Page 49 of A Hellion for the Highland Hawk
Her gaze snapped up to his, a slight frown of concern creasing her brow.
For goodness’ sake, control your face!
“I guess we could try it,” she said, her throat tight.
Hunter gave a small nod. “Thank ye, lass. I ken this willnae be easy for ye, but I’ll do what I can to make it… smoother for ye.”
She was about to ask what he meant by that, as if that gleam in his eyes wasn’t answer enough, when a knock sounded at the door.
Her breath caught as she whirled around, wondering if the castle residents had been given some kind of cue sheet as to when she and Hunter would be alone in a rather suspicious fashion.
“Who is it?” she called out.
“It’s Beathan,” a somewhat hesitant voice called back. “Me maither told me to knock on me way past to tell ye that the night maid is retirin’, seein’ as the sun is up.”
Hunter’s eyes flashed with faint annoyance, but he held his tongue.
“Thank you, Beathan. I’ll be along in a minute,” Nancy replied, her heart pounding. She’d already been caught out by one of Hunter’s cousins; she didn’t need to make it a pair.
“Very good, Miss Kane,” Beathan said, followed by the echo of his footsteps retreating.
As her heart rate began to slow, Nancy shot a warning look at Hunter. “Wait a couple of minutes, and then you need to leave so that I can get dressed and get on with my day. I’d say there’s already been far too much excitement.”
“Och, but if ye have a couple of minutes to spare, there could be a littlemoreexcitement,” he purred.
She jabbed an accusatory finger at him. “I don’thave a couple of minutes, but I need youto sneak out of here without anyone seeing you. So, just… stand there and eat your apple and then get out.”
“I can help ye with yer dress if ye like?” he offered casually, though hedidtake another bite of the apple he’d stolen.
She ignored him and went to her wardrobe, sifting through the dresses that had been gathered for her, painfully aware of his eyes on her, following her every movement.
A Hawk, indeed.
CHAPTER 20
By the roaringfire in his study, the fierce heat of the flames thawing the last of the chill from his bones, Hunter swirled a hearty measure of whiskey.
He had already had a smaller measure, in an attempt to calm himself, but it had not been close to enough. It didn’t matter that it was still morning; he would drink as much whiskey as it took to get the events of last night and the last hour untangled in his mind.
Curse ye, Elsie.
He knew with complete certainty that his cousin could have kept her mouth shut. She was adored in this castle. If she had spread the word that it wasn’t what it had seemed to be, people would have believed her. If she’d explained that there had been a near-drowning incident, no one would have argued.
The fact that the ‘betrothal’ didn’t have to end in marriage was neither here nor there, for how was he supposed to endure the time until Nancy departed?
He needed to put on a performance for his people, to soften the harsher opinions of him, but that meant staying close to her, letting his people see a fondness, a connection between them.
But it was that connection that was making him want to drink, to wash away all torturous thoughts of her before they overwhelmed him.
I cannae trust meself around her.
One reminder of her perfect breasts, the dip of her waist, the soft, trembling flesh of her inner thighs, the taste of her, the hungry pressure of her lips, and his loins ached afresh.
It would be torment, for if she was determined to leave, he couldn’t risk getting into that situation again. If he did, and she urged him on, no force in the world would’ve been able to stop him.
And I willnae have another bairn that I daenae ken about until after… or daenae ken about at all.
He groaned and knocked back a gulp of the strong, smoky whiskey.
