Page 91 of A Wife for the Highland Villain
She laughed, and the sound was richer than he could have ever thought. “What are ye talking about?”
“I mean, ye have been doing the same all week. It only seems fair, do ye nae think?”
Her eyes flashed. “Well, could ye?”
The question struck deeper than he had expected. He drew in a breath, closing his eyes for a moment.
“I might comment on yer dress,” he said finally, his voice rough.
She rolled her eyes, though he saw the faintest blush rise to her cheeks. The music ended, and he guided her toward the high table, where the feast awaited.
“If I knew ye’d be such a gentleman,” Lily murmured, “I might have worn these dresses more often.”
“I’ve been as gentle with ye as a man can be, wife.”
She gave him a sharp look. “If ye consider abduction gentle, then we have different interpretations of the word.”
He chuckled low. “I could have been beastly.” Then, he leaned close enough that his lips brushed her ear. “Much more beastly.”
Color rose to her cheeks again, and she looked away.
When they reached the table, the members of the council all rose to greet them. Alasdair seated her at his side, his hand lingeringon her back until she settled. They exchanged pleasantries with Colm, who wasted no time in striking conversation.
“How are ye finding the castle, me Lady?”
“‘Tis all right,” she replied carefully.
Colm gave a thin smile. “Then we should expect an heir soon, should we nae?
The words struck Alasdair, and he laughed. “How dare ye speak like that to a lady?”
Colm’s eyes turned to him, the uncertainty in them as clear as the candlelight. “There is nay necessity in being subtle.”
Alasdair shook his head. “And they say pirates are the crude ones.”
“The clan needs stability, me Laird.”
The words struck hot in Alasdair’s chest, and his eyes hardened just a little, while his voice remained just as casual. “Whoever dares ask me wife about an heir again will lose his tongue.”
The hall grew tense for a moment. Colm swallowed hard, his face paling. Then, he lowered his gaze to the table.
Alasdair took a sip of his ale, as if nothing had happened.
Her heart pounded at the thought of Alasdair being a gentleman for the umpteenth time this evening. Had he always been like this, and she had been too blind to see it?
She leaned closer to him anyway, her lips near his shoulder.
“Ye saved me,” she whispered, her voice filled with relief. “How could I ever repay yer kindness?”
Alasdair chuckled, the sound low and warm in her ear. “Och, I could think of a way or two.”
There it was.
That was the Alasdair she remembered.
The one she wanted to keep remembering.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Ye must always find a way to cheapen the moment, must ye nae?”
