Page 71 of Taken By the Heartless Highlander
Her eyes were drawn down to his chest, where the water made the fabric stick to his tight muscles. She swallowed, but when her eyes returned to his face Noah was watching her with a knowing stare.
“Obviously, I wish to speak with ye, or I wouldnae ask,” she said, putting her hands on her hips and glancing at Scott. “Please,” she said to her brother. “Just a few minutes.”
“If I must defend yer honor again…” he spat, looking back at Noah as though they had not been laughing in each other's company only minutes before.
“I appreciate ye, Scott, and I ken ye only act to help me, but ye should never offer to protect a woman who dinnae ask for yer protection,” Keira said forcibly, feeling her nerves fracturing at the constant reminders that men seemed to be her only protection from the evils of the world. “Perhaps I should learn to fight with a sword meself,” she said defiantly, “and I wouldnae need anyone’s ‘protection’ again!”
Scott growled at her in frustration, violently throwing his sword to the ground and storming back into the castle.
She sighed expressively and turned back to Noah, whose expression was full of a new type of heat she hadn’t seen before. Was that admiration in his eyes? As her eyes flicked over him again, it seemed to her that he puffed out his chest under her gaze.
She held out the note. Noah’s eyes fell on it, and his lip curled unpleasantly as he took it from her outstretched fingers.
Noah opened the note, reading the single line within it, his jaw set, his eyes cold. He looked up at her as a numbness settled over her skin.
“He is comin’,” she said grimly.
CHAPTER27
“Aye,”Noah said with infuriating calm. “I have me men watchin’ him, and we’ll be ready when he comes.”
Keira crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him.
“And did ye nae think it might be helpful to tell me of that? Considerin’ I am to be yer bride, and he wishes to see me dead?”
“Have ye accepted me proposal without tellin’ me, lass? I rather thought ye were displeased with me.”
“I deserved to ken!” she said furiously, stamping her foot.
“And what good would that have done for ye?” Noah asked, folding the note back up and walking toward her, holding it out for her to take.
“I dinnae ken,” she said stubbornly, “but I would have liked to ken that he was on his way.”
“This is why ye shouldnae wander alone in the woods,” he said with an amused smile.
“It isnae funny.”
“I ken lass, but ye are beautiful when ye're ragin’ at me.”
Keira stared at him, her mouth hanging open as she tried to find words to respond to that statement.
She felt absurdly pleased by what he had said. She knew he desired her—that much was obvious from how he treated her when they were alone—but she had never been called beautiful before.
“Now, if ye daenae have anythin’ else to tell me, I must go and change. Yer brother has covered me in fountain water, and I am pretty sure the dogs piss in it.”
Keira burst out laughing against her will and shook her head as his eyes twinkled at her.
As he moved to walk away, however, his hand absently rubbed at his chest, and she saw him wince. She stepped swiftly forward, gently taking hold of his wrist as he looked back at her in surprise.
“Come with me, please, me laird,” she said tugging at his wrist and smiling as he immediately complied. “I have somethin’ I wish to show ye.”
Noah followed her without comment, although he still seemed rather irritated by his léine, which he proceeded to squeeze out all over the castle floor as they made their way to her chambers.
“Ye realize someone is goin’ to have to clear up all these puddles ye are makin’,” she said reprovingly.
“Tell that to yer brother.”
“And why was me brother dunkin’ his head into a fountain, may I ask?”
