Page 72 of The Icy Highlander's Bride
He grabbed his breeches, and she watched as he struggled into them. She stood naked in front of him, vulnerable and cold without his solid presence beside her. But she needed to know. After everything they had been through, she needed to understand Daniel's true feelings for her.
"I cannae love ye," he stated.
He finally turned to face her, and Lana saw his eye roam down her naked body. She felt far too exposed standing naked in front of him, and she covered her chest with her arms. Daniel's gaze settled on her face, and he stepped closer to her, as if drawn to her.
He put his hands on her arms and lowered them to her sides. "Ye're beautiful," he murmured.
He bent down and kissed her with a tenderness that made her weak in the knees. Her head was a jumble of emotions as she tried to match his cold, distant words with his gentle, loving actions.
Lana cupped his face in her hand, and he turned his head into her palm, resting his face there. It was a gesture of surrender, and she smiled at him. She let her fingers explore his face, running over the bridge of his nose and the rough stubble on his jaw. And then her fingers paused beneath the black fabric that covered his left eye.
"Tell me ye love me," she whispered.
Lana ran her finger across the eyepatch, testing his response. When Daniel didn't flinch, she started to touch the edges of it. He was like a scared animal, and she was slowly earning his trust.
"I cannae love ye," he repeated. "I daenae ken how."
"Ye do," she said. "I've seen ye open up to Skye. And I saw how ye protected me from Laird Cullen. I feel how ye hold me in yer arms."
Lana lifted his eyepatch, and though Daniel stiffened, he did not stop her. He stood still, barely moving, as she removed it. For the first time since they met, she was able to see his whole face.
The skin beneath his eyepatch was puckered, with a long scar that ran from his left eyebrow to his nose. It cut directly across his eye, the lids permanently closed with haphazard stitches that had healed poorly.
Daniel jutted his chin and clenched his jaw. He seemed to be steeling himself for her cry of terror.
Instead, Lana rose on her tiptoes to press her lips to his wound.
"Take yer time," she whispered, leaning back. "I can wait for ye to love me."
Daniel stepped back and quickly grabbed the eyepatch from her hand, putting it back on his face.
"This was a mistake," he said. "We shouldnae have done it."
It was like he had slapped her. Her face flushed with shame as he gathered her dress and pushed it into her arms.
"It isnae fair to ye. Ye want something I cannae give."
"But… could ye nae grow to love me?" Lana asked, watching as he gathered her stockings and shoes. "In time?"
"We will go back to the way things were. Ye will care for Skye, and I will lead our clan. It doesnae need to be more than that."
"But I love ye," Lana insisted. "I cannae just forget that. What would ye have me do?"
But Daniel didn't answer. He simply straightened his clothes and retrieved his sword from where it had fallen to the floor. Lara watched him slide the weapon into its sheath before he strode to the door, leaving her alone.
Lana didn't come down for dinner. It was Daniel's first clue that something was wrong. As he, Cameron, and Skye tucked into the meal Mary had prepared for them, he was handed a slip of paper from an apologetic guard.
Daniel set down his knife and opened the paper to reveal a message in Lana's beautiful hand.
I'm leaving for Gunn Castle in the morning. I love ye and Skye, so it pains me to leave ye. But I must think about all that has happened. I must figure out if I can live without yer love.
"What is that?" Skye asked.
Daniel was amazed by how perceptive she was. She didn't seem to miss anything.
He forced himself to smile at her. "It's a note from Lana," he answered, but he was loath to give her more details.
Skye let out a quiet giggle. "She sent ye a note?" she asked. "Why nae come speak with us?"
