Page 51 of A Virgin for the Highland Beast
“What are ye doing here?” he asked, his voice shaking from the cold as he grabbed his towel off the rocks.
“I dinnae like the way things ended,” Emma said, giving him a level glare.
Hunter wiped the water from his face. When the towel dropped, her steely gaze remained locked on him with a determination that matched his own.
“Ye should go back inside before ye catch a cold,” he said, concern creeping into his voice.
Emma cocked her head, a small smile playing on her lips, “I’m nae the one who’s wet and cold.”
His eyes narrowed. The girl was clever, and he couldn’t argue with her logic. “I’ll walk ye back inside.”
“Why do ye keep doing this?” she asked, her voice steady and stern.
He looked at her, confusion in his eyes. “Doing what?” he asked, his voice defensive to match her tone.
A smirk tickled the corner of his lips as he noticed her eyes shifting away from his face and trailing down his bare chest.
“One minute ye’re promising to protect me and give me the impression ye’d lay down yer life for me, and the next ye want nothin’ to do with me. Yer mood swings are giving me a headache,” she said, her voice cracking with frustration.
Hunter didn’t know what to say. A pang of regret shot through him, and for a moment, he wondered if she couldn’t see everything he had done was for her.
“Would ye rather be back wit’ Geoffrey?” His words hung in the cold air between them.
Emma’s eyes widened. “Nay,” she answered.
Hunter let out a silent sigh of relief. “Then what is it ye want from me?” he asked. His voice was soft, almost a plea. He couldn’t help but wonder what was going through her mind. “Ye came into this marriage wit’ open eyes, just as I did. I gave ye me conditions, and I met yers. what more is there to say?”
Emma’s eyes widened. She stepped back. “Nothin’.”
Tears pooled in her eyes. She’d come to confront Hunter, yet, how could she, when he refused to budge? Turning on her heel, she made for a different spot on the lake.
Unwilling to go to the castle, she needed a place to think in peace. But the crunching of the pebbles underfoot rang in her ears. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed Hunter coming up behind her.
“Where are ye goin’?” Hunter asked. “The castle is the other way.”
“I dinnae want to go to the castle,” Emma answered, undeterred by the unwelcome shadow.
“Ye cannae stay out here all night,” Hunter argued. “And it’s already late as it is. Ye stay any later, and the sun will come up.”
“Why do ye care? Ye’ve stated ye fulfilled yer end of our agreement. And since ye dinnae want to talk to me about anythin’, I’ll seek conversation elsewhere,” Emma said, determined to reach the loamy bank of the lake.
“Is that so? And jusIo ye plannin’ on talkin’ to? The stars?”
“Or the man on the moon,” Emma countered. “I’m sure they’ll listen.”
“Now ye’re just being silly. And here I thought ye had a strong head on yer shoulders.”
Emma flexed her jaw in frustration as she climbed over the slick rocks, keeping her eyes locked on the destination. If she could only get over the few jagged boulders, she would be on the shore.
The sound of rocks sliding and a heavy splash made her stop and look back over her shoulder, horrified to find Hunter wading into the water.
“What are ye doin’?” she yelled at him.
“Ye’ll slip an’ fall if ye try to climb those rocks alone,” he called to her.
The sight of him in the water made her want to laugh. She shook her head and made her way to the rocky shoreline. Stretching a hand to help Hunter out, she found herself plunged into the icy water.
“What did ye do that for?” Emma gasped as she came up for air.
