Page 26 of Kilty Plea
Those eyes were a fascinatingly warm color, a light brown with a darker rim, which made her want to stare into them for hours. And his lips were plump—far more beautiful than a man’s lips had any right to be.
Last night, she’d tasted those lips, and she wanted to do it again.
“What?” he finally barked, his gaze locked on the road ahead.
She shrugged, pleased he’d finally spoken. “I like looking at ye.”
When he scoffed, one side of those beautiful lips curled cruelly. “There’s nae need to lie, lass, I’m taking ye to MacIntyre Castle.”
A little hurt, Flora shifted again so she could face him more squarely. “I’m no’ lying. I havenae been allowed to see yer face, and now I want to look at it.”
“Nay, ye dinnae,” he grumbled, even as he reached for her hips with his free hand and tried to turn her back around.
“Why is that so hard to believe?” She resisted his efforts to move her, and when she squirmed back again, felt a growing hardness against her hip.Ah. “Can I no’ be curious?”
“Och, I’m used to curious stares,” he muttered, his gaze very carefullynotdropping to her. “I just dinnae like them.”
“Because of yer scar?”
Finally he glanced at her, just briefly, before rolling his eyes. “Of course because of the bloody scar, lass.”
“Ye shouldnae mind it.” ‘Twas difficult to manage, but Flora reached up to cup his cheek, just as she’d done last night, when she thanked him for removing the helmet for her. “’Tis just part of who ye are. Ye’re handsome—”
“Nay, I’m no’,” he muttered, snatching her hand from his face.
He didn’t release it.
“I seem to recall ye called me beautiful yesterday. So, I get to call ye handsome today.”
Payton didn’t look at her, but one corner of his lips twitched. “Go to sleep, Flora.”
She blinked. “I’m no’ sleepy.”
“Ye should rest. Tonight there’ll be a celebration and we’ll have to stay up late. If I ken Mam, we’ll have to fetch the Yule log tomorrow or the next day, and then therealcelebration starts. Ye should rest now.”
She didn’t want to rest; she wanted to keep looking at Payton.
But…his thumb was making small circles against the back of her hand. And shewasquite cozy…
His gaze flicked down to hers once more. “If ye dinnae, I’ll be forced to kiss ye again.”
Well, withthatkind of incentive… “Then I’ll stare at ye all day.”
He blew out a breath, but aye, there was a hint of a smile when he said, “Go the fook to sleep.”
Grinning, she snuggled down in his arms and obeyed.
In the circle of his arms, with his cloak wrapped around both of them, she was safe and warm and oh-so-comfortable…
She woke up with her face plastered to his chest, drooling all over him.
Flora started, jerking upright and bringing her hand to her mouth to try to surreptitiously wipe the sticky saliva away.
“Oh good.”
At the sound of his voice, she startled again and looked up at him guiltily, the back of her hand still pressed to her chin. He was staring straight ahead, his shoulders rocking slightly with the movement of the horse, but his lips were curled.
Without looking down at her, Payton said conversationally, “If ye slept any longer, I was afraid I’d have to change shirts afore I arrived home.”
