Possession of a Highlander

by Madeline Martin

  Brianna stared down at the pile of wasted nobility. It shifted to life with a low groan.

  She nodded with closed lips. “Please,” she said. The word was breathless, desperate, as if speaking any more would break the composure she struggled to maintain.

  “Alec,” Colin said compliantly. “Escort the man to his carriage and ensure his immediate departure.”

  The bastard was beginning to rise, and Colin did not want Brianna to face him after her ordeal.

  “As ye say, Captain.” Alec scooped up the fallen lord and draped him over his shoulder like an errant flap of plaid.

  “And double the guards on watch for the night,” Colin added in Gaelic. Offending vain men was a dangerous game.

  Alec pushed his dark hair from his forehead and turned away.

  Lord Lindsay’s voice rose in the night air, high pitched with his offense. “Unhand me, you vile beast!”

  Colin placed himself between Brianna and the sight of her cousin being carried away. “Come now, let’s get ye to yer room.”

  He turned her toward the castle and she moved without protest. Her shoulders were stiff beneath his fingertips, but she did not flinch from his touch.

  They walked to the castle together in a press of heavy silence. He followed closely behind her, through the halls of the lower floor, up a winding staircase, and down a narrow passage. Rush nips mounted on wall sconces lit their path, and the painted stone around them echoed with their footsteps.

  Brianna stopped in front of the door at the top of another flight of stairs and turned to face him.

  She stared up at him with her large brown eyes. “You saved me twice today.” She glanced away for a split second, long enough for her lashes to sweep across her cheeks before her gaze returned to his. “I underestimated your worth and I underestimated you. When I’m wrong, I admit to it and—” The tip of her tongue touched a small cut on her upper lip. He regretted not killing the damned noble.

  “I was wrong about you,” Brianna said softly.

  “I intend to save ye any time ye need it, lass. I’m yer Captain of the Guard.” He leaned over her to open the door. “It’s my job, aye?”

  And then he saw it, that frantic glint unmasked in her eyes, the way she swayed toward him, the subtle parting of her lips. He’d been around enough women to know when one was in need of comfort.

  With deliberate slowness, he opened his arms in silent offering and waited. Her hands tightened around the torn fabric she gripped to her chest, and she took a timid step forward. Her white-knuckled fingers almost touched him with her closeness.

  Almost.

  Carefully he brought his arms around her, wrapping her in a gentle embrace. She stiffened, and he thought she would pull away, but then she melted against him. The sigh she elicited was sweet, feminine, and warmed the fabric across his chest. He brushed a chaste kiss to the top of her head. Her hair was like fine silk beneath his lips. Exactly as he had imagined.

  Her scent curled around him, intoxicating, thrilling.

  Arousing.

  Lust slammed into him, hard, fast, and completely unexpected. Suddenly, she was no longer a woman he wanted to woo for his wife. She was a woman he wanted to possess.

  But not here. Not like this.

  He relaxed his hold on her in preparation to step away.

  That’s when she rose on her toes and pressed her warm lips to his.

  Chapter Nine

  The empty hall was cast in a low golden light that concealed Brianna’s bold kiss from any unexpected visitors—not that she would have noticed with the way Colin consumed her vision. Nor would she have heard them climbing the stairs with the way her heart raced in her ears.

  Their mouths but touched, and yet she could feel how soft his lips were against hers. The light, spicy scent of him whirled through her body and set her pulse racing. She leaned into him without intending to, using his solid body for balance and sating the intensity of her need for the closeness of his strength.

  His lips did not move beneath hers. Had she expected them to?

  She broke off the delicate kiss, but did not turn her face from Colin’s.

  The soft breath from Colin’s lips washed over her chin, and her mouth went dry with the desire to feel his mouth against hers. She tilted toward him in an attempt to kiss him once more. If only she were less awkward in her approach, if only he would take the invitation for what it was.

  Though truly she didn’t even know what it was, only that she wanted him close. His power, his strength, the way he somehow made everything on her shoulders feel that much less cumbersome.

  Colin’s dark green gaze trailed down her face to her lips, and her breath caught. He was going to kiss her.

  Heat flared in her cheeks, and every part of her felt shaken, overly aware of every part of him—from the warm masculine scent of him to the way his heart thudded beneath her fingertips.

  She couldn’t breathe, her mouth dry with an incredible anticipation unlike anything she’d ever known.

  Why was he taking so long?

  She rose higher on her toes, giving him better access to the hungry anticipation of her lips. Her hand shifted on his chest, desperate to press the outline of his muscled torso. The plaid over his shoulder rasped against her fingertips. Though he wore a leine, she knew what lay beneath. She had seen it. God save her, she wanted to touch the power she’d but glimpsed that very morning.

  His hand rose to her cheek, cool and calloused against the flaring fire of her skin. He caressed the line of her jaw with a tenderness she thought only existed in stories.

  “Ye’ve had a trying day, lass,” he said in a voice so soft she almost did not hear him. “Ye need rest, aye?”

  The realization of being deprived of the kiss was crushing. She wanted to argue, to curl her arms around his massive body and hold him captive until he gave her what she wanted.

  His gaze settled on her mouth once more, and for a heart-stuttering moment she almost thought he would fulfill her wish.

  He turned his head to the side, as if staring at her was painful. When he returned his eyes to her, they met her own steady gaze. He stroked her cheek again, and it was all she could do to keep from turning her face toward the caress. “Get sleep, aye? I’ll protect ye.”

  She nodded, unable to speak and too hesitant to go. Though his words were spoken gently, the rejection cut her deeply.

  He leaned forward and pressed the warmth of his mouth to her forehead, the way one might to a cherished child. Perhaps that was how he saw her, a child to look after.

  “Sleep well, Brianna.” Her name was velvet in his hypnotic burr.

  She nodded, unable to speak for the knot in her throat and foolishly unable to pull her gaze from the way the collar of his leine fell open. The small bit of naked chest visible was powerful, lined with a sinewy muscle.

  She walked backward into her room, keeping her gaze fixed on him. His hair was copper-colored in the firelight, unbound and hanging around his shoulders in soft waves. The muted light turned his eyes a deep green, like a fine emerald.

  Was he always so handsome?

  How had she never noticed it before now?

  “Sleep well, lass.” He pulled her door closed with a quiet click, and his footsteps echoed down the hall.

  She stood rooted to the ground, unable to move beneath the complicated tangle of new emotions. The deep ache for his touch, the softness of his lips upon hers, the solid wall of his chest pressed against her breasts.

  Desire pulsed sweet torment between her legs and filled her mind with sinful images of Colin shirtless, as he had been earlier that day. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the door. Her lips burned where she’d touched her mouth to his. She drew a slow, deep breath through her nose. His scent still lingered on her skin, clean and undeniably male.

  But she could not give in to such emotions. She was, after all, mistress of the castle. Lives depended upon her in a time of much turmoil. Much as she hated to a
dmit it, he had been right in not returning her kiss. He was her Captain of the Guard, not some wealthy suitor who could bring the protection of a powerful name.

  Naught could ever blossom between them, an important fact she’d do well to remember.

  • • •

  Several drops of rain spit from the sky and flecked Colin’s bare arms. He glanced overhead to where the sky was still a brilliant blue and the clouds fluffy white. There would be no downpour.

  Alec’s heavy breath panted several feet away from Colin and mingled with the grunts and calls of the guards training to their left. The fierce burn of the sun could not touch them in the shade of the large castle wall. Despite Colin’s observations, it was not anything outside the castle which occupied his mind. Rather it was inside. She was inside.

  Brianna.

  A blunted weapon smacked into the back of his knees and sent him crashing to the grass.

  Alec’s shadow loomed over him. “Ye’re distracted today.”

  Colin got to his feet and scanned the lawn to where the men practiced around them. Their battle skills continued to improve. A swell of arrogant pride lodged in his chest at their fluid formations. He had relocated their training to the latter side of the castle for the remainder of the day to avoid the glare of the sun.

  “Aye, I’m distracted,” Colin confirmed.

  “Is she too intelligent for ye?” Alec gave his shoulder a shove.

  Colin smirked. “That’s no what distracts me.”

  Alec’s eyebrow arched in disbelief. “Dinna tell me she actually likes ye.”

  Colin lifted his shoulder in a noncommittal response. “Are ye saying I’m no charming?” He jabbed his sword at Alec.

  His friend batted the blunted edge away with a flick of his wrist. “I’m saying ye’re no as smart.” Alec gave a menacing grin and lunged forward.

  Brianna was a woman well known for her learning as much as for her dowry. Colin had expected a sour woman sagging with age and prudent in action. He had not expected Brianna. Coupled with her sharp mind, she was an intimidating catch for any man.

  Any man but him.

  Her innocent kiss rushed forefront to his mind. The soft brush of her lips against his, the way she’d looked at him so imploringly.

  She’d wanted him to kiss her back.

  And God how he’d wanted to. Her lips were so damn soft, so warm and tempting. He tightened his hand on the hilt of his blade with the fierceness of his wanting. Her body had been close enough for him to feel the curves beneath her dress, to see the swell of her full breasts.

  She’d wanted him, he saw it in her eyes. While he did want to woo her into marriage, he refused to do it by taking advantage of her desperate state. He’d given her what she needed—comfort. The rest could come later.

  Then he could prove to his father he was worthy of a woman like her, that he was worthy of being laird to an estate, and that he was worthy of the MacKinnon land back on Skye.

  Alec poked Colin in the shoulder with his practice sword. “Distracted,” Alec muttered and dropped his weapon. The tight pull of his lips said the mock battle wasn’t worth the effort.

  Jonathan ran toward them from the corner of the castle wall. “Captain,” he shouted with urgency. “Lord Robert Lindsay arrived demanding to see the laird. My lady meets with him now. I tried to stop her—”

  “Are they alone?” Colin demanded.

  Jonathan nodded.

  Colin swore and sprinted toward the castle entrance. As much as the soldiers had improved, their lack of forewarning about Lindsay’s arrival was an oversight he’d see reprimanded. His thighs burned with the effort of his sprint, but he only cared about one thing—that he was not too late.

  Chapter Ten

  Only an open door and several windows allowed light to cut into the entryway of the castle. Brianna had never realized the front part of her home was so dark.

  The impatient tap of Robert’s toe against the stone floor clicked off the walls around them and mingled with the frantic beat of her heart.

  “I’m afraid seeing Father is impossible,” she repeated. She kept her voice soft in an effort to lend a privacy to their conversation the open area did not provide. Her words, nevertheless, echoed around her.

  Robert’s face flushed, and he paced the floor in front of her with the restlessness of a caged beast. “Why do you deny me an audience? Is he not here and you are covering his absence?”

  Unease snaked down Brianna’s back. Robert was getting too curious, coming too close to the harrowing truth.

  “He is very ill.” She looked away, unable to meet his eyes while the lie fell from her lips. Dishonesty was unpalatable, even with someone like her cousin.

  His pacing stopped, leaving the upper half of his body bathed in a stream of sunlight sluicing in from the doorway. His eyes were almost unnatural in the brilliant light, the black center little more than a pinprick in a bright sphere of yellow brown.

  “I demand recompense for the offense brought to me last night.” Spittle dotted the sunbeam with flecks of glowing white, and his fury echoed throughout the stonework surrounding them.

  The last thread of Brianna’s patience pulled taut and snapped. “You demand recompense for the offense brought on you? What of the offense to me?”

  Perhaps the conversation would have been more appropriate behind the heavy doors of her solar, but she refused to be alone with him.

  His eyes widened. “Offense to you, my lady?”

  “My bodice still bears the tear of your actions,” she hissed. A cursory glance around the open area confirmed no servants lingered, but that did not mean the conversation could not be overheard.

  His gaze narrowed. “I took nothing that wasn’t promised to me.”

  “You tried to steal what would never be given.” Her voice rang sharp against the stone with a volume of rage that surprised even her.

  He took a purposeful step closer and stared down at her breasts. “Then perhaps I should have taken more and forced you to wed me.”

  Brianna’s hands trembled, but not with fear. Never again with fear.

  He stalked closer, until his familiar, overly rich perfume enveloped her.

  She stood tall with her head lifted at an austere angle. “You are not my betrothed.” The lie did not feel convincing, even when she knew there was no document declaring such. If there had been, she would have found it.

  Robert’s eyes widened with injustice. “You were promised to me. He said when he got better, but he’s not getting any damn better, is he?” His hand caught her upper arm in the same viselike squeeze as before. “If he won’t see me, if he won’t give me what he’s promised me, I’m going to take it.”

  Her heart raced with the power of her courage, of what she was about to do. Robert would not have the control this time. She had come prepared for battle.

  Her fingers dipped into the wide sash at her waist. Before he could suspect her actions, she wrenched her dagger free and pressed it to his soft belly. Sunlight glinted off the edge of the sharpened blade and reflected on the far wall.

  “If you even attempt to do as you have threatened, I will ensure I am the last woman you touch.” Her fingers squeezed the dainty handle of the weapon, crushing the velvet beneath her sweating palm. “I want you to go home. Return only when you’ve recovered your senses, cousin.”

  A shadow fell across them both. Something massive flew through the doorway and crashed against Robert with a force that sent him sprawling to the floor.

  Brianna jerked toward her cousin’s attacker and settled on familiar green eyes that made her heart leap.

  Colin stepped between her and Robert—between her and the threat of danger.

  Relief washed over her. Or perhaps it was something else that fluttered in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to fall against him, to breathe in that familiar, addictive scent and feel the wall of his protective strength surround her.

  “Did he hurt ye?” His gaze skimmed down her gown, n
ot with the leering lust Robert had, but with concern.

  “I’m not hurt.”

  Colin stared at the dagger clutched in her hand, and a warm chuckle sounded from deep in his chest. “Looks like the lass could have handled ye on her own.” He turned toward Robert and jerked him to his feet.

  Robert yanked his hand back after he was standing and let it drop to his side. Malice poisoned the stab of his glare. “My father was right. There is something amiss at Edzell. And you aren’t telling anyone, are you, cousin? Is your father truly here?” His eyes narrowed. “Truly alive?”

  Brianna kept her face emotionless despite the frantic squeezing of her heart. Why would he say that? Why would such a thought even cross his mind? Did he know?

  And her uncle. Air no longer found its way into her lungs. Would her uncle come to Edzell? He wouldn’t be as easily put off as Robert. What would she tell him?

  Several of Edzell’s guards appeared in the doorway, saving her from having to respond. Colin nodded toward Robert. “Escort him out. Again.”

  Robert stumbled forward, his palms up in a sign of surrender. The guards stayed back and let him walk from the room, his head held high with pride he didn’t deserve.

  The soldiers followed behind him, and a heavy quiet descended upon the large open area.

  Brianna focused on calmly tucking the dagger back into the sash of her dress and intentionally kept her gaze averted from Colin’s. He was too observant. He would see the fear simmering inside of her, the turbulent seas of anguish tipped by injustice. Her palms were slick with it and her fingers shook. Doubtless, he would see that too.

  She was tired of the lying, the deceiving. If the earl had but made her legitimate, she would never have been forced to cover his death to preserve the safety of her home.

  “Can I talk to ye, lass?” He leveled an intense gaze at her. “Alone.”

  Her heartbeat thundered through every part of her—it pounded in her ears and spread heat through her body. Her cheeks, she knew, must bear its stain. “We can speak in my solar,” she said, her voice throaty with anticipation. “Alone.”