Page 49 of The Mad Highlander
“Get behind me,” he ordered,
Iris did as she was told and stood behind the Laird—not too close, so he could move and attack. They both stared at the spot where the noise had come from, and Cayden looked from left to right, checking the flanks for additional men.
The leaves before them opened, and a stag walked through. Cayden immediately lowered his sword and let out a breath. The stag stopped when it saw them, but it did not look surprised. It regarded them for a moment, its majesty amplified by the grooved white antlers on its head. It let out a satisfied breath through its nostrils and walked off the way they had come.
“He was beautiful,” Iris noted.
Cayden sheathed his short sword and placed a strong hand on Iris’ shoulder. “Aye, he was.”
The warmth of his hand penetrated her body, filling her up from the inside. He took back his hand and picked up the picnic basket.
“Come on, it’s nae far from here,” Cayden told her.
Iris followed him again, thinking about the stag. In many ways, Cayden reminded her of a stag. He stood tall, majestic, and strong. He might not have antlers, but she could see him wearing a crown of some sort. She also thought of his touch on her shoulder. She wanted his hand on a lot more than only his shoulder.
Not long after the interaction with the stag, they came to a flowing river. It stretched twelve feet wide, and the bank on the opposite side was as vibrant green as the one on this side. They followed the river upstream for a way until Cayden finally slowed. He looked back to make sure Iris was still with him, and then he stepped between two trees.
Iris followed him, and it felt like stepping into another world. The trees thinned out, and a small offshoot of the river led to a serene loch. The silver birch trees surrounding the loch painted the loch green with streaks of silver. The water was calm, mirroring everything. The trees did not go quite to the loch edge, but the verdant grass did.
Cayden walked to the edge of the lake, dropped the picnic basket to the grass, and stretched his arms toward the sky.
Iris could only admire his muscular form. He stretched up to the sky like one of the silver birch trees, except he was more pink than silver. His chest puffed out, and his body became triangular. Iris wanted to press her body to his back and wrap her arms around his elongated form.
She did not have time to.
The Laird pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the ground before kicking off his boots. Then, he dove head-first into the water. The Laird went below the surface, and Iris ran to the edge to see where he had gone. She became a little nervous when he didn’t come up straight away, but her fears were alleviated when the water broke in the middle of the small loch, and the Laird came up for air.
He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his wet hair. He looked back at the bank and smiled at Iris. She let out a gasping laugh to see him do such a thing. She did not expect him to dive into the water with no warning.
“Well, are ye comin’ in?” the Laird shouted from the middle of the loch.
“What? Nay way!” Iris replied. It was a warm day, but she didn’t like the idea of the cold water, even if it would take her closer to the Laird. Besides, she couldn’t remove her dress and dive in—it was not the same as removing a shirt.
“It helps soothe the body and mind,” Cayden claimed.
“I’m just fine where I am, thank ye very much. I will watch ye swim.”
The Laird smiled again as he trod water. He thrust himself to the side and moved through the water elegantly with angular strokes of his arms—one thick forearm after the other. Iris had not been entirely sure she would watch him the entire time he was swimming, but now that he was swimming, she could nottake her eyes off him. Something told her she should have taken up the Laird’s offer to join him.
Maybe it would be refreshing.
The Laird moved across the loch a couple of times before swimming back toward Iris. He moved effortlessly in the water. Iris could not remember the last time she had swam, but she remembered it being enjoyable.
“Aye, that was braw,” Cayden announced when he got to the bank. The water was shallower near the edge, and he was able to stand up with the water only coming up to his waist. “Give me a hand up, will ye?”
Iris only realized her mistake when she offered him her hand, and he took it. As soon as Cayden had a hold of her hand, he pulled Iris toward him. Iris screamed out, but the scream was taken from her lips when she hit the cold water. She went below the surface, and all her worries and troubles were taken by the refreshing chill. All she could think about was the water.
Then, his strong arms took her, and she was lifted back above the surface. Iris almost cowered at the sound of thunder booming around them until she realized the Laird was laughing. She looked into his eyes, prepared to be annoyed at him, but she couldn’t be when he had such an impish smile on his face.
“Ye are a rogue, Cayden Hart!” she shouted.
“Didn’t I tell ye it would be refreshin’?” he asked.
“Aye, ye did, but ye dinnae just get to do whatever ye please with me.”
“Nay?” Cayden asked, the impish smile growing wider “I dinnae get to do whatever I please with ye?”
Iris bit her bottom lip. “Well, that depends on what ye will do to me.”
