LUCKYMAN
CHAPTER 5
Claire was confused.
She shouldn’t have felt scared when she received a call that Jamie was gone.
It wasn’t her concern.
She should care less about him.
But damn him. There was something about him that made her feel it was her responsibility to look after him.
He was a stranger.
“Get in the car!” She snapped at him.
Jamie kept looking at her.
“Oh goodness. Are you gonna keep staring at me? You’ll freeze your arse!” She thought about his arse that she saw earlier, and she felt the heat rise in her face.
He came unstuck. “How do I. . . get in?” he asked, dumbfounded.
“What?”
“I dinna ken how to get in,” he whispered, but she heard him well. He looked embarrassed. She glanced at him, and suddenly a warm feeling washed over her. He tried to climb, one hand holding the headrest of the seat and the other on the top of the windshield.
She leaned to the side to open the passenger door. “There.”
Unaware of his nakedness, he climbed clumsily, like a little kid. At one point, Claire thought he saw one of his balls when he swung his legs before he sat on the passenger seat. She shook her head to clear the vision of his private part.
“A dhia.” He winced. “Why do I have to climb in this strange thing?”
Claire ignored him. “Put your seatbelt.”
“A what?”
“Seatbelt.”
“I dinna ken what ye’re talking about.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake!” Claire leaned to grab the seatbelt from the side of the seat, circling it around Jamie’s body.
“What are ye doing?”
“Securing you.”
They were so close that Claire could feel the heat radiating from his body and his breath gently fanning the side of her head. She felt goosebumps run on her skin. She didn’t know whether it was from the cold or from his closeness.
“Hmm.. ye smell good, Sassenach.”
Claire felt his lips barely touch her hair. She looked at him to see that his eyes were closed.
Damn him.
She sat back in her seat and pressed the accelerator, which startled them both.
“What in the devil?”
“Hold on.”
A few minutes later, Jamie sensed where they were going.
“Dinna bring me back to that awful place!”
“Why? Jamie, your wounds are not yet healed. You need to stay there so they can monitor you closely.”
“I just dinna like it there. I am fine. I suffered worse than this. These wounds are nothing.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“I am begging ye.”
“You look pale.”
“I’m fine!”
“You’re not!”
“Now I ken. Angels can be stubborn.”
“For the love of God, I am not your angel!” She snapped, her head whipped sideways and glared at him.
“Will ye look straight? I will not die from these wounds. I’ll die in fear. I love my life. I dinna escape from war and leave my men only to die in this offensive moving object!”
“It’s called ‘car’”
“I dinna care what you call it.”
“Nurse Barb will not be pleased if I don’t bring you back to the hospital.”
“I didna care about her either.” Jamie suddenly mumbled.
“Jamie-”
“Please. I dinna ken why I’m here. It’s not my time.”
“What?”
“I don’t belong in this time.”
“You’re not making sense.”
“I didn’t make sense. Nothing makes sense. All I ken is that I am from a different time.”
“You are still delirious. I really should bring you back to the hospital.”
“Bring me back to the stone. The place where ye first saw me.”
Claire didn’t respond. She just kept driving.
“Well, it gives me joy that ye didna like me to go back, but I must.” A pause and then… “Woman! I told ye not to bring me back here!”
“Stop yelling at me, you stubborn Scot! I only came here to collect your things. If you don’t want to go back there,” Claire raised her hand and pointed to the hospital in front of them. “I’m happy to bring you back to the stones as you wish and get rid of you!”
“Hmmp.” A Scottish noise was being heard in the silence between the two of them.
Blue eyes met gold. Both glaring at each other.
If a random passerby saw them, they would probably think they were two lovers quarrelling.
After half an hour, Claire went back to her rental car, pissed as hell. She just spent 100 pounds to discharge him. To make it worse, and to her humiliation, she was holding a sword and dagger in her hands.
The bloody man. I could use the dagger on him. She thought.
She was ready to scold him. But when she reached the car, she saw him slump, his head lolled to one side. He looks pale and young.
Again, Claire felt something warm wash over her. She shouldn’t feel something for him. But she can’t deny the attraction.
She hates it.
She didn’t want it.
But here she is, pondering whether she’ll dump him on the stones.
Or bring him with her.
“I am from a different time.” He said. It doesn’t make sense. But Claire started to wonder, maybe this strange (ok fine, good-looking) man was telling the truth.
So, she climbed back into the car and drove back to her hotel.
With Jamie.
