Page 32 of The Highlander's Fake Wife
“Like ye had yer own mind to make up?” Arthur suddenly felt closer than ever to the woman before him. Of course he knew what it was like to be constantly watched, have expectations placed upon him he never asked for. In the last fewdays...he’d almost forgotten that Olivia was also once in a position of great power. Of great responsibility.
“Spending time with Flora…seeing her with her husband…I daenae ken if I could have ever found something like that in me own clan.” Olivia’s voice caught in her throat, and she quickly shook her head, staring down at folded, trembling hands set against the table. “B-but, that’s a terrible thing to say, and a terrible person fer thinkin’ such things. This had to be why they chased me out–they ken, deep down, that I daenae like them.”
Arthur knew full well he shouldn’t have grabbed her hands like he had. But she looked so distant, so lost; instinct had long-since took over, ensuring she knew there was a place of warmth close by. His hand fully enveloped hers, cradling it in his palm before offering a comforting squeeze. For a moment, he waited for her to admonish him, but she only looked at him with a flicker of relief. As if he’d just grabbed her before she’d fallen off the edge.
“I daenae ken what goes on in yer mind, selkie,” he began. “And…I cannae imagine all ye’ve gone through in life. When I told ye about me–about seeing the world all black an’ white–’twas not meant to make ye feel like a monster yerself.”
Olivia chuckled lightly, her brow raising ever so slightly. “I daenae ken if I fully believe that last part, m’laird.”
“Alright–maybe I wanted ye to feel a touch bad about yer narrow views,” Arthur admitted. “But ye cannae deny that it helped to see me own clan in a softer light.”
Olivia nodded, conceding to his point.
“Yer a better person fer being willin’ to change yerself,” Arthur said. “And maybe that change does come wit a few frightenin’ thoughts. But nay one will admonish ye fer enjoyin’ the company of others, selkie. And,” he added, patting her hands reassuringly. “If it makes ye feel better, sometimes I prefer the company o’Maesie over me own family.”
That got a snort of laughter out of Olivia. “Arthur!”
“‘Tis true!” Arthur insisted. “They drive me crazy at times! Mam’s always tryin’ to treat me like her wee bairn an’ not a laird, and me sister,” he whistled low with a shake of his head. “I wanted to exile Nathan at one point, on account o’ how much the pair went on about each other. Lovesick fools, I tell ye; every day, I had to here it from one–or both–o’them! ‘Nathan’s so charming’, ‘Flora’s so beautiful’--on repeat, fer days!”
More laughter escaped from Olivia’s chest; the strong, hearty kind that made Arthur smile. “And…I daenae think ye have to worship to ground yer family walks, either.” A cold ache settled in his chest amidst the mirth, and he freed a hand to gesture to his eyepatch. “There’s plenty o’folk who bear me blood that…I see as nothin’ more than strangers.”
Olivia’s laughter fell away; now, it was her who squeezed his hand in comfort. She looked as if she wanted to ask more, but respectfully kept her curiosity at bay.
“So…if yer thoughts about yer own family arenae too kind,” Arthur said softly. “It doesnae make ye a bad person. It just means…yer seeing the world fer what it fully is.”
Olivia nodded slowly, his words fully sinking into her being. “I…daenae ken what to think, anymore.”
“Just trust yerself,” Arthur reassured. “Ye a lot smarter an’ more resilient than ye give yerself credit fer.”
Again, Olivia nodded. “I…I will. Thank ye…Arthur. Ye didnae have to say all of that fer my sake.”
Her thanks was better than any ale or whiskey Arthur had ever had before in his life. It warmed his core and put him slightly off-kilter, and he found himself wanting more. But, it was clear Olivia had a lot on her mind to think about, so he did his best to quell the rising urge to take her away to his bedroom. “We should probably get back to them, now. Though, if yer feelin’ like being by yerself…”
Olivia’s nose immediately crinkled. “Oh, gracious, no. I’d rather not be stuck in me own head right now. Plus,” she added with a slight smirk. “I want to here more about this, ‘celebration’ ye were so keen about bringing me to. Though, not keen enough to tell me yerself?”
Arthur’s grin was a touch too forced. “Aye! Well, there wasnae a good opportunity, is all.”
“Mmm,” Olivia nodded, finger tracing the seams of the table. “Yer right, of course. We only saw each other, what, all day today? No time whatsoever to bring it up.”
Goddess of the sea, indeed. As teasing as the waves on a hot, summer’s day.
17
The sun beat against Olivia’s bare back as she laid strewn across the sparring grounds, elbows and arms smeared in dirt and bruises from the number of times she’d been thrown down that morning. It had been a little under a week since she’d properly arrived at MacDonnell’s keep, a little under a day or two since she’d begun her training with Arthur.
As expected, she’d gone to bed that first night tired and aching, and she felt much the same this morning, too. Especially now, having been tossed over the laird’s shoulders like a sack of potatoes.
“Come on, selkie!” Arthur laughed, his bare chest slick with sweat. “That’s not all ye have to offer, is it?”
It was not. Olivia let out a grunt, shoving herself back up to her feet and tightened her ponytail. At the very least, she was starting to grow more comfortable in the trousers, and the initialembarrassment over wearing nothing but a breast band had all but faded away.
Arthur had been right; maneuvering in a dress would have been entirely impractical, and it was far easier for Olivia to master the movements he demonstrated if she could move as freely as he could.
She dug the boot of her heel into the ground and sprang forward, keeping low as to try and stay out of his grasp. Arthur’s hand shot toward her, and she re-directed her momentum into a forward shoulder roll, darting around his side and springing back to her feet. “Not bad,” Arthur mused. “But yer still runnin’ at me without a plan of attack.”
Olivia gasped, wiping the sweat from her brow. “Isnae the point to simply knock ye off-balance? I daenae have to actually hurt ye–I daenae even have to take ye to the ground, much as ye seem to enjoying doing similar to me.”
Arthur snorted with laughter. “Aye, but ye willane accomplish even that simple goal wit yer body and mind at odds. Ye gotta be thinking while running at me; where are ye aiming fer, and why?”
