Page 43 of Trapped with the Vicious Highlander
Ava nodded. “Yes. She was a great woman, my mother. She made me realize you could be happy no matter who you get married to. And she lived by that principle because she lived an incredibly happy life, despite being married to someone like my father.”
Brodrick nodded gently. “I take it yer faither was a terrible man, then.”
“No more than the average Englishman,” Ava responded. “He was a snob. He believed women should be seen and not heard. Women should behave like women all the time. Quiet, elegant, and fragile. He hated the life my mother lived, and even worse, he hated how happy that life made her.”
Brodrick listened attentively, watching the way her lips moved, the way her nostrils flared in what he could only imagine was utter disgust every single time she spoke of her father. The way the glint in her eyes disappeared and reappeared again.
“So, yes, I have had my fair share of bad experiences with men,” Ava continued. “And I know from experience how it all turns out in the end. But when the viscount did not show up… it didn’t feel all that horrible. It feltfreeing.”
“Ava—” Brodrick started.
“So, whatever you think you can achieve by seducing me, it is not going to work. I’ve seen how men act. And I know how men think.”
“Why are ye always so quick to wall yerself up every time ye start to be vulnerable?”
“Because, like I said, I know how men think.”
A moment of brief silence passed between them. Brodrick could cut the tension with a butter knife if he wanted to.
“Things do not need to be complicated. We are both adults who simply got caught up in the moment. The kiss meant nothing. I know that. And you know that too, Brodrick.”
The use of his Christian name instead of his title wasn’t lost on him. But he was sure that if he pointed it out, Ava would run away from him again.
“Ava, if ye would just?—”
“I shall be here for a month, as arranged. After Margaret is fully settled in, I shall pack my belongings and head back to the orphanage. We do not need to make things harder than they already are. Do you not agree with me, My Laird?”
Brodrick shook his head. “Do ye ever let anyone speak?”
A slight smile tugged at Ava’s lips before she slowly turned around. “Goodnight, My Laird.”
An unsettling realization dawned on Brodrick as quickly as it had earlier. He had less than a second to say something—to do something before Ava vanished out of view, out of reach.
Without giving it a second thought, he reached for her wrist and yanked, pulling her closer to him. A low gasp escaped Ava’s lips as her hands crashed into his chest. Their faces were only inches apart as he looked down at her, at her beautiful eyes and how they reflected the flickering light.
“Ye’re wrong, ye ken? About what men think.”
Ava swallowed. Whatever words were supposed to come out remained frozen in her mouth for some reason, leaving him surprised.
“Unless ye’re really some kind of witch, ye cannae ken what I think, do ye?”
“I—” The words died on her tongue, again.
Brodrick smiled. He was enjoying every single moment of this.
The tension between them thickened, and he leaned in, feeling his heart pound hard in his chest. He could almost feel Ava’s as well.
He leaned in even further, about to kiss her, when a loud voice rang out in the passageway.
“Brodrick?”
CHAPTER14
Ava frozeas the voice called for Brodrick once again. They both took a few steps away from each other and turned around almost at the same time.
Flora was walking towards them, her eyes bright, and for a second, Ava wondered if she had seen anything. Her eyes darted to Flora’s hands. There was a thick blanket nestled between her fingers, and Ava could tell how soft it was from just looking at it.
“Ye’re nae asleep yet?” Flora asked, finally stopping before them.
