Taken Away (A Swept Away Saga Origins Story)

Ten

The water from the falls crashed down the side of the mountain, spray from the cool water dusting Will in a light dampness. Tiny droplets coated his skin and soaked into his kilt as he carefully climbed over the edge of the drop off, settling onto a large shelf a few feet down. Looking out over the scene ahead of him, he felt as if the air filling his lungs was saturated with some kind of magic, all of his problems pushed out of his mind. Sunlight bathed the mountain tops, shadows creeping through the small valleys, and the blue sky clear above him.

Turning back to the precipice of the waterfall, he motioned for Isobel to come close, holding his hands out to her. "I've got ye," he assured her, smiling.

Carefully, she took a few steps toward the edge of the drop and sat down on the edge, placing her hands on his shoulders, fingers twisting into the fabric of the shirt he'd put on before leaving the hut again. There was some trepidation in her eyes, but it all vanished as he wrapped his hands around her waist, complete trust on her face.

Pulling her against himself, Will steadied her, grinning as they clung to each other in the tiny space. The motion of her hands sliding off his shoulders and onto his chest made him want to shiver, her touch warm through the moisture. Taking extra precaution to not startle her, he slowly turned her around, keeping her captured in his arms as her back rested against him and they rotated to look across the way once more. As the water soaked into her hair, causing it to stick to the both of them, he was reminded of their first night together, when she'd rescued him from the rain. So much had changed in the short time since she'd invited him inside. The thought made his stomach twist with guilt, but he shoved it aside quickly. Instead of focusing on what had been—and the issues he'd no doubt created for himself since then—he was going to live in this moment.

Breathing in the faint scent of heather that still clung to Isobel, he tightened his hold around her, resting his chin on her shoulder as they both looked out. A rainbow had formed in the spray, like a beacon of hope to those who were faint of heart. The sound of the water rushing over the mountain's edge and crashing down below roared around them, the falls disappearing into the pool at least one hundred feet beneath them.

Still, the most captivating piece of the entire scene was the woman in his arms. Sunlight shone through her hair, making it look like a fiery, wet halo. Water droplets slowly trickled down her skin, as if to tease him over the fact that they were caressing her and he wasn't. Her dress greedily sucked up the moisture as well, a sheen of light reflecting off the layer of liquid that covered the both of them. Beneath all of that, he could feel the faint rushing of her heart, the movement of her chest as she breathed in deeply, and the pressure of her head leaning against his.

Without a doubt, he knew this would be an instant he would remember for the entirely of his life.

"It's beautiful," she said softly, her words almost lost to him in the falls. Her hands brushed over his arms around her waist, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for them to stand like this.

"Aye. It's a magnificent land we live in."

"It truly is. Ireland is beautiful as well, but I've never tired of the view of the Scots." Chuckling softly, she turned her head, looking at him with a smile.

"Is that so?" He wanted to kiss her again so badly, it was as if his entire body were urging him to take her by surprise again.

Eyes sparkling, she nodded, her gaze flicking down to his mouth for half a second. "I could stand on this ledge with ye every day till the end of time and it would never be enough."

For some reason, the statement made his heart flip, skipping a beat once more, and his mouth suddenly went dry. "I dinna believe it," he said weakly, allowing her to turn in his grasp and face him once more.