Page 33 of Taken By the Heartless Highlander
Did he touch me because he wanted me or because I asked him to?She thought nervously as she saw the regret in his eyes.
“Leave.”
One word, no more, and then he turned away and did not look at her again.
Keira’s spine went rigid at such a cruel dismissal. Embarrassment burned through her as she pushed from the wall. Looking down at her skirts, which had been pulled almost to above her knee by his urgent fingers, she righted them hastily, her cheeks flaming at his rejection.
His back was turned toward her, his head bowed, his breathing deep and uneven. He clearly did not want to face what they had almost done together, but even as she acknowledged that thought, her resolve returned. She refused to be treated in such a way by any man.
“That wasnaemedoin’,” she stated firmly, watching his shoulders tighten. “Are ye such a coward ye cannae even face me?” she demanded, hoping that he might at least turn around to defend himself.
“I told ye to go,” he growled, his voice low and threatening in the quiet of the room. “Leave. Now!”
Keira sucked in a breath, white-hot rage coursing through her at his cold indifference.
“Come to the healin’ chambers when ye have a spare moment, me laird, so I can tend to yer injury,” she said coolly, leaving the room just as he had ordered her to, her head held high.
I am nae to blame. I wasnae the only one who lost control.
* * *
Noah’s knuckles were white as he heard the door snap shut behind her, finally leaving him alone with his thoughts—and his guilt.
“God help me,” he muttered, turning from the desk and staring at the wall where, only a minute before, he had been seconds from having her, just as she had begged him to.
What the hell am I thinkin’, gettin’ involved with this lass?
He walked to the window staring out at the lands below him, his hand moving to his lips, rubbing across them absently. They were still wet from her kiss, swollen and tingling.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had acted so rashly with anyone.
Irresponsible, stupid fool.
Not only was she in a vulnerable position, having just been chased through the forests and set alight by a pillaging mob, she was a guest in his home.
When he had invited her here as a healer, it was to give her an occupation to distract her from the terrible things that had almost befallen her—or so he had told himself. Now, he was not so sure he could trust his own intentions. There was little in his mind that could convince him he saw her as a healer anymore.
He was starting to believe the priest had been correct. Something about Keira felt otherworldly, as though magic swirled within her that reached out and touched his soul.
He could still feel her smooth skin beneath his fingers, the heat of her body, and the gasping desperation in her kiss. Her mouth had been urgent, an addictive sweetness that he could still taste on his tongue.
He closed his eyes, trying to will his arousal away.
Claim me as yer mistress…
He did want to claim her. Every part of her called to him—the ultimate temptation, the ultimate curse.
He glanced at the door through which he had banished her, knowing full well how furious she must have been. He was not accustomed to this depth of emotion or the intensity of his desire, and the feelings frightened him more than he cared to admit.
His eyes moved without conscious thought to the empty space above the fireplace, where charred stains from the fire’s smoke were the only hint that a picture had ever hung there.
After he had discovered his father’s treachery, Noah ordered all of his portraits to be removed from the castle. But the space they filled was still there, haunting him, poisoning his mind every day.
What if I am just like him? What if I become the same man he was—possessive and jealous of anythin’ I perceive as mine?
Noah ran a hand through his hair, gripping the strands and yanking down hard to try to force the ache in his chest away. It did no good; in fact, it only made things worse.
I willnae become me faither,he thought solemnly.I have nae need for a woman in me life, and that is the way it shall stay.
