Page 26 of A Highlander Bound by Oath
"Aye? Do ye need anything?" he asked gruffly. Owen took in the large man in front of him. He was a muscular lowlander with dark brown hair and a matching goatee. His brows raised as Owen continued to watch him without saying a word.
"Och. Aye, we require a room for the night." The innkeeper regarded Owen quietly before turning to stare at Charlotte. Owen drew her closer to him.
"We are together," Owen said. All thoughts of his monk's duties went out the window. He needed to watch over Charlotte. The innkeeper shrugged, clearly not interested in what their relationship was. "We also require water for two baths, if ye please." He took out coins and slid them to the innkeeper, who picked them up quickly and put them in his pocket.
"Aye. My daughter will take ye tae yer room and yer water will be made available tae ye soon." He pointed at his daughter, who was returning with an empty tray. Owen nodded and waited for a ginger lass to get the keys and guide them to their room.
"Please follow me," she said and walked past them, taking them to a room upstairs. She led them to the last chamber down the hall, where she opened the door and handed the key to Owen.
"I will have yer water brought up for ye soon enough." And with that, she walked away, leaving them alone. The roomwas simple, with a single bed, two pillows, a chair and table, and a washbasin in the corner, much like Owen's room in the monastery. He would not have cared if it had more or less. All he wanted was to provide a place for Charlotte to rest and for him to take care of his wound.
It did not take long for Owen to hear a knock on the door. He opened the door carefully when he saw that it was the maid and thanked her before taking the buckets of water and soap from her.
"Ye can take a bath first and I will wait outside while ye do. When ye are done, just knock and I will come in." Owen went outside, closing the door behind him. He went down to ensure no questionable people were lurking about the inn. After taking a quick look and finding that there was no one new, he returned upstairs and sat in front of the locked door.
Owen did not know how long he was there before he heard a knock on the door. He quickly got up and walked back in to see Charlotte freshly bathed, looking as beautiful as she had the first time he saw her. He cleared his throat and looked at the washbasin, embarrassed that she had caught him staring at her.
"Right." He emptied the wash basin into an empty bucket and turned to face her. He could not very well ask her to go out and sit in front of the door like he had. And he doubted she would be fine with going to the bar alone. He moved the chair to the opposite end of the washbasin and tapped it.
"Why do nae ye sit here? I will try to be as quick as I can." He waited until she nodded and then he climbed into the bath to wash himself off. He hissed as the water touched his wound.
"Are you all right?" Charlotte asked with her back still turned to him.
"Aye, I am fine. I just need tae wash this off, is all." Owen poured water on his wound again, biting his lips when it stung once again. He quickly cleaned it, washing it with soap to ensure it would not get infected before proceeding to wash the rest of himself. He rinsed off and stepped out of the bath to towel dry. Owen walked to the little mirror just above the washbasin and studied his face. His eyes had sunk a bit, probably from the lack of sleep and pain. He wrapped a clean cloth around his wound and put on his clothes.
"Ye can turn around now."
Charlotte looked at him. "I am sure that ye are hungry and so am I. Why dinnae we go down to the bar and get some food tae eat?"
"Yes, please." Owen smiled when she eagerly stood and walked to the door. They made their way down and walked over to one of the empty seats close to the wall, him sitting in a position that afforded him a clear view of the room. He raised his hands to signify the innkeeper's daughter over.
"We will have some pottage and bread, thank ye." She was about to leave when Charlotte spoke up.
"Please, two cups of ale and water as well. Thank you." Owen looked at her in shock, surprised that she had ordered the ale. His shock wore off into a grin.
"I see the ale has grown on ye, aye?" he grinned wider when she scoffed.
"Of course not. I just want to try this and see if it tastes like the one at the monastery or better." Owen looked around when she mentioned the monastery to see if anyone was paying attention to their conversation. He tensed when he noticed the men looking in their direction but relaxed when he found out they were just staring at her as she laughed. And who could blame them? Charlotte was a stunning woman. As she smiled, she looked even more beautiful. Still, Owen could not stop his jealousy as the men grinned because of her.
Owen gazed at her. She had stopped laughing and yet, the men still stared. Owen was beginning to relax until he noticed one of them walking in their direction, his eyes fixed completely on Charlotte. Fueled by jealousy, Owen stared the man down and placed his hands on Charlotte's, intertwining them.
"Walk away," Owen said, glaring at the man. "She's with me." Seeing how angry he looked, the main raised his hands in surrender and backed off.
And then, as a surprise even for him, swallowed by wild rage, Owen pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Charlotte's eyes were wide in shock. She looked around but did not say anything, her face reddening even more than it had when he saw her naked.
Just at that moment, the innkeeper's daughter arrived with their food.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Charlotte did not know how she managed to finish her meal as she kept blushing with every bite. She had only looked up once and had not been surprised to find that everyone was staring at them, some more subtly than others.
Charlotte did not know what it was that had possessed Owen to act like that. Sure, a man had tried to talk to her, but she had not even noticed it until Owen laced their fingers together and glared at the man. The silence that had fallen upon the once loud room was so deafening that Charlotte felt her heart leap into her throat. Owen had a look of pride plastered on his face now that he had finally gotten the men to stop lusting after her. Sadly, all that had done was increase the looks she was getting, as now, both men and women stared at her.
She was thankful when the innkeeper's daughter finally returned with their food and ale. Charlotte dug into the food, forcing it past her constricted throat. She gulped down some ale, repulsed when the bitter drink filled her mouth and the smell wafted up her nostrils. Her eyes watered as she fought the urge to spitit out. She would not embarrass herself even more than she already was.
"How do ye like the ale? Is it better than the one at the place?" Owen asked her, still looking proud. Charlotte wished she could wipe the look off of his face for embarrassing her in such a manner. She glared at him and sighed.
Until now, they had been sitting in silence after what he had done, yet the first thing he thought to say was this? Charlotte saw some people who had been watching them avert their gaze when she looked around, including the man who had caused all of this in the first place. Everyone else was staring at them as though they were a couple. She shocked herself when she realized that she had actually enjoyed it instead of feeling annoyed that he had kissed her without her permission in front of so many people.
