Page 22 of Taken By the Heartless Highlander
“She’s called Cuddy,” Scott protested.
“I dinnae care what she’s called, just get goin’,” Noah barked, and the boy dutifully followed his orders.
Noah pulled himself up into the saddle, his legs going either side of Keira’s thighs. He grunted as he settled himself, her body meeting his at the least appropriate place as he grabbed Mac’s reins and clicked at him to follow along.
The woods were calm and silent.
Noah risked one last glance behind him, but he could see no one pursuing them and breathed a sigh of relief.
They moved slowly through the trees, following behind Scott and his sister. The little donkey munched on ferns as they went at a painfully slow pace. Noah was desperate to canter away from this entire situation, but he was tied to them now, just as they were to him.
He shook his head in exasperation. He was the laird of the land, famed for making the right choices. Yet, in the space of two days, he had entangled himself with a raven-haired healer, her two young siblings, and a donkey.
As Mac continued on the path, bored by the pace, he kept dipping his head to tug at passing branches. Each time he did it, Keira would slip a little further back in the saddle.
The third time it happened, Noah half groaned at the back of his throat, unable to prevent the sound from breaking free. She turned her head, her deep blue eyes puzzled.
“Is it yer shoulder?” she asked, moving as though to twist in the saddle to look at it. In doing so she rubbed her shapely thighs against his, her back pressing against him in a manner that almost drove him wild with lust.
“Just sit forward,” he growled. She did so, looking a little taken aback. The horse was not paying them any mind, however, and pulled at a tough root that he dislodged from the ground, sending Keira back against Noah’s body so hard that he had little hope she had not noticed what her presence was doing to him. He was so hard in his trews it was almost painful.
She froze, her back against his for a fraction of a second before she took hold of the pommel and pulled herself forward, relieving him of some of her weight and the tension that had built between his legs.
He almost missed her heat as she did it, but he said nothing more. He was embarrassed by his body’s reaction to her and clung to the faint hope that she hadn’t noticed.
They continued on in silence for many miles until the walls of his castle finally came into view. It had been the longest and most confusing ride of his life.
He was not accustomed to being so affected by anything, least of all a woman. Once she had moved, he found himself smelling her hair in an attempt to stay close to her.
I am losin’ me damn mind,he thought irritably;I need toget this lass out of me life as quickly as I can.
Noah was relieved when the horse’s hooves began to clip across the gates to his castle. It was already late afternoon, and the journey had taken many hours at such a slow pace.
He was met by a barrage of servants and a very worried-looking Callum. His man-at-arms was running from the keep as he saw his master return.
“Me laird!” he called. “Ye had me worried, man, where have ye been?”
In his haste, Callum had not noticed the small band of followers Noah had brought with him. Only as he came to their level did he stare at the donkey and the two red-haired children in consternation.
“What is all this?” he asked, not unkindly, coming forward to help Scott lift Daisy from the donkey’s back. The little girl was nothing like her sister, small and weak, with a perpetual look of worry on her face.
Noah waved an arm to his servants, who all came forward to attend him as he dismounted.
He left Keira on the horse for a few minutes before composing himself. He had been at a stand for over an hour and hoped that putting distance between them might help to alleviate it.
“Miss Keira Young and her siblings, Scott and Daisy,” he said loudly so that every one of his staff would know who they were. “They are goin’ to be stayin’ at the castle for the next few weeks.”
He turned to the bustling maids, pulling the bags from the donkey’s side. “Take Scott and Daisy to the guest rooms in the east wing and ensure they have everythin’ they need. Bank the fires high. They have had a long journey and get Miss Daisy some refreshment immediately.”
Keira alighted beside him, looking at him gratefully for the attention he showed to her sister.
“Show Miss Young to Deindre’s quarters and acquaint her with the healer’s rooms,” he said stiffly and stalked away, leaving his servants to handle everything from here.
He needed a stiff drink.
He thundered down the corridor, trying not to think too hard about what he had brought into his life. He could hear footsteps following behind him and turned to find Callum trotting to catch him up.
“Is all well? Who are they?” he asked, keeping pace with him and assuming his customary expression of polite interest.
