Page 8 of Never Kiss a Highlander

“I will be following ye until ye are safe within the castle walls.”

She leaned forward. “Why are ye vexing me so? Every time I do something pleasurable there ye are making sure I doona enjoy myself.”

Before he could stop himself, he said, “Anytime ye are seeking pleasure, lass, I will be happy to oblige.”

She looked a tad confused at first, and then she must have realized what he meant, and her face flushed. “I shall ignore that, Mr. Mackay.” She turned her back on him and rode off.

As promised, he followed her until they reached the castle. He couldn’t believe what he’d said to the lass. Not only was she The Mackay’s daughter, but she was also betrothed to another.

Aye, to another who didn’t plan to make sure she was pleasured as a wife should be. Then he chastised himself. ‘Twas not his issue what the laird had worked out for his daughter.

All those lovely curves would be used as a brooder and then cast aside. He jumped from his horse and before he was able to help Lady Alison from her mount she jumped off.

“Very well done, lass,” he said.

She placed her hand on her chest, bringing his eyes to those breasts again. “Doona tell me ye said something nice to me, Mr. Mackay!”

His reaction to her annoyed him. Better to keep her angry with him until she was married and off to her husband’s keep. He rested his forearm on his horse’s back and grinned at her.“‘Twas the first time since I arrived that ye did something worthy of my compliment.”

“Ach!” She pointed her finger at him. “Stay far away from me, Mr. Mackay, if ye value yer life.” She stomped off, her hips swaying in a delightful way.

Aye, that was exactly what he wanted. To be far away from her and the temptation she was.

Alison growled as she entered the great hall, then proceeded up the stairs to her bedchamber.

She couldn’t remember when a man made her as angry as Mackay did. Anyone at the keep would say she was an easy to get along with lass. True, she held herself away from people, mostly the men.

Her lesson as a young lass had been a hard one, and since then she didn’t want anything to do with men. Which was precisely why she agreed to the betrothal agreement with Archie Sinclair.

While it might cause her some embarrassment with him so openly displaying his lemman, she preferred that to another broken heart. She was willing to sacrifice her pride for her independence.

She spent time cleaning up before going downstairs for the evening meal. With any luck the arrogant Finn Mackay would have stumbled over his ego and damaged a body part. She grinned. The one most important to all men.

Her eyes went immediately to the dais where the object of her annoyance sat in deep conversation with her da. Why did the man have to be so handsome? And why was his smile, which he never turned in her direction, so appealing?

She’d had to chase away kitchen servers from falling all over him when they served the food. The chamber maids gathered together and giggled when he strode by, no doubt looking for something to add to his list of things to chastise her about.

Once settled next to her da, she glanced in Finn’s direction again to see him staring at her. She patted her hair. “Is something amiss, Mr. Mackay? Have I dirt on my face?”

He had the nerve to grin at her and then turned his attention back to her da.

She huffed and looked at one of the kitchen servers. “Brenda, place the food on the table and return to the kitchen.” God’s bones, he was turning her into a shrew.

‘Twas an accident that she heard the conversation between her da and the cursed man. The words floated over her until she heard Finn mention her.

She looked over at him. If he was going to talk about her, she would know what about.

“I doona think ‘tis a good idea to allow the lass to wander outside the castle walls. ‘Tis dangerous times, and a lass could find herself in trouble.”

Her da nodded. “Aye. I haven’t been too dutiful with my daughter of late. ‘Tis why I am happy to have her married off and someone else’s trouble instead of mine.”

Finn looked over at her, surprise and something that looked like pity in his eyes.

Alison sucked in a breath. Trouble? Since when did she become a problem to her da? He’d always doted on her, spending time teaching her games and how to read and do her numbers. However, since her brothers died, he’d become a shell of a man.

Such wonderful news. She was going from a man who considered her a problem to a man who didn’t want her. Again.

She glanced down at her food, which no longer held appeal, and fought the tears that threatened. She would stab herself with her eating knife before she would show such weakness in front of Finn.