Page 105 of The Highlander Is All That

With a sigh, he turned back to his room, but before he made it, he heard the creak of a door at the end of the hall and froze. He knew whose room that was. He’d been fixated on that room all night.

Slowly he turned with a glower on his face. It was difficult maintaining his ire at the sight of Anne in her white nightgown, her hair tousled and her cheeks pink.

“I told you not to open the door,” he said on a sigh.

She lifted a delicate shoulder. He tried not to focus on the way the neckline of her gown slid down with the movement. “I wanted to see what was happening.”

“Anne—”

“I was frightened.” Her expression devastated him. Indeed, she looked genuinely upset.

He’d never seen her frightened, not by anything, and the thought of it made his chest ache. “You’re safe. I promise.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.” He took a step toward her room, though he knew he shouldn’t. He hated the way her lip trembled. The way her eyes implored him.

Or maybe not.

“Can you stay with me for a while?” she asked, and his pulse stopped. When it started again it was with a savage throbbing he felt through his entire body. One spot in particular.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

She nibbled her lower lip, which certainly didn’t help. “Please? Just until my heart stops pounding.”

Her heart was pounding?

“I had quite a fright.”

How could he say no?

He was a gentleman, after all.

He was also a man.

A man who had wanted this woman since the moment he’d laid eyes on her.

She was begging him to come to her, to stay with her.

How could he say no?

He couldn’t.

Flooded with an eerie sense of destiny, he followed her into her room, closed the door, and threw the bolt.

* * *

It should be uncomfortable, being here alone with Ranald, but it was not. For the first time this evening, Anne felt truly safe. She glanced at him from beneath her lashes as he prowled to the hearth.

He wore a long linen undershirt and a pair of loose breeks. Undoubtedly he’d not had time to dress before rushing into the hall to settle that altercation, so she could only assume this was how he slept.

For some reason, the thought sent shards of heat slicing through her.

“I . . . ah . . .” She had no idea what she intended to say, but that hardly signified, because at her words, he turned to look at her and all thoughts wafted away, replaced by an odd sort of hunger. One she never thought she’d feel again. One she’d tried so hard to bury. She turned away because the feelings were too raw. “Thank you for staying.”

“No’ a problem. I’ll sit here by the fire. You go back to bed.” This he said in a harsh tone through tight lips.

His demeanor was almost cold. She didn’t like it in the least.