Page 18 of The Highlander's Virgin Widow
What in the world did Lesley put in that tea?
Why did she feel calm saying all of that?
“Then ye’ll have something in common with the women I’vecrawledinto bed with.”
Keira frowned, and her breath hitched. “What?”
“Oh, ye ken. Screaming. The only difference is that ye’ll be screaming menameinstead, lass.”
A cold shiver crept down her back. For some reason, his words managed to linger in the air more than they usually did.
“But I shall leave ye be for the night. Ye’re right, we have much to discuss in the morning.”
He walked away from the window to the edge of the bed, grabbed his shirt, and walked toward her.
He stopped in front of her, and for a minute, Keira wondered if he could hear her heart pounding in her chest.
“Ye look bonny when ye’re flushed.”
Again, those words, like the last, lingered in the air.
Keira didn’t respond. She had nothing to say. All she could do was watch him put on his shirt and walk to the door.
Even when he closed the door behind him, she remained rooted to the spot, transfixed by the encounter they’d just had. The cold night air did almost nothing to move her from where she stood as the question grew louder in her mind.
Who was this man, and how did he manage to get under her skin?
7
One of the maids directed Evander to one of the rooms closer to the Great Hall. It was significantly smaller than the Laird’s quarters, but for now, it would have to do.
His thoughts lingered on the push and pull between him and Keira as the maid pushed open the door for him.
“This should do nicely for ye, for the moment.”
Evander looked around, taking in one damp wall after the other. His men had taken most of the nicer rooms, and he wouldn’t go and bother any of them, even though he knew they would immediately volunteer to trade rooms with him.
However, unlike in the Laird’s quarters, the moonlight filtered through the window, casting an ethereal, incandescent glow onthe entire room. The furniture was covered with dust, but the bed looked made—like it had been so for years.
“Can I get some covers? I’m nae sleeping on that,” he grunted, turning to the maid.
The maid nodded and turned around, scurrying away almost as fast as she had come.
Evander was left with his thoughts and the room. As he looked around once more, he wondered if Keira could see him one way or another and if she would enjoy this as much as he imagined she would.
He sat on the bed, the soft cushion offering him comfort in the darkest of times. It was only for the night. And what did the maid say again?For the moment.
Everyone in the castle seemed to like Lady Blythe, which put two things into question for him.
First, what if she truly knew nothing about the fire that had destroyed his castle? What if someone had done it without her knowledge or permission?
He tried to imagine how this must all look to her. But he couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried.
“I have the covers, M’Laird.” The maid’s voice broke the silence as she returned with fresh sheets.
Evander stood up and watched her replace the old sheets, more questions roiling in his mind.
Gaining control of the castle was hard enough when Keira was giving him enough trouble for it. What would happen when he eventually did, and they decided to listen to herand not him?
