Page 22 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
Hunter’s lips twitched. “Ye sound relieved, Lady MacKinnon.”
“Maybe I am. It’s the first time I’ve managed to get ye to say more than one word at once,” she shot back, quick as ever.
He couldn’t help but let out a soft, resigned chuckle. “Then let’s see if this is enough conversation for ye—though I warn ye, the food willnae talk back.”
He led them through the bustling village square, his men close but keeping a respectful distance. Erica, however, seemed oblivious to the onlookers who greeted them with quiet nods, examining everything around her with childish vigor.
“What is it, lass?” Hunter asked when she suddenly stopped and looked at nothing in particular.
“I just—I thought someone was watchin’ me, is all. A feelin’.”
Hunter turned around with her, his hand instinctively reaching out, his fingers grazing her skirts. His men too spread through the square, their eyes searching the crowd for anything strange. Hunter noticed once again the villagers staring at his wife with a mix of awe and curiosity.
“Perhaps it’s because we arrived in our ceremonial attire—fine threads, indeed. Come, let us go.”
A small inn stood near the edge of the square, its doors ajar and music drifting out to the street. Hunter guided Erica inside, the rustic charm of the place an odd backdrop to the tension still simmering between them.
Erica took her seat, her hands lightly folding in her lap. Hunter watched as she scanned the room, though her eyes flickered toward him every so often.
The charged silence between them lingered, thickening the air until Erica felt her heart pounding with each passing second. She knew he saw it—the slight tremor in her hand, the faint color in her cheeks.
I cannae back down. I need to keep him talkin’.
Just then, she caught sight of the innkeeper, a woman with a round, cheerful face, pouring ale for a man sitting at the bar. Her soft green eyes flicked briefly to one of Hunter’s men, and in that glance, Erica recognized the practiced flirtation, the coy smile, the knowing tilt of the head.
A thought took shape, audacious and a bit reckless, but she was determined now. She recalled how talkative her husband had been the past couple of nights and wondered why he was so different now.
Hmm… Perhaps I’ll just coax a conversation out of him.
The innkeeper set steaming bowls of stew before them and then on the table next to them, where Hunter’s men and Kara were seated.
Erica took a delicate bite, then looked up to find Hunter watching her intently.
“Enjoyin’ it, then?” he asked, his eyebrow raised.
She let out a moan of satisfaction, partly because the flavors wereexquisite, partly because she wanted to hint at something else entirely.
“So, tell me, Hunter,” she purred, her voice a touch softer. “Do ye have this intense air about ye all the time, or is it only for… special occasions?”
Not catching her meaning, Hunter shoveled a spoonful of stew into his mouth before asking, “Special occasions?”
She shrugged, her finger tracing the rim of her cup. “Aye, like dinner with yer wife. It seems only fair that I get some consideration, do ye nae think?”
His gray eyes met hers the moment she said ‘wife’, narrowing slightly as if trying to read her. “I’d say ye have nay trouble gettin’ exactly what ye want, Erica,” he replied, his voice dangerously low as he rested his spoon against the side of his bowl.
Erica’s heart flipped under his gaze, but she managed a soft chuckle. “Och, I’ve hardly begun tryin’.”
Caught between amusement and something more primal, she watched as he schooled his features into neutrality.
It was heady, this newfound power to affect him, even if only a little. So, she leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Do ye like it when I try?”
The question caught him off guard; she saw it in the muscle ticking in his jaw and the flaring of his nostrils as he inhaled. For a heartbeat, he said nothing, his cold eyes roaming over her face as though searching for the hidden meaning behind her words.
Finally, he answered, his voice barely above a murmur. “I think ye dinnae ken half of what ye are doin’.”
“Then perhaps ye should teach me. Husband.”
Hunter stilled at that, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face before he broke their stare and turned his attention back to his food. But Erica caught the slight, almost reluctant smile on his lips.
