Page 25 of The Highlander's Auctioned Bride
Maisie’s reply was simply to turn away from him and continue covering the biscuits in honey.
“Are ye just goin’ to ignore me?” James asked.
She swallowed. “I am followin’ yer example, m’laird,” Maisie said, “since ye willnae bother to speak with me, despite the fact that we are to be wed tomorrow, I willnae bother to obey yer whims.”
James ground his foot into the stone floor. “I am to be yer husband, and ye are to do as I say.”
“But ye are nae my husband yet, are ye?” She raised her brow at him. “And ye have still nae told me why ye have ignored me all week. If I am in fact to be yer wife, I should think ye would want to get to know me.”
James grunted, scratching his jaw and looking into the kitchen. “I was busy preparin’ forourweddin’,” he growled, “and takin’ care of clan matters. The clan doesnae stop needin’ a laird because he has found a wife.”
“What preparations have ye done?”
“What?”
“What preparations haveyedone? I would like to ken, seein’ as that is all I have been doin’ all week.”
James’s eyes narrowed at her as he walked down the steps and stood at the bottom, turning to face her with a frown.
“The usual things,” he attempted. “Seein’ to the staff?—”
“Nae, I have done that. Everythin’ has been done to yer likin’ I might add, but I havenae heard a single servant say ye have given them even an hour of yer time.”
James huffed irritably. “I have been preparin’ me mind for the occasion.”
Maisie actually found herself laughing at that. “Well, that must have been keepin’ ye very busy then, m’laird.”
“Ye will get back to yer room, woman.”
“I will nae,” she said firmly and placed her plate on the ground beside her as she stood up. In their positions, she was almost as tall as him, and she leveled him with a fierce glare.
“I havenae seen anythin’ of ye for days,” she spat. “My Da was gone for months at a time, but he always made me feel like the center of his world when he was away. He treated me with more respect as hisdaughterthan ye dare to show me as yer futurewife.”
Maisie looked him over. His jaw was clenched, his brow furrowed, and his eyes bored into hers with an intensity that made her heart pound wildly in her chest.
“I’m goin’ to wed ye out of duty to my family, and nothin’ more,” Maisie continued. “But I would have much preferred to wed a man who proved to be a true gentleman, with integrity. I have seen nae evidence of that since I met ye.”
“And what dae ye ken of gentlemen, having lived all yer life in such a small house, knowin’ so little of the world?”
“Plenty!”
“I’m sure—ye ken as much about household politics, and promoting servants above their station as I do about weddin’ gowns.”
“Ha!” Maisie exclaimed, pointing her finger in the middle of his chest, her face now barely inches from his. “So yedidthink my answers were foolish! Why would ye choose me when ye could have picked any of the other girls?”
“Because I wantedye!” he bellowed.
Maisie froze in place staring at him.
He was positively vibrating now, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes blazing at her.
The dim light of the kitchen highlighted the curve of his neck and the strong corded muscles beneath. “Ye… ye want me?” Maisie asked. Her breath was coming quickly. Her thoughts moved to the study, remembering his huge frame up against hers. She wanted to feel that again, to experience all that repressed strength come forth once more.
“Aye, I want ye,” he said softly, his voice a low rumble. “I couldnae stop thinkin’ of ye since I first saw ye, as aggravatin’ as ye are.” He brought his hand up, nearly touching her face.
Her breath hitched. He was so close, his expression soft again, his guard down. She could feel the heat of his muscles permeating the air between them. The heavy rasp of his breaths counteracted her own unsteady breathing. Would he close the distance?
She lifted her face toward his, her lips parting as his hand lowered over her body. It hovered an inch away from her nightgown all the way down to her waist.
