Page 80 of Wedded to the Devilish Highlander
Eileen felt scared for a moment, but she went to him and placed her hand on his back. He flinched but didn’t move away from her. She ran her hand up to the nape of his neck and held it there, rubbing her thumb over his skin.
Archer suddenly hoisted her up by her rear and took two steps forward until her back hit the wall. He pressed his lips to hers, and she got what she wanted, though not as expected.
His hungry tongue danced its way into her mouth, supple and commanding, licking at her. He pressed his body against hers, pinning her to the wall. Their heads moved to one side then the other, their lips slipping against each other’s, their kisses sloppy and rushed, filled with desire and anger.
Eileen bit his bottom lip, eliciting a small moan. He ground himself against her, his rock-hard, strong, powerful body taking her breath away. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into her, wanting to become one with him.
Then, as soon as the kiss started, it ended.
Archer let her go and spun on his heels. Eileen’s feet dropped to the floor, and she had to put out a hand to steady herself. Archer walked straight to the other side of his study and punched the bookcase, cracking the wood.
Eileen sucked in a breath, and her legs almost wobbled as she stood by the wall. She had been scared already, but her fear grew, and she became a little girl confronted by a wolf when walking through the woods alone.
Yet, she was compelled to step forward. She went to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, and when he spun to face her with the fury of a forge furnace in his green eyes, she didn’t flinch or back away.
“Tell me,” she pressed. “Please.”
Archer breathed heavily through his nose.
Eileen lifted her hand to his cheek, but he shrugged her off.
“I had to kill him for what he did,” he grunted.
“What? Who?” she asked.
“Mack.”
“Because of me,” she muttered.
She’d never been insensitive to anyone’s death before, and she shuddered, for her words had brought about a man’s demise.
What if I was wrong?
“Nay, nae because of ye,” Archer corrected. “He died because of what he did. He admitted to it all—the smugglin’, workin’ for O’Gunn, betrayin’ the clan. He deserved far worse than death, but he’s nae a threat anymore.”
“Ye did what ye needed to,” Eileen said, relieved that she hadn’t been mistaken about what she heard when sneaking around with Piper.
She’d barely seen her maid, what with all the commotion in the castle over the past few days.
“Aye, I did,” Archer uttered. “We willnae see him again. Nay one will.”
“And the castle will be far safer now. But it’s nae over, is it? It cannae be if ye have guards watchin’ me and Reid.”
“Nay, it’s nae over yet. I dinnae ken when it will be, but I’ll nae let anyone get to ye. And I willnae let yer braither die here after he managed to escape.”
Eileen took a deep breath. “I didnae mean to barge in here and accost ye. I shouldnae have done that. Ye’re only protectin’ me, and I’m nae so stubborn as to think that I dinnae need protection. If someone comes for me, I’ll be glad to have guards close. The same goes for Reid.”
“Aye,” Archer answered. He was still shaking with rage.
“I ken that it’s hard to have done what ye did, but he would have caused more pain if he were allowed to live,” Eileen said. “Ye shouldnae dwell on that for too long.”
“Och, it’s nae that which I’m dwellin’ on,” Archer admitted. “It’s what he told me.”
“What did he tell ye?” Eileen asked.
Archer inhaled deeply through his nose and turned away again. He lifted his balled fist but brought it down gently on the bookcase this time. When he turned back to her, his face looked darker even though the candlelight shone on it. Each wrinkle and valley was cloaked in shadow, and his eyes looked more like the wet grass on a dull spring morning than shimmering emeralds.
“I havenae told ye how me faither died,” he murmured.
