Page 54 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
When he claims me…
Her traitorous body reacted instantly. It felt too tight and too hot at the same time. His words set her bones on fire, but in the very next moment, the distance he put between them cooled her desire.
“Has somethin’ changed?”
His expression remained infuriatingly neutral. “Changed?”
“Ye ken what I said, Hunter Buchanan,” Erica said stubbornly, irritation lacing her words.
“Aye,” he replied thoughtfully. He grabbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger as he fought back a grin.
“What, then?” she pressed, torn between desire and confusion.
She watched as he lifted another finger to his cheek. “I’ve tasted ye, have I nae?”
It felt like he had set her body on fire. She sat there, her tongue heavy under his piercing grey eyes, which traced every curve of her squirming body before they met her eyes again.
“I told ye, ye’re on a dangerous path, lass.”
“I—” she started, but she failed to finish whatever thought she had.
“Was there anythin’ else ye were wonderin’ about?”
Erica shook her head imperceptibly.
Hunter nodded slowly as he stepped around his desk and sat back down. He lifted a stack of papers from the corner of his desk and arranged them neatly in front of him.
“On the other hand, thereissomethin’ else on me mind,” he continued, smoothly changing the subject as if nothing had happened between them. He kept his gaze fixed on the papers while Erica slowly sat down across from him.
“Och?” she managed to say, her voice surprisingly steady despite her racing heart.
Hunter looked at her for a moment, his expression unreadable, before he let out a breath. “It’s Lily.”
Erica tilted her head, confused as to how quickly he changed focus. She was also surprised because he rarely spoke about his niece directly—though she knew how much he cared for her.
“What about her?”
“She’s grown comfortable around ye,” he noted, his voice thoughtful. “Far more than she is comfortable around me. Ye have done more for her in these weeks than I have in years.”
His words carried a deep meaning that tugged at her heart. She could see the guilt in his eyes, the frustration he tried to mask.
“Hunter,” she said gently, leaning forward, “that’s nae true. Lily loves ye. She just… she’s just guarded, as are ye.”
“Aye,” he admitted. “And I’ve done little to fix it. I dinnae ken how to reach her, Erica. She speaks to me, but it feels… distant. Like there’s always a wall between us.”
Erica’s chest ached at the vulnerability in his voice. It wasn’t often that Hunter let his guard down, and the fact that he was doing so with her was monumental.
“As I said before, she isnae the only one who is guarded. Ye are too. She looks up to ye,” Erica said softly. “But if ye want her to open up, ye have to take the first step.”
His brow furrowed. “What do ye mean?”
“Ye need to let her see ye, Hunter,” Erica explained, her voice steady despite the nervous flutter in her stomach. “Share pieces of yerself with her—stories, feelings, anythin’ that shows her it’s safe to let her walls down. Ye are her anchor, whether she says it or nae.”
Hunter was quiet for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the fire. When he finally spoke, his voice was low but resolute. “I’ve spent so long keepin’ things buried. To show her that I’m strong and she can rely on me to protect her and keep her safe…” he trailed off, and silence fell between them.
The sincerity in his words made Erica’s heart swell. She reached out instinctively, placing a hand over his. His gaze snapped to hers, and for a brief moment, the air between them shifted. There was something unspoken in his eyes—gratitude, perhaps, and something deeper.
“Ye will do fine,” she assured him, her voice softer now. “Lily adores ye. She just needs time, and she needs to ken ye will always be there for her even when it’s hard. She lost the people she was closest to, and she feels distance from ye now—there is work to be done.”
