Page 12 of The Mad Highlander
She chewed the inside of her cheeks as she lapsed into thought, contemplating all the scenarios that could have justified a man killing his kin.
“These are yer chambers for the evening.” He stopped so abruptly in front of her that she quickly lifted her hands and placed them on his back to stop herself from bumping into him. The sheer force of his muscles made her wrists ache as she pushed herself away.
Cayden turned with a frown, glaring at her as he dropped his gaze to her lips once again and backed her up against the wall beside a door. “One more thing. Ye need to be careful, lassie; dinnae flirt with me if ye are nae willing to face the consequences.” His eyes darkened as they fell to her chest and traveled down her body.
Iris felt her breath catch in her chest as he placed his hands on either side of her head and leaned down, bringing his face closer to hers with his eyes locked on her lips. The hunger that seemed to emanate from his being startled her as she shifted her body back into the wall.
“I… I wasnae,” she struggled to speak as her chest rose and fell, causing her breasts to strain against the confines of her corset.
Why does he keep looking at me like that?
Her pulse quickened as the pit of her stomach coiled with a mixture of fear and attraction.
“Ye were just trying to flirt with me because ye wanted a reaction. I am nae one to give a reaction without a reason, and I dinnae like people givin’ me a reason. Do I make meself clear?” He leaned closer, bringing his lips to her ear as he lowered his voice. “Just remember, ye need to be able to handle what ye ask for.” His hot breath tickled the skin just below her ear as her lips parted with a gentle gasp.
Panic filled her mind as she realized what she had started. Women who flirted with men usually wanted something in return, and while she had only wanted conversation, any hot-blooded man would have demanded she follow through.
The dark look of passion in his eyes when he drew back caught her off guard. She had been trying to flirt with him on a whim, hoping to gain his attention so that he may open up to her. Her imaginings hadn’t strayed beyond the possibilities of a simple conversation.
Cayden reached for the handle beside her and opened the door. “There will be a guard outside yer door as I said ’afore. Ye may rest easy that naebody will disturb ye during the night.” He took a step back and waited for her to go in, searching her face as a muscle in his jaw jumped “Dinnae try me, lassie; ye dinnae ken who ye are dealing with.”
Regaining her composure, Iris pushed herself off the wall and entered her chambers, her breathing rapid as she heard the door shut behind her back.
She hadn’t been trying to flirt with him in the hall, but he had taken it as such and acted accordingly. What would she have done if he’d come into her room expecting her to lay with him? He was a man after all, and men wanted to slake their lusts.
Not any man.
Her pulse continued to race as she leaned her head back against the door. He had stopped when many others would have taken advantage and forced her to consummate their marriage before they even held the ceremony. Her skin tingled at the thought of lying with Cayden. She lifted her hand and ran the tips of her fingers over the section of skin beneath her ear.
Who is he?
Her heart whispered the question in the darkness of the strange chambers that she felt herself being sucked into.
6
Cayden Hart found himself in a predicament he never thought possible. The woman he was about to marry had managed to intrigue him in a mere day. Her silly antics and playful nature in the tavern had caught him off guard. He hadn’t been expecting her to try and provoke a reaction out of him, and he was more surprised that she had stirred a reaction. There was no doubt he wanted her in his bed, but it would be on his terms and not hers. She was a stunningly beautiful woman just as her cousin had promised.
The carriage came to a stop in front of the O’Brien castle, and Cayden noticed how jumpy Iris seemed to appear. Her nervousness was palpable, and for a fleeting moment, he felt an unfamiliar urge to comfort her. He despised himself for it, for he had always prided himself on his stoicism. Trust and attachment were things he couldn’t afford in life.
“Ye dinnae have to be scared, lass; naebody will harm ye inside these walls.” He felt himself giving in a little as he offered her what little assurance he could.
Iris turned to him with a vulnerable look in her eyes.
“I understand that it cannae be easy to leave yer family behind.” He opened the door of the carriage and stepped out before she had a chance to reply or shoot one of her sharp comments in his direction. Cayden didn’t like to admit it, but potential wives were in short supply. It was his decision to marry, but it had been an easy one to make when Laird McCabe had approached him.
As she had been summoned, his sister, Robyn, suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs that led to the castle doors. She hardly wasted any time as she came bounding down the steps toward the carriage, her long, strawberry-blonde hair flying behind her in a loose braid. She threw her lithe figure into his arms as soon as she reached his side. “What took ye so long? I was beginning to worry.”
Cayden lifted her in his arms and hugged her before placing her back on her feet. His time away hadn’t improved her impulsive ways, yet he had missed her cheeky smile. “These things take time, Robyn.” He cocked his head to the side and examined her, noticing the unnatural pinkness of her cheeks. “Are ye well, lass? Ye look as if ye have a fever.” He frowned as she let go of him and took a step back. The unnatural color in her cheeks deepened as she blushed.
“I am nae ill, brother. It’s just a touch of rouge. Maither said I am old enough now to wear some.” She chewed the inside of her cheek and reached for her braid that had fallen over her shoulder.
“It’s too much. I will have a word with Maither,” he grumbled deeply, not liking the fact that his youngest and only sister was beginning to look more and more like a young woman of marriageable age. He had noticed that the men were paying more and more attention to her since her sixteenth birthday, but he had hoped that there was still enough time to prepare himself for the troubled waters ahead.
“It’s nae too much, but enough of me now. Where is yer bride?” She stood on her toes and glanced over his shoulder just as Iris stepped from the carriage behind him.
Robyn’s light blue eyes lit up instantly as she hurried toward Iris, taking her hands in her own. “I didnae think ye would be this beautiful.” She gushed enthusiastically, fawning over Iris.
Cayden watched as Iris blushed, averting her gaze as his sister cooed over her delicate beauty.
