Page 169 of The Highlander's English Bride

“My bad temper stemmed from concern for you. I most sincerely and humbly beg your forgiveness.”

The corners of her mouth twitched. “Itwasa rather volatile situation. I was not at my best, either.”

“Och, ye were both bonny and brave, like a true Highland lass, ye ken.”

She giggled.

“I, on the other hand,” he continued, “apparently succumbed to a bout of hysterics, which no doubt accounted for my . . .”

“Raising your voice?”

He nodded.

She scoffed. “You don’t have a hysterical bone in your body. As for the yelling, it merely seems to be a Kendrick family trait.”

“True enough. You need to get better at yelling.”

Her blush deepened. “Does . . . does that mean I might be a member of your family some day?”

He leaned in and feathered a kiss across her lips. “Only if you accept my apology.”

She sucked in a wavering breath. “That sounds like blackmail to me.”

“I’m very good at underhanded tactics, in case you failed to notice.”

“Oh, I’ve noticed.”

She slipped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down. She gave him the sweetest of butterfly kisses before slipping her tongue out to taste him. Graeme murmured his appreciation, gently cupping her cheek as she teased along the seam of his lips.

But when she pressed closer, he sighed and slowly pulled back. Before they went any further, there were things she needed to know.

Her eyelids fluttered open, her peacock-blue eyes soft and hazy with desire.

“Why are we stopping? Is something wrong?” Then her gaze snapped into focus. “Somethingiswrong. What?”

The words still eluded him. With her in his arms, nothing else seemed to matter. But she had the right to know everything, good and bad. And even if the bad had been in service of the good, it had stamped a mark on his soul.

“I have to tell you something, and it’s not very pleasant.” He huffed out a bitter laugh. “That’s an understatement. It’s bloody awful.”

She stroked his hair, smoothing the locks she’d disheveled only moments ago. “I won’t shrink from it.”

“You say that now—”

“Just tell me.”

Her tart command almost made him smile. “Yes, my lady.”

“You don’t look very comfortable, though. Do you want to sit in the other chair?”

He settled onto the floor, crossing his legs tailor-style. “I’d rather stay close to you, if you don’t mind.”

She took one of his hands and plopped it onto her lap. “I won’t let go.”

He quietly began. “I had a case last winter that was probably the hardest of my career.”

“Harder than this one? Because this one seems an absolute mess.”

He cracked a brief smile. “This one is only hard because it involves you, sweetheart. It scares the hell out of me that something could happen to you.”

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