rocked again and Eleanor stirred against him.

"Are you awake Eleanor?"

"Yes," she whispered, stretching a bit before realizing where she was and sitting up abruptly. "Oh!" She tore the now dry cloth from her eyes and blinked at the sudden brightness. The first thing she noticed was how much lower the sun was in the sky.

"Are you feeling better?" Eleanor turned her head and stretched her back, straightening her shawl before she turned.

"Yes, thank you. I think I was more fatigued than anything."

"Do you think you could feed me some bread and cheese?"

"Fee...feed you?"

"Yes. A sip of ale would not be amiss either. If you hold them to my lips I can keep rowing without pause. I want to reach shore as soon as possible, but I have grown both hungry and thirsty."

"You can not stop even a moment to satisfy your stomach?" Fann tightened his jaw trying to decide how much to tell her. He did not want to scare her. Would she panic if she knew he was worried he would not be able to get them to shore if the waves shifted and carried them away in the approaching storm? The tide was with them now, but a storm could churn the surface differently. Since she couldn't swim, the idea of being caught in a storm in this tiny craft would be terrifying.

"It will likely be easiest if I pause to drink, but a meal would take too long. I don't want us to arrive after dark. You can see the coastline behind me now, which is good, but I still need to locate the cove with the croft on it. That may take time." She nibbled on her lip.

"There is no reason to worry, Leannan. My hands are busy, and it is just a bit of food. You are safe." Eleanor swallowed and nodded while she reached for the satchel, though she was not at all sure she was safe. The way her insides tightened at the idea of feeding him told her the act of doing so certainly wouldn't save her from her wicked desires. Nobody had ever mentioned that she might find a man's mouth so enticing.