Page 67 of Ruined By the Ruthless Highlander
Before she could react, he scooped her up in his arms. Marian gasped, her hands instinctively gripping his shoulders as the ground disappeared beneath her feet.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, though her protest lacked its usual force.
“Ye’re done for the day,” he declared, already turning toward the castle. “And I cannae have ye injure yerself further.”
“Put me down.”
“Nay.”
Marian swung her legs, kicking the air weakly as her bones ached. “Lachlan?—”
“Nay, Mairi.” Lachlan’s voice was rough, brooking no argument.
Behind them, she heard Lilly’s concerned voice, fading away as Lachlan carried her out of the field and toward the glen.
Marian fell silent. Her body relaxed slightly in his arms, despite the incessant hammering of her heart against her ribs. Lachlan held her as though she were something precious to him.
It terrified her. But worse still, she found itthrilling.
“Good heavens,” she whispered under her breath as they turned toward the castle.
The journey was easily one of the most intense ones she’d ever been on. Lachlan did not look at her once, even as his body vibrated against her. She felt every shift of his grip. His heart pounded like that of a rabid dog, so hard she could feel it against her chest.
Can he possibly hear my heart racing, too?
Marian’s cheeks reddened, even as her body melted like butter under his touch—or touches, since all of her weight rested in his arms.
“You can put me down now,” she said quietly as they arrived in the courtyard.
“Nay,” he uttered, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. His eyelashes were thick and long—she noticed as she looked up at him.
“I can walk.”
“I ken that.”
“Then why?—”
“Because I’m nae ready to let ye go yet.”
It was now her turn to swallow nervously.
She was relieved to find the castle empty. She looked away, tucking her face into his chest as he carried her into the Great Hall, then up a flight of stairs she’d never seen before.
The staircase opened into the library, the smell of books immediately filling her nostrils as Lachlan finally lowered her onto her feet.
Marian stood facing him, her face flushed even as his eyes looked everywhere but at her.
They were alone.
Lachlan’s eyes drifted across the bookshelf behind her as they stood in silence.
He had no interest in picking up a book. Heck, he couldn’t even bring himself to read the lettering off their spines as Marian’s blue eyes followed him, piercing through his slowly crumbling defenses.
I shouldnae have carried her.
His jaw clenched at the realization, though it was too late now.
He could hear her breathing in front of him, fast and heavy, rivaling the sound of his own rapid heartbeat.
