Page 24 of Highlander’s Lesser Evil

“I don’t think I can keep you hidden for long. Any MacSeaver who steps foot on this land tends to spread panic, and several people would have seen and recognized you by now. It won’t take long for Graeme to find out. You need to tell me the truth. Do you think Graeme would try and drag you back to MacSeaver’s lands?”

“I doonae know.” As she twisted her fingers unhappily, fear shone in her eyes. “He doesnae like me vera much, but he usually ignores me. I have no idea what goes on in that head of his.”

“He isnae laird yet, which means he cannae order ye to go home, and he wilnae drag you out, even if Theo doesnae grant ye sanctuary.” Gemma pushed her shoulders back resolutely. “Ye were my friend when I needed one the most, so I will help ye. Ye can count on it.”

But first, she would need to woo her husband to her side.

“Distract me,” Jillian pleaded. “Tell me of what has happened in Loch Moran since I have left and what Theo is like as a laird.”

“Overbearing, rude, irritating,” Gemma murmured, but then she smiled. “He is also protective and kind. He values Loch Moran for the resources and seems to understand that it is nothing without the people. He barely sleeps; he is so busy getting to know the people and readying the guards for when some fool clan decides to attack.”

Jillian smiled. “Ye respect him.”

“As a laird, yes. I only have Fletcher to compare, so anyone would seem impressive. As a husband, I mostly want to throttle him. He issues orders without thought and expects me to obey. And…” She wanted to tell her friend about her mixed feelings about having Theo in her bed. About how she craved him and how she feared the influence the man had over her body, but Jillian never spoke of her own marriage and rarely spoke of her dead husband. The last thing Gemma wanted to do was uncover old wounds.

Besides, this was her personal business, and she would deal with it.

“And?” Jillian prompted.

“And I need a break thinking of my husband,” Gemma laughed. “Come, let us find Elizabeth. She missed you so much after you were gone, and she’ll be excited to see you again.”

Taking her friend’s hand, she pulled her to her feet and vowed that she would do whatever it took to bring the light back to her eyes.

10

Theo was furious. His wife had disrespected him and blatantly disregarded his authority in front of his men, and for that reason, he’d walked away. He didn’t trust himself not to do something rash, which would have been so natural of his father, and so he pushed the men a little too hard during the training session. When he returned to the cottage, it was midafternoon, and Gemma was calmly sitting at her loom.

Alone.

Sweaty, filthy, and still in ill-temper, Theo narrowed his eyes. “Where is our guest?” he hissed.

“That would be my guest,” Gemma said calmly. “I had a feeling that you might be a bear about things, so she is staying elsewhere for the night until you and I come to an understanding.”

“Aye,” he agreed. “Ye most certainly need to understand a few things about being my wife.”

Turning to face him, she immediately wrinkled her nose. “But first, you need a bath. I’ll draw some water from the well if you want to start the fire to heat it.”

They worked quietly as they set her tub in the cottage. Theo didn’t bother with modesty as he stripped and sank into the warm water. There was a time when he hesitated getting naked in front of others. When he was old enough to bed a woman, some had recoiled at his body’s sight. Most ignored it, caring more that he might be laird than what he looked like beneath his clothes.

Shedding in front of other men had been difficult as well. When on patrol with his men, they would often bathe in the river together, and he feared his scars would show weakness. By that point, it had been years since his father had taken a whip to him. He only brutalized those who couldn’t fight back, but it was still a reminder that he’d been weak.

Now, it was just part of who he was. His brother had seen his scars, and it was only a matter of time before Gemma did as well.

Meeting her gaze, he arched an eyebrow when he saw the blatant desire there. She wasn’t surprised by the scars, nor was there any pity. Instead, she seemed to see him as whole. It affected him more than he wanted to admit, but he kept himself in check.

Last night, she’d seemed terrified of his touch, but her face today told a different story. He would not pounce until he understood the reason why.

“Ye are welcome to join me, Wife.”

Hastily, she averted her gaze. “No, I think we have more pressing issues than our pleasure, but I am not certain it’s appropriate to discuss Lady Jillian while you are bathing.”

True. The last thing he wanted to talk about was another woman while he was naked with his wife, even if she wasn’t naked. “All right, then let’s talk about something more appropriate to the situation, like what happened last night.”

Her cheeks reddened, and she started to turn her whole body away from him before she thought better of it. Pushing her shoulders back, she faced him. He adored the boldness in her.

“Very well. I should have thanked you for showing me more about the pleasure between a man and a woman. I was remiss, and for that, I apologize. And I thank you. It was an eye-opening experience, and I enjoyed it.”

“Yet ye ran from me and cried yerself to sleep.” His gut knotted at the memory. The last thing he wanted to do was cause his wife pain.