Page 41 of Saved By the Cruel Highlander
Holly didn’t reply. She stood in the room, staring at him with soft eyes. He wanted to command her to leave him be, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. All he could do was stare at the woman before him, his future wife, and admire her courage.
It only served to infuriate and anger him more, but he admired it.
“Ye can talk to me if ye need to,” Holly said, before looking down at the floor.
Nay, I can never talk to anyone about what happened. Even thinkin’ about it sends me into a rage.
“I dinnae need to talk about it,” Elias said, taking a step toward her.
“Aye, but if ye do want to, I’m here for ye.”
Who does she think she is, comin’ in here like this? She’s been here for a week, and now what? She thinks she kens me? She thinks she can help me?
Elias continued walking until he stood before her. “I told ye that I dinnae need to talk about it.”
He realized his mistake when she looked up at him. He should have growled at her to leave his room, but he had spoken as if there was a problem, and he didn’t need to talk about it. She knew that now, and she would only push him and push him until he cracked one way or the other, all because she wanted to help.
“Dinnae push me,” Elias warned.
“I’m nae tryin’ to push ye,” Holly replied, looking him in the eyes. “I’m yer wife-to-be, and I only want ye to be happy, and ye’re nae. Ye demanded that I share me pain with ye when ye were in me room after me accident, and I didnae want to, but I did it, and I felt better for it. I ken ye have pain, Me Laird. I ken it eats ye up inside, but if ye share it with me, it’ll help ye.”
“Nay,” Elias snarled. He felt his fists clench. “Nay, it willnae help anythin’.”
He couldn’t talk about what his brother had done to him, to them.
“Please, Me Laird. Please?—”
Elias did the only thing he could think of to make her stop talking.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Elias lunged at her.
Holly’s arms snapped up to her chest, instinctively protecting herself, and a scared moan escaped her lips before it turned into a shriek, just like the one Cole had let out when running from the beast in the woods.
That beast had been her cat, Ollie. The beast pouncing on her was much more fearsome. He grabbed her around the waist, lifting her off her feet. A scream died in her throat as he carried her away from the door, his eyes locked onto hers. Holly clutched her arms close to her chest, hoping to make it through the encounter unscathed.
He placed her down on his desk with a soft thud and immediately pressed his lips to hers. He trapped her arms between their two bodies, and she was stunned into submission. Her eyes remained open as his closed, and she stared at hiseyelids, still shocked that he had kissed her and not done something worse.
He jerked his head back from her, opening his eyes to glare at her.
“Is this what ye wanted? Is this why ye came to me study? Ye cannae get enough, can ye?” Elias growled. His voice was harsh, colored by anger.
Is this how ye mean to distract me? By kissin’ me and hopin’ to fluster me?
“Aye, it is,” Holly retorted, her arms still pinned to her chest. “That’s exactly why I came to yer study, so what are ye goin’ to do about it?”
It’s nae the reason, but I cannae show weakness before him.
Rage flashed again in his eyes, but she saw a flicker of something else—something indescribably outwordly. But as she saw it, she felt it mirrored in her body, amplified by his intensity. The pit in her stomach swirled.
“What am I goin’ to do about it?” Elias said dismissively.
He leaned forward again and kissed her, but this kiss was different from the first. He grabbed her by the back of her head, pressing his lips to hers for a second, before his tongue shot outlike a dagger from its sheath, attacking her, forcing its way into her mouth.
It stuck into her mouth like a blade, and the feeling rushed through her, a discomfort at being attacked like this. So, she fought back with her tongue, not fencing this time, but pushing against his, trying to force his tongue out of her mouth to show that she could also fight.
The Laird pushed harder, overpowering her tongue with his. He held the back of her head tighter, pulling her toward him, and their lips moved sloppily against each other, unable to remain still for a second.
