Page 34 of Wedded to the Devilish Highlander
Her silence and pointed stare told him all he needed to know—it was just a couple of days ago, when he handed her his blade.
“We will have to work on that, then.”
“I’m nae plannin’ on usin’ it when?—”
“I’d rather ye be able to protect yerself when I cannae be there, should the need ever arise.”
“Ye cannae be everywhere I am,” she scoffed.
He caught her wrist, and their eyes locked. “That’s what I’m sayin’, lass.”
Her cheeks reddened further. “I understand.”
“Ye will start lessons. If I have to train ye meself, then so be it.”
“So be it,” she echoed, before turning back, walking away faster this time.
Once she was gone, Archer released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
Lord help me, she is goin’ to be the death of me.
“Calum,” he said in a low, deadly tone.
His man-at-arms appeared in the doorway, already alert, his hand on the hilt of his dagger as though ready for another threat. “Archer.”
Archer turned slightly, his jaw clenched, his thoughts still spinning. “I need ye to do somethin’ for me. Quietly.”
“Of course.”
“Send scouts to O’Gunn. Discreet. Nay banners. Nay insignia. I want eyes on their borders and their villages.”
Calum furrowed his brow. “Done. What are we scoutin’?”
“I wish to ken where Reid Kilmartin is. Me betrothed is under the impression that he might be with them.”
Calum nodded. “With them, as in bein’ held?”
“I dinnae ken yet,” Archer muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “But I mean to find out. If that bastard O’Gunn is behind all of this heartache, if he has the lad and has laid a finger on him, I will have justice. And if he’s nae, then we’ll still need information for leverage. He willnae take kindly when he hears that I’m betrothed to the woman he planned to marry.”
Calum nodded. “Aye, he’ll howl worse than the wolves at a full moon.”
“Correct.”
“Understood.”
As Calum turned to go, Archer lingered, his eyes returning to the flames licking the stone hearth. But it wasn’t the fire he felt burning inside him—it was a desire to protect Eileen.
Eileen Kilmartin, what are ye doin’ to me?
The heat in her eyes had stirred something dark and hungry inside him. But what rattled him more was how protectivehe felt. Not just lust. Not just want. But something deeper, possessive even.
As long as she was under his roof, he would offer his protection. He would keep up the charade for as long as needed, and she could go on her way when all was said and done.
She was different from the women he usually tempted into his bed, more fiery and with a mind of her own, but that didn’t change anything.
If he could win the war with O’Gunn, the council might be happy enough not to push for marriage again. Peace in the lands was more valuable than a hundred marriages. Then, he could live his life in peace, ruling as Laird and not worrying about marriage—a bond he didn’t need or want with anyone.
Marriage only brings weakness. Lucky that I found a woman who doesnae want to marry me as much as I dinnae want to marry her.
