Page 56 of The Rogue's Bride
Time paused for a moment as their gazes locked, and then Caitrin reacted. She stepped back and moved to slam the door in his face.
Alasdair shifted forward, jamming his body against the door and preventing her from closing it on him.
“Get out,” Caitrin growled. Rage slammed into her, and she shook from the force of it. She couldn’t believe the man had the nerve to try and barge his way into her bower. “I’ll count to three, and if ye aren’t gone by then, I’ll scream this keep down.”
“Caitrin,” he rasped, his dark-eyes searing hers. “I need to speak to ye. Just let me say my piece, and I’ll go … I give ye my word.”
“What? Here in my bed-chamber? Have ye lost yer wits?”
“Aye.” The pain in that one word made her pause. “And that’s why I implore ye to hear me out.Please, Caitrin.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Make Ye Mine
A LONG MOMENT passed. Caitrin stared into Alasdair’s eyes, witnessing naked desperation. What was wrong with the man?
“Make it quick then,” she growled, “and then go.”
He nodded.
Slowly, she released the door and stepped aside, allowing him to enter her bed-chamber. His presence dominated the small space, and Caitrin immediately regretted letting him in.
Alasdair moved over to the fireplace before turning to face her. His eyes were haunted pools in the fire’s soft glow. “I’ve been cruel to ye,” he said finally. “And I’m sorry for it.”
Caitrin pulled her night-rail close and frowned. “Ye came here to apologize?”
Alasdair’s features tightened. “I know this won’t be easy put right.”
She drew herself up, her temper simmering. “Ye are right … it won’t. Ye have taken my son from me. I’llneverforgive ye for that.”
His throat bobbed. “Ye are angry with me.”
“I don’t need ye to state the obvious, MacDonald.” Fury pulsed through Caitrin. “And if that’s all ye have come to say, ye can get out now.”
His face went taut. He stared down at her, his eyes suddenly bright. “I shouldn’t have separated ye from Eoghan.”
“So ye realize that now, do ye?”
A shadow moved in his eyes. “No, I knew before … I just didn’t care.”
Caitrin’s temper flared hot. “Because I wouldn’t kiss ye?”
He ran a hand down his face, before he muttered a low oath. “Ye make me sound contemptible.”
“That’s because ye are.” Caitrin stepped back. Her heart now thundered against her breast bone. “Leave now, Alasdair. We’re finished here.”
But he didn’t move. He merely stared at her, his face so bereft that an arrow of compassion speared Caitrin’s chest. She couldn’t stand the man, yet the pain in his eyes made her catch her breath.
“Leave,” she repeated, her voice rising as panic seized her.
Alasdair moved then, but not toward the door. Instead he stepped closer to her and, unexpectedly, went down on one knee.
Caitrin sucked in a breath. “What the Devil are ye doing?”
“I’m sorry, Caitrin.” His voice was raw. The words sounded like they’d been ripped from him. His eyes glittered with tears. “If I could, I’d go back in time and undo it—all of it. Give me a chance, and I’ll prove to ye that I’m not the rogue ye think I am. I’ll spend the rest of our lives proving it to ye.”
Caitrin’s lips parted in shock. “What are ye saying?”
