Page 45 of Tempted By a Highland Beast
The growing attraction to Constantine that she’d been trying to rationalize away. The longing for a partnership like the one he’d offered, balanced against the terror of trusting someone with her future after everything Alpin has put at risk.
The confusion of wanting something she wasn’t sure she should want, with a man she wasn’t sure she could trust, not because he was dishonest, but because the feelings he stirred in her felt too powerful, too consuming to be safe.
She floated on her back, staring up at the darkening sky, and let the cold water wash away her pretenses. Here, alone andvulnerable, she could admit that Constantine fascinated her. That his combination of command and care called to something deep in her.
But wanting something and being wise to pursue it weren’t the same thing.
A sound from the bank made her turn toward shore, her eyes searching the shadows between the trees. Movement caught her attention, a figure on horseback, barely visible in the fading light.
Her blood turned to ice as the figure approached. The way the rider sat suggested someone accustomed to these trails.
As she watched, frozen in the water, the figure moved closer to the bank, close enough that she could make out more details. A man, certainly. He was scanning the area methodically, as if searching for something.
Or someone.
Rowena remained perfectly still, grateful for the failing light that would make her harder to spot. Her clothes lay in a neat pile on the bank, too far away to reach without revealing herself. All she could do was wait and pray that whoever this was would move on without detecting her presence.
The rider continued his slow circuit of the loch’s edge, and Rowena felt her heart hammering against her ribs as the full implications of his presence began to sink in.
She was alone, unprotected, and praying this man was not after her.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Constantine had been tracking the missing guard for the better part of an hour when he crested the rise above the loch.
The lad had failed to report for his evening watch, and while he was known for occasional lapses in judgment, disappearing entirely wasn’t like him. Not with the castle full of sick villagers and tensions running high.
What Constantine hadn’t expected to find was Rowena’s horse grazing peacefully by the water’s edge, her clothes folded neatly on the bank, and the woman herself floating in the dark water like some ancient water spirit.
He should have turned away immediately. Should have retreated to give her privacy and returned later to continue his search for his guard.
Instead, he found himself dismounting, his eyes drawn to the pale curve of her shoulders above the water, the way her red hair spread around her like liquid copper.
Constantine told himself he was staying to ensure her safety—a woman alone and vulnerable was an easy target. But even as he formed the rational justification, he knew it was only part of the truth.
The larger truth was that he couldn’t make himself leave.
Movement in the water caught his attention as she turned toward shore, he saw the exact moment she spotted him. Her body went rigid, her eyes widening with shock and something that might have been fear.
“Oh God! ‘Tis ye!” She yelled, and as if it suddenly dawned on her that her body was exposed, she gasped and sank deeper into the water.
“Turn around,” she commanded, her voice carrying across the water with sharp authority despite her obvious vulnerability. “Turn around right now, Constantine MacLean.”
Constantine found Rowena’s command mildly amusing. And perhaps a swim in the loch was exactly what he needed as well.
Instead of obeying, Constantine began unfastening his sword belt with deliberate calm. “There’s nay shame in seeking theloch’s peace,” he said, as if finding a naked woman in the water was an everyday occurrence.
It could have been, yet he was sure Rowena’s curves would haunt his mind for the nights to come.
“The cold clears the mind wonderfully.”
“What are ye daeing?” Her voice pitched higher as he began removing his boots.
“Joining ye.” He pulled his shirt over his head, revealing the lean muscle and scattered scars of a warrior’s body. “Unless ye have some objection tae sharing the water?”
Rowena’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly as she watched him methodically undress.
“I have every objection,” she managed, though her eyes betrayed her by tracking the movement of his hands as he worked the laces of his trews. “This is... this isnae proper. Are ye mad?”
