Her Highlander's Heartl (Highlanders 0f Cadney Book 2)

by Fiona Faris

  She washed herself down with the sliver of lavender and honey soap the innkeeper’s wife had provided and she had to admit it was heavenly. For these few moments she was able to forget about Gavin, Elias and Nathan to just focus on the feel of the water as it lapped around her skin. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

  She must have dozed in the water for when she opened her eyes, she was not alone. Nathan stood over her, his eyes dark. Jumping from the tub, she tried in vain to cover herself. Thankfully she had left her shift on in the tub and she wasn’t completely naked, but still she manically grabbed at the plaid he had in his outstretched hands.

  “Och, Nathan, ye can’t go sneaking around a lady like that. Ye nearly scared me tae death.” She tried to dry herself off, but there was no way to dress with the wet shift clinging to her body. She would be damned if she was going to get naked in front of Nathan.

  “Did ye enjoy yer warm bath, then?” he asked, ignoring her statement completely. His mood and arrogance was bothersome. She had asked him if she should have saved some water for him, but he just grunted something about a cold loch and left the room. How was she to know he wanted her to leave anything for him, as his tone suggested? Now he comes in, scaring her half to her death and is angry with her?

  “Aye, ’twas indeed. Did ye find th’ cold loch ye went in search of?” She would be deviled if she was going play meek to his attitude.

  “Aye, but it did nothin’ for me.” He stalked closer to her, and Milly took a step back. “I find that I am tired.” He moved past her and fell onto the bed. Elevating his head with his hand and resting on his elbow, he gave her a sly smile before falling back and closing his eyes. “Please, lass dinnae let me stop ye from getting clothed.”

  “Ye swear tae keep yer eyes closed, then?”

  “Aye, ye’ll not be tempting me anymore today, Millicent. I’m tae tired.” Anymore today? What the devil did that mean? Was she tempting him? It certainly wasn’t her intention.

  She hurried out of her dripping shift and into a plain day dress. It wasn’t ideal but it would have to do until she was able to dry her shift by the fire. Besides, she would only be sleeping. It wasn’t as if she had planned to pack a night rail. Why didn’t she pack a night rail?

  “Dinnae get tae comfortable, Nathan, ye’ll be sleeping on th’ floor tonight.” Satisfaction washed over Milly when Nathan’s eyes snapped open.

  “The floor? HA! Dinnae fash, Milly. I’m sure we can both take advantage of the bed without succumbing to our base desires.” The way the words melted off his tongue made Milly go red to pink in the cheeks. She had entertained a few thoughts about desire when it came to Nathan as of late, but she would be damned if she let him know it. Thank God the fire light made the room dim. Hopefully he wouldn’t see the way his words affected her. She hated how he thought he had the upper hand.

  “Och, ye idiot. I’m a lady and ye are about tae be Laird of yer clan. Ye werenae raised to be a woman’s ruin. I’ll not be sharin’ a bed with ye. Will ye have me sleep on th’ floor?”

  “And why can’t ye sleep on th’ floor, then?” She saw irritation flair in his eyes as he sat up to face her straight on, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and standing up. Never taking his eyes off of hers, she would not let him intimidate her. She wanted the bed, and as the woman she had claim to it.

  “I’m a lady, and I have every right to the bed, Nathan. Stop being so difficult!”

  “Difficult, ye say? Aye, a lady, it’s hard tae forget it, with the way ye curse like the devil is in ye, and ye prance around the room half dressed, now selfishly takin’ th’ bed. A lady tae be sure and a spoiled one at that!”

  Spoiled? Selfish? The words wounded her, but not enough to quiet her anger. Tears began to fill her eyes, yet she willed them not to fall. Anger always did that to her, caused her to well up with tears, and it made her feel weak. Damn her body for betraying her. She wanted to scream, yell, or heaven forbid, hit him. She had no idea what possessed Nathan to start this ridiculous fight, nor why she was so insistent on winning it. The bed would be nice, but at what cost? At some point during their argument, Milly found herself moving closer to Nathan. Now she stood a hair’s breadth away from him. Heavy breath came off them in waves. She inhaled his scent, cedar wood, smoke, and something else, something uniquely him. She resisted the urge to place her hands against the strong muscled wall of his chest. All of his heat and rage seemed to be stemming from there, his center. Placing her hands on her hips instead, she did not break eye contact.

  “What has gotten intae ye, Nathan?” The question came out as a whisper. His eyes never left hers. He took a finger and wiped a solitary tear from her cheek, bringing the salty liquid to his lips, sucking in. Milly pulled in a sharp breath. She couldn’t identify the emotions that moved through her, or what she was feeling any longer, but it wasn’t anger. The silence between them weighted with unspoken challenge. Suddenly his arms went around her waist, pulling her the final distance into him. Before she could object to his brash familiarity, his lips took hers in a searing kiss.

  Chapter Eleven

  Milly didn’t have time to form a coherent thought. One moment they were having a ridiculous argument about sleeping arrangements, and then in the next Nathan was kissing her. His lips were hard, demanding and not altogether unpleasant. She moved to fight him off but found when she raised her hands in a feeble attempt to push him away she stopped at his hard, muscled chest in order to steady herself under his mouth’s exploration. A low growl surged out of him as he licked her bottom lip with his tongue, sending a shock of desire through her. He urged her to open for him. It was a strange sensation that drove her to comply, wanting more of him, and more of the soft moisture of his touch. She tasted ale, and something else, something sweet and malted, caramel, perhaps? Underneath that a punch of something else that was inherently Nathan. It was beyond pleasing. She sighed into him as he plundered her with his tongue. This kiss was so different from their first on the loch all those years ago. She was no longer the timid, unsure, and eager lass she was then. She was a woman now, and she found she was hungry for him in a way she hadn’t known possible. She responded to his kisses with eager need, hoping to give him the same shock of pleasure he was giving her.

  “That’s right, lass,” he whispered as he broke their kiss, using his lips to explore her neck and her jaw. The feel of his soft, caressing lips caused her to yearn for something more that she couldn’t name. Something only he could provide. He moved over her, suckling, tasting, and taking her in as if he couldn’t get enough of the sweetness of her skin. Pinching heat gathered between her legs, urging her body closer to his as he took an earlobe between his teeth in a gentle bite.

  “Nathan…” Her moan carried his name through the room as his hands ran up the sides of her body. The callused hands of a man who has worked caressed her into complete surrender before his mouth captured hers again. Their tongues danced as she became more brazen, exploring him for her own need. She wrapped her hands around his neck, drawing him closer, wanting to devour more of him, soft murmurs coming from her throat as he licked and teased. He lifted her from her feet. In his arms she never wanted the kiss to end. With his free hand, he pulled a loose strand of her damp hair and tucked it behind her ear before placing her on the bed.

  He broke their kiss and stared at her as if he wasn’t sure she was real. Milly couldn’t form words. As suddenly as it began, the moment was over and his mood darkened. “Take the damn bed,” he said, growling, before pulling the plaid out from underneath her.

  What the devil? That kiss defied all logic. Milly was surprised to find herself a bit dumbstruck. He couldn’t want her, not like that, could he? He had left her, deserted her, rejected her. But she’d also just experienced a kiss so full of desire and need, she scarcely knew how to respond. Nathan had kissed her thoroughly. It was as if she were the only woman in the world who could satisfy him. Her fingers went to her lips. They were cold and she found herself mi
ssing his touch and the heat created between them. It only fueled her anger.

  “Nathan Mackenzie, if ye think for one moment ye can kiss me like that just tae shut me up, yer mistaken. I’ve as much right tae th’ bed as ye do. I’m a lady, and ye best not forget it!” She had no idea where the courage came from to snap at him like that, but hellfire be damned if she would allow him to treat her thus. She turned away from Nathan, burying her head into the pillow. Furious with herself, she’d let him do it again. Kiss her and reject her. Had she learned nothing? To add insult to her injury, he had called her selfish and spoiled before taking the kiss. He had no right. She had never been called either of those things before. How dare he? It was as if he knew the inner fears of her heart.

  “Aye, ye are in fact a lady, no matter how hard I try tae forget. My apologies.” He gave her an exaggerated bow before taking his plaid and removing himself to the floor, his actions only serving to harden her mood. She felt the sarcasm in his voice. Once again her mind returned to his insult. Selfish indeed! She tried so hard not to behave in a way that would offend her father when he was alive, or now her brother, the new Laird of Clan MacGille. She was a lady of the keep, and even though she loved being out of doors, loved being in the thick of things, she would never behave selfishly. Though she did suppose her insistence on taking the bed was a little bit on the selfish side of the argument. And if she were to be fair to Nathan, everything she had done or said to him since their first kiss years before could be seen as something done for her own benefit.

  He had just been so… so… She rolled over again, unable to finish her thought. The plaid he had left her tangled around her. She let out a loud, exaggerated sigh, hoping Nathan would ask her what was wrong. She wanted to talk to him. Ask him why he had kissed her.

  No response, although she could feel he was awake. She wished for more courage. Maybe it was best to let it go for the evening. They were both over tired and worried about not only Gavin, but the future. He kissed her, the memory of his lips now seared into her own. She closed her eyes, begging sleep to come. The kiss was a mistake that couldn’t happen again. She didn’t think her heart could survive it.

  * * *

  What was he thinking? Did he really think kissing her would break his foul mood? End his frustration? He didn’t know what came over him. One moment she was irritating him beyond the point of reason. The next moment he was kissing her. Her skin tasted sweet of lavender from the soap provided generously by the innkeeper’s wife. And damn the devil Milly had kissed him right back. He didn’t care who slept in the damn bed. He only wanted her to feel as much frustration as he had. He doubted that was possible now. If his aching cockstand was any proof, he would be frustrated by Millicent MacGille for quite some time.

  He tossed back and forth until he finally gave up and got up to stoke the fire. He knew she was angry at him for the way he ended their kiss. She had refused to speak with him at all before falling into sleep. He wanted to apologize but didn’t know where to begin. He wanted her. She had begun to invade his thoughts, his dreams, every moment of him. He thought it best to leave her to her silent anger. Hell, he was angry at himself.

  He looked over at Milly laying in the bed, her face relaxed in sleep, faint salted streaks on her cheeks. Hell, he had made her cry. He found his anger fading. He hated how truly lovely he found her. Her auburn hair had flecks of gold woven through. It lay in gentle waves around her.. He longed to run it through his fingers. Remembering the silkiness of the one strand he tucked behind her ear earlier, even damp it felt like finely spun silk. His thoughts immediately went to how she looked stepping from the bath, trying vainly to cover herself. The delicate fabric of her wet shift clinging to her in all the right spots. It didn’t help that she was also a hellion. Dammit he liked her, everything about her. Maybe he always had. He had accused her of being selfish, but wasn’t it him that was behaving selfishly?

  She had thrown herself at him all those years ago, but he rejected her. He wanted to see the world. His father wanted him to willingly take over as Laird, and he had abandoned the man. Now he was dead. Sure, Nathan saw the world, but at what cost? None of it mattered. He couldn’t bring his da back from the dead. He wouldn’t force Milly into an unwanted marriage, and he wouldn’t be her ruin. He may have been selfish in the past, but no longer. Now he would make up for it.

  His only hope was to help her find Gavin as soon as possible, and get her safely back to Cadney Castle. If he spent any more time with her, he didn’t think he could be responsible for what he would do to her, with her, and on top of her. He groaned, willing his desire to cool. It was going to be a long night. He stumbled over the fire iron, trying to catch it before it fell. The last thing he wanted was for her to wake, seeing him standing there fighting his need. He looked quickly back at her to see if she stirred at the noise. Nothing, not a single movement. Thankfully she was a sound sleeper.

  Nathan settled down again on the makeshift pallet he’d laid on the floor in front of the hearth. He forced his eyes closed. He willed images of Milly out of his head. Milly with her lids half closed, lips out aching for his kiss. Images of Milly moaning beneath him, her soft curves hugging against his hard body, her hands woven through his hair and then around his neck. Kissing her had been a mistake, one I willnae repeat again. Even as he thought the words, he knew they were a lie. He would kiss her again, and again, and more if she’d let him. One kiss was not enough. Her scent, her sounds, her very being was inside him now. No one kiss would not be enough. Not in this lifetime or any other.

  Chapter Twelve

  The innkeeper’s name was Fergus. Not an uncommon name for a Scottish innkeeper, Nathan thought as he shared a pint with the man. It was early, just after sun-up, but the ale was weak. There was no threat of Nathan losing his head.

  “Tell me, Fergus, what goes on at th’ prison in town?”

  “Och, what ye want tae ken? A bunch of English bastards keeping their noses dirty in the blood and tears of our Jacobite brothers.”

  Nathan looked around, worried at the freedom in Fergus’ speech, but the tavern was empty at this hour.

  “Aye, I heard there was a prisoner there. A braw man, Highland tried and true. What day ye ken of that?”

  “Lad, ye just described every prisoner in th’ place.” Nathan laughed along with the innkeeper’s hearty chuckle. He didn’t want to rouse any attention onto he and Milly, but it was clear he wasn’t going to get any useful information from Fergus. He hurried to finish his drink, asked to have a meal sent up to the room to break Milly’s fast, and made his excuses. He would have to go deeper into Perth to get what he needed.

  It hadn’t been that long that Nathan had been out of the bounty hunting game. Retrieving information was a specialty of his. If memory served there was a tavern closer to the prison. He would bet good gold that would be where weary guards and others who served the needs of the prison would go to get their drinks. He wanted to be careful not to be memorable in anyway, but if he could get some information there he may be able to get them the upper hand.

  He had a few other stops to make along the way. He hadn’t wanted to wake Milly before he left. Part to allow her to sleep, but more because he was afraid she was still angry at him. She had every right since he had been abhorrent the night before. He couldn’t avoid her forever, but when he had to face her he wanted to have news of Gavin, or at the very least a plan. Hopefully she would be a smart lass and stay put, and therefore he had told Fergus to let her know he wouldn’t be gone long. But she was headstrong, and the streets of Perth could be dangerous for a lass unaccompanied.

  Not for the first time he wondered if there would have been anyway he could’ve talked her out of coming. He should’ve dropped her off with Lucas at Cadney. Let her brother keep an eye on her. But he hadn’t wanted to. It was that simple. It was his fault his da was dead, his fault Elias had any claim to the Lairdship at all, and had gone after Milly. Nathan wanted to be her protector. He wanted to keep
her close. When they have rescued Gavin, maybe he would be able to think more on the reasons why. But for now he needed to focus on the task at hand.

  * * *

  Milly opened her eyes, blinking back the light of the morning that streamed through the single window in the room. Even covered as it was in dirt and grime, she could tell she’d slept much later than she’d hoped. Her eyes were tight and heavy from the tears she had shed the night before. Nathan… what was she to do about Nathan? She looked toward the pallet he had made on the floor only to see he was gone, the plaid folded and placed at the end of the bed, as if he’d not slept on the floor at all.

  Milly sat up. Where the devil had he gone? Climbing out of the bed, she walked over to the basin of water that had been brought in after the bath had been taken away the night before. She splashed the cool water onto her face, waking her up further. Would he have left her in Perth alone? Surely not. But where did he go without her, and why didn’t he wake her? Thoughts of Nathan consumed her while she dressed for the day. She paced the room up and down. Where could he have gone? The man was frustrating to say the least.