Page 32 of Married to the Ruthless Highlander
“I hear she’s—” Doughall began to say, but Kaiden was already up on his feet, making his way toward the Devil’s betrothed.
Nay matter. She kens her place. She wouldnae be daft enough to antagonize me again.
He picked up his cup and took a sip as he watched, half-maddened, half-curious to see what his fake betrothed would do.
12
“He cannae take his eyes off ye,” Ersie whispered excitedly, just behind Freya. “If he stares at ye like that for much longer, they’re goin’ to pop out of his head.”
Freya pulled a face, not daring to look in his direction yet. “I dinnae like the thought of that.”
“What are ye talkin’ about? This is perfect!” Ersie insisted. “Ye’re halfway to makin’ him as jealous as a buck in autumn—I can feel it. Can ye nae? It’s like there’s heat radiatin’ from where he’s sittin’.”
Warmth flooded Freya’s cheeks. “All I can feel is the heat in me face,” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. “Please, stop sayin’ such things—ye’re goin’ to throw me off. I’d prefernaeto be so red that everyone thinks I’ve come down with a fever.”
Ersie cackled softly—a strangely encouraging sound, reminding Freya that she did not have to be small and insignificant and overshadowed anymore. People were already staring, her potential friend found her amusing, and she felt pretty.
At that moment, she felt like she could do anything.
“Kaiden Lawson,” Ersie suddenly said, a thrill in her voice. “Laird of Clan MacMillen. Comin’ toward ye.”
Panic knocked the rhythm of Freya’s heart off by a beat. “What do ye mean? What is he comin’ towardmefor?”
“Dinnae fret, Freya. Ye dinnae have to do anythin’ other than accept to dance with him,” Ersie replied in a hushed tone.
Freya blinked. “Dance? Nay one said anythin’ about a dance… or other lairds.”
“How else did ye think ye were goin’ to make the Laird jealous?” Ersie asked, patting her gently on the arm. “Have fun, Freya. Enjoy yerself! Ye’ve earned it, and I bet ye’re as good a dancer as ye are an escape artist.”
Freya raised her nervous gaze to the approaching Laird. Tall and handsome, the man was light where Doughall was dark, his hair golden, his eyes a honeyed hazel, his sun-browned skin dusted with freckles, his jaw covered by a short, golden beard—well trimmed and very becoming. In truth, he had the look of a lion about him, whereas Doughall was more of a fearsome wolf,ready to bite at the first sign of a challenge. Her neck still bore the slight mark to prove it.
“I must ken the name of this goddess I see before me,” Kaiden said, his arms open wide as if he might embrace her.
Freya forced herself to hold his gaze and smile as brightly as she could. “Freya Kane. And who might ye be?”
“Laird MacMillen,” he replied with a lopsided grin. “But I insist that ye call me Kaiden. There shouldnae be formalities between friends.”
She raised an eyebrow. “We’re friends? A moment ago, we were strangers.”
“And in a moment more, we’ll be dancin’ so close that ye’ll feel like ye’ve kenned me forever.” He offered her his hand.
From across the hall, Freya could have sworn she felt the heat that Ersie had been talking about. It took all the restraint she possessed not to turn and look in Doughall’s direction. Why ruin things so soon into the evening before she had even attempted to have some fun?
He cannae be angry, can he? It’s nae as if this is real. Any of it.
Boldly, she took Kaiden’s hand, flashing what she hoped was a confident smile. “But how can we dance to music like this? Ye can barely hear it.”
Kaiden snapped his fingers at the musicians in the corner, who had been playing quiet ballads to accompany the feasting. In an instant, they leaped into a lively tune, at least half of the guests up and down the table joining in by clapping their hands to the beat of the tambor.
A yelp slipped past Freya’s lips as Kaiden caught her around the waist, sweeping her into an even livelier dance. His hand clasped hers, while her hand gripped his shoulder for dear life, her head spinning as he whirled her around the otherwise empty dance floor between the table and the door.
Digging deeply into her reserve of dancing etiquette, drummed into her from childhood, she matched her partner’s movements step for step, not faltering once… though she had never danced quite so fast before. Now and then, she caught sight of Ersie clapping along and grinning from ear to ear, which at least let her know that she wasn’t making a complete fool of herself.
Is this what it feels like to… have fun?
It was surprisingly liberating. Laughter spilled out of her with every wild turn, and Kaiden was smiling back at her, his hazel eyes twinkling with merriment. Between her brother and Doughall, she realized it had been a long time since she had seen a man who had no difficulty smiling, laughing, unafraid to show feelings.
“It’s rare to find a lass who is as fine a dancer as she is remarkably beautiful,” Kaiden purred.
