Page 66 of The Highlander's Illicit Bride
Isolde spun around, her face twisted with both fear and fury. Struan raised his hands, palms facing her, showing her he was not a threat. Although the relief that washed through her was profound, so too was the frustration at being caught. She glared at him for a moment and through the thousand questions that were racing around in her mind, one stood out: how did he know where to find her?
“Were ye followin’ me?” she asked.
“Of course I was.”
“Why?”
“Because I had a feelin’ ye’d be tryin’ tae sneak out tonight,” he said. “I’d hoped I was wrong. I didnae want tae believe ye’d leave in the middle of the bleedin’ night. That ye’d go without say so much as goodbye.”
The guilt that washed over Isolde was thick and deep. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. Like she was drowning. That was exactly what she’d wanted to avoid. Why she had left that note in his study… and why she had wanted to just slip away. She’d wanted to avoid the confrontation. And most of all, she’d wanted to avoid the way he was looking at her right now.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice quavering. “I just… I thought it’d be fer the best. I thought it’d be easier fer everybody.”
“Easier fer everybody?” he asked, his tone hard. “Or easier fer ye?”
Isolde’s heart stuttered in her chest, and she frowned deeply as the truth of his words hit home. She had been telling herself that slipping away in the middle of the night would have been easier for everybody, but Struan was right. She was simply trying to make it easier for herself.
“Is it because ye dinnae want tae marry me? Is that why ye are runnin’ like this?”
She shook her head.
“’Tis because Iwanttae be with ye, actually,” she said softly.
“I dinnae understand.”
She stiffened her spine and stood up straighter. “I cannnae marry ye, even though I want tae… ‘Tis all that I’d want, truly.But believe me when I tell ye that if me faither finds out ye’ve married me without his consent, the fury he’d unleash on yer clan would be unlike anythin’ ye could have expected. Or planned fer. Especially now with Dougal at his side. I cannae let them rain down hell upon ye.”
Struan fell silent for a moment, lowering his gaze to the ground beneath his feet, seeming to be considering her words. His face clouded over, and he frowned. Isolde could see him thinking, weighing her words against his own thoughts. The silence between them stretched on and the air between them crackled with tension.
He finally raised his head and stared deeply into her eyes and Isolde’s heart fell. Instead of acceptance, as she’d been hoping, she saw determination glinting in his eyes. She knew he would not let this go. Not without a fight.
“Struan—”
He stepped closer to her, cutting off her words. His large frame loomed over her and his dark gray eyes were narrowed, his jaw clenched.
“Isolde, if I killed yer faither, would it change the way ye care about me?” he said. “Dae ye think ye’d come tae resent me? Even hate me fer it?”
That was the last question she’d expected him to ask, and Isolde turned away, running a hand over her face as she considered heranswer. After several long, agonizing moments in silence, she shook her head.
“Nay. I wouldnae think differently of ye. I’d nae resent ye,” she said. “And I could never hate ye, Struan.”
“Nay?”
She shook her head. “The truth is, if ye were tae kill me faither, I…” Isolde felt ashamed of her realization, but she wanted to tell Struan the truth. “Honestly, I’d feel relief,” she admitted. “If he was dead, I’d nae have tae worry about him catchin’ up tae me again. I’d never have tae fear bein’ forced intae the life he wanted me tae live. I’d be… free. Fer the first time in me life, I’d be truly free. So, nay. I’d nae resent ye. And me feelin’s fer ye wouldnae change.”
Struan was silent for a moment, absorbing her words. He almost looked as if he’d been expecting her to answer in the opposite. But then he raised his head and she saw that glint of determination in his eyes once more.
“Stay,” he said simply.
“Struan—”
“Stay with me,” he said.
“I cannae. Ye ken I cannae.”
He stepped forward, trapping her between the stone wall behind her and his body. His eyes burned into hers and when he leaned down and kissed her, it stole the breath from her lungs. Her head spun and her legs trembled. Isolde leaned into him, savoring the warmth of his mouth and the soft, velvety feel of his tongue swirling around hers.
Isolde put her hands on his chest and reluctantly pushed him back. The feel of his mouth on hers sent bolts of lightning sparking through her veins and made her head swim. It kept her from thinking clearly. She wanted more but knew she could not because with every thrust of his tongue into her mouth, Isolde felt her resolve weakening that much more.
