Page 42 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
This isnae why ye came here.
And yet he couldn’t shake the thought of what it would be like to see Erica like this, but alone—just the two of them, with no one else watching. He wasn’t a fool. He knew she didn’t trust him, that whatever connection simmered between them was as tenuous as a thread in a storm.
How can she still think of me after readin’ that note?
The note he wrote to her last night was burned into his memory, and his palms all of a sudden felt clammy.
She did read it… right?
He suddenly caught movement on the far side of the square.
Calvin’s dark eyes stalked the three of them, and Hunter nodded before putting distance between them.
Erica moved to another stall, waving toward something, and he frowned as he noticed the small pouch she pulled from her belt. She didn’t seem to notice the attention it was drawing, nor did she seem aware of the two men who had begun following her from a distance, their eyes narrowing as they watched the pouch at her side.
Hunter repositioned himself in the square to just catch what the taller of the two men said. “Did ye see that?”
“I doubt she’ll miss any of it,” the other man said.
Hunter felt a surge of anger mixed with the lingering warmth from his previous thoughts.
Careless.
His steps quickened as he followed his wife. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to shield her from danger or shake her for being so naïve. But one thing was clear—if those men tried anything, he’d make sure they regretted it.
As he shadowed them down a narrow street, the men drew closer to Erica, their gazes fixed intently on her. His heart thudded in his chest, an unexpected fierce protectiveness welling up inside him.
Erica stopped at a small stall selling ribbons and cloth, her face lighting up as she picked up a dark blue ribbon. She held it up to Kara, laughing as she tied it around her neck, pretending it was a necklace.
Hunter’s breath caught as he watched her. Her skin was practically glowing in the midday sun, her hair catching the light as she tilted her head. The blue was a perfect contrast to the pink hue in her cheeks, and he couldn’t help but imagine what it would look like wrapped around her wrist, or maybe in his hand, bound between them.
He shook his head, dismissing those thoughts. But the urge to step in and whisk her away niggled at him relentlessly. He craned his neck almost painfully at the thought of how she might feel beneath him, her skin warm and inviting, her lips parting under his.
“Now,” he heard one of the men hiss.
Just then, the taller man reached out, his hand aiming for her shoulder, and Hunter’s instincts kicked in. In a flash, he closed the gap between them. He saw Calvin swiftly stepping beside Erica, his footsteps as light as a cat’s.
Hunter placed a hand on her shoulder, and she whipped around to face him, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Hunter?” she gasped, her eyes searching his.
The two men halted, sizing him up. Hunter’s gaze slid over them, and he shot them a cold, calculating glare, widening his stance as he dared them to make a move. The men then spotted Calvin on Erica’s other side before they exchanged a look. After a tense moment, they turned around and disappeared into the crowd.
Erica exhaled, still staring up at her husband in surprise. “What… what are ye doin’ here?”
“Savin’ ye from yerself, apparently,” Hunter replied, his voice rough. “Do ye have any idea how reckless ye were?”
Her eyebrows knitted together, a flash of defiance in her eyes. “I was buyin’ supplies for a picnic with Lily. Hardly a dangerous endeavor, in me opinion.”
Hunter stepped closer, his hand still on her shoulder, his thumb grazing her collarbone almost unconsciously.
“Ye might see it that way, but others dinnae,” he said, his voice dropping. His fingers brushed against her skin, the softness of it sending a surge of heat through him that he barely managed to suppress. “And if those men had decided to take what they wanted… it wouldnae have ended well for ye—either of ye.” He glanced at Kara, who bowed her head.
Erica’s face softened slightly, her gaze flickering to the hand resting on her shoulder. The air between them felt charged, heavy with unspoken tension. “Ye… ye were concerned for me safety?”
“Concerned doesnae quite cover it, lass,” he admitted, his voice thick with fear he couldn’t hide. He glanced down at her, focusing on her lips, and he had to suppress the urge to lean in, to close the last inch between them. “Ye are me wife, Erica. Like it or nae, yer safety is me responsibility. Ye are Lady MacKinnon—ye need to start actin’ like it.”
Erica bristled, her eyes narrowing as she held his gaze. For a moment, the bustling sounds of the market faded, leaving only the two of them in that charged silence.
