Page 10 of The Mad Highlander
“Woah!” The driver reined in the horses, bringing the carriage to a stop.
Cayden blinked a few times as if he had been in a trance before helping her back onto her seat as if she weighed nothing at all.
“Thank you,” she muttered sheepishly and straightened her dress, realizing that the fall had caused her breasts to almost break free. She hurriedly fixed her clothes as Cayden averted his gaze.
“We will spend the night here; ye will be in the chambers next to mine with a guard at yer door to ensure yer safety.” He clenched his jaw and climbed from the carriage as he grumbled the instructions at her, leaving her to follow his lead.
Is he mad at me?
She suddenly grew flustered and angry at his seeming dismissal. The man had quite a nerve to be angry at her for falling into his lap when he had been the one who pulled her closer!
He pulled me closer.
Her heart skipped a beat at the memory of his gaze lingering on her lips. The look of hunger and desire in his eyes had taken her breath away. She realized with a start that she had wanted him to kiss her, and even more than that, she had wanted to kiss him.
She swallowed hard and raised her hand to her throat as she watched him walk away from the carriage. His strides were strong and sure as he covered the distance to the inn entrance with ease. The broadness of his shoulders combined with hisheight and muscular build made him tower formidably above his men who scurried about to do his bidding.
I’m doing this for Ashton.
She reminded herself why she was in his presence in the first place and stepped from the carriage. She needed to keep a cool head and make sure that Cayden held up his end of the bargain. Everything would have been for nothing if she found herself being distracted by the man she was being forced to marry.
5
Iris’ eyes wandered around the room, taking in the lively atmosphere. The tavern was filled with a medley of both old and young, their laughter and chatter filled the air in a low murmur.
The atmosphere inside the busy tavern fascinated her as Iris bit her lower lip and looked around. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, laughing and chattering away as they drank their warm ale. Her years looking after her brother hadn’t provided her with many traveling opportunities. She felt almost out of place among the many men and women in traveling cloaks.
Cayden hadn’t said so much as a grunt to her once they had entered the tavern. He seemed to be avoiding her gaze as he beckoned the barmaid closer with a wave of his hand.
The curvy young woman with a plump face and a light spray of freckles across her nose sauntered over with a wary look. She could not take her eyes from the scars on his arms nor the factthat he was the biggest man in the tavern. “Ye called, Me Laird?” She kept her head bowed low as she spoke to the Laird.
“Aye, we will have two bowls of yer finest stew,” Cayden ordered, pointing with his thumb toward Iris to indicate who the second bowl was for. “And plenty of ale for me men.”
“Of course,” the barmaid replied softly. She turned to the other men at the table, and her mood instantly lightened. She conversed with them briefly to inquire if they needed any food and giggled at the comments they made.
The barmaid smirked at Iris before sauntering off again with her hips swaying seductively from side to side. Iris glanced around the table. All the men, bar one, were watching the maid walk back toward the kitchen—the Laird looked down at the table with his brows furrowed.
Iris did not mean to smile, but she did. It was not something she had ever thought she would take pride in, but the barmaid had been intimidated by the Laird, scared even. The barmaid had barely been able to look at Laird O’Brien. The same was not true of Iris. She had looked at him and questioned him. And that was not all—he had looked at her in ways that made her stomach churn. He had looked at the beautiful barmaid in no such way.
“What have ye got to be so merry about?” the Laird asked, catching her smiling.
She quickly straightened her spine and turned back to him after fixing the fabric of her emerald dress over her knees. “Nothin’,Me Laird. I was only thinkin’ about how pretty the barmaid was. Yer men certainly think so.”
There were some calls from the men in agreement.
“Aye, I suppose she is a fair lass. Yer a fair lass too, but ye will be a lady of a castle and nae a barmaid in a tavern.” The corner of his mouth hooked up into a smirk as he sat back in his chair and lazily threw one arm over the back, examining her expressions with his piercing gaze.
The simple gesture made her heart flutter with anticipation as she quickly licked her lips before biting the bottom one. “I hadnae thought about it like that. I ken I am to be yer wife but the lady of the castle?” Her pulse quickened when his eyes darkened again.
“What use would I have for a woman like that,” the Laird asked, jerking his thumb toward the kitchen, “when I’ll have ye for me bed?”
The sultry smirk on his lips made her uneasy as he seemed to pin her in place with his stare. She wanted to stare back into his eyes and prove that she was not afraid of him, but she looked down at the table instead.
There had been fear before meeting the Laird, but that was all overshadowed by the prospect of sharing his bed. It excited her to be with such a man undressed, but she was scared of what he would do to her in his bed.
I have to be strong. That means risin’ to any of his challenges. He says such brazen things out loud to get a rise out of me. I shall meet him head-on!
Turning back to Cayden, she pasted a seductive smile on her lips. “Ye know, I dinnae ken a lot about yer clan; will ye nae tell me anything ’afore we arrive?” She crossed her arms in front of her chest and pushed her bosoms forward as she leaned over the table, making sure to use her arms to bolster her breasts. She felt almost foolish behaving in such a wayward manner, yet she couldn’t think of another way to show she was unafraid of him and could rise to his challenges.
