Page 41 of A Healer for the Ruthless Highlander
What am I doin’? I’m breakin’ all me rules with this man.
“More than that, Hunter may need a reminder of his faither one day. When ye get married and have children of yer own, how will he feel? Displaced, for sure…”
A thought seemed to come to Kenneth’s mind, for he suddenly shook his head as if dismissing it. “I daenae plan to marry. I see nay reason to. Me braither can be me heir. Me life is too complicated to drag a poor lass into it.”
His words were surprising, but not completely unexpected. Could she blame him when she herself had often felt this way?
So, she didn’t know how to react at first.
“I think I understand,” she whispered as she reached for another strip of clean cloth.
The motion of pulling the bandage across his bare chest and around his back reconnected them, and for a moment, Leana simply lost herself in the sensation. In the warmth of Kenneth, who moved closer and closer to her as if drawn by a magnetic pull.
Their faces were barely an inch apart as her hands worked over him, carrying with them a promise of caresses that made his breath hitch.
Kenneth looked up as Leana traced his shoulder blades with her fingers. An oversight on her part, as she was only supposed to bandage his wound. Instead, the gesture seemed like a caress.
“What about ye?” Kenneth asked in a low, rough voice that made her stomach flutter. “Have ye ever been in love?”
“Nay,” she replied, not turning away from him. “And I daenae plan to.”
“Ye sound very sure ye can avoid it.” His words almost sounded like a challenge.
His hand rested gently on her waist, where it curved, trying to give her some kind of support so she wouldn’t lose her balance as she leaned over him…
But the gesture flustered her. She sucked in a breath and then quickly secured his bandage.
“I ken meself. I ken how to control meself if I want to.”
“Love isnae something ye can control,” Kenneth pointed out, his good eye sweeping slowly,very slowly, over her.
That look meant something, and she knew it well. She could almost feel his eye on her bare skin, undressing her.
And unlike with other men, she liked it
“Desire cannae be controlled either,” Kenneth added.
“But I can control how I express it… or with whom,” Leana whispered, her heart racing as she swallowed thickly.
Kenneth smiled, obviously enjoying the situation. He pulled her a little closer, letting his fingers run down her back.
“If ye’re nae plannin’ on fallin’ in love, are ye at least plannin’ on gettin’ married?” he asked, business as usual.
But their bodies were close, and the heat of his body radiated like a restrained fire, and every inch between them felt insufficient to quell the electric current skimming her skin.
Her breath hitched before she could control it, and the scent of wood and wind that clung to him wrapped around her senses. A part of her craved the touch, the closeness, the unspoken promise hanging in the charged air between them—but she forced herself to remain still. Her fingers clenched the fabric of her dress, a desperate attempt to anchor herself, to deny what was undeniable. She couldn’t afford to surrender. Not to him. Not to the sensations his nearness stirred deep inside her.
Still, she tried to hide how much he affected her. “What’s the point of a marriage without love?”
“A lot more than ye think.” Kenneth’s smile was bitter. “People get married all the time. Most of them do it without lovin’ each other.”
“Well, that willnae be me case,” Leana declared. “I daenae plan on getting married.”
“Why nae?” Kenneth asked.
“Because if I did, I could nay longer be a healer. I wouldnae be able to travel or share me gift with the world…”
“Perhaps, but ye would gain other things. A family, children, maybe love…”
