Page 31 of The Highlander's Auctioned Wife
This was a mistake,she realized, but she’d promised not to complain. If she asked to get down now, she risked delaying them further.
Fixing her gaze ahead, trying her best not to concentrate on where her body touched his, she knew she would simply have to endure it… even if it meant arriving at her destination boiled alive by the feverish feeling of being so close to him. Remembering with each press of his loins and nudge of his chest how he’d made her feel in the woods, when he’d pushed her against the tree and stolen her first kiss, and how willingly she had given it.
Is she nae right in the head?
Gordon couldn’t fathom any reason why a well-raised Lady would have any desire to ride through the chilly haze of rain instead of enjoying the sheltered comfort of a carriage. He’d humored her, expecting that shewould, in fact, complain and be back in the carriage within minutes, but she hadn’t given in yet.
And the longer she rode with him, the more uncomfortablehisride became.
Every accidental push of her backside against his loins, every shift of her body, creating new friction in new places, every relaxed lean of her back to his chest, every inhalation of the sweet perfume of her, every rise and fall of her ribs against his hand, was pure torment.
Nor would she permit him to seek distraction in silence.
“What is yer castle like?”
“What do ye do for amusement?”
“Do ye have a library?”
“Is it beautiful where ye live?”
“Do ye sail? Do ye swim? Do ye dive for oysters—I hear people do that by the sea?”
“Were ye serious about there bein’ nay brigands in yer part of the world? How did ye manage that? Did ye rid yer lands of them yerself or do ye delegate? How many soldiers do ye have? It’s a lot, aye—I think me braither mentioned ye have a considerable army. When was the last time ye had to fight?”
And on and on in a ceaseless stream of chatter, regardless of his mostly one-word answers. She was anxious; he could sense that in every babbling word, so he couldn’t say he minded her talking so much, if it helped her to feel more comfortable. The problem was, she seemed to expect him to chatter as much in return, to satisfy her with lengthy answers, and that was something he simply couldn’t do. He didn’t much like the sound of his own voice.
He'd asked if she would prefer to ride with Jane in the second carriage, but Anna had answered in earnest, “Nay, nay, I’m quite content here. I told ye I wasnae goin’ to complain, and I daenae mean to. I daenae mind this rain at all.”
Misunderstanding his meaning entirely.
But as the day wore on into late afternoon, the black skies making it seem far later, Anna finally appeared to run out of things to say, her body relaxing back into him. She fell so quiet, in truth, that he wondered if she had gone to sleep.
Gordon jostled her.
“Hmm?” she mumbled. “Did ye say somethin’?”
She’s weary and she must be half-frozen by now. She cannae continue on through the night.
He glanced through the miserable gloom ahead of them, spying the glimmer of distant lights. A village or town. Somewhere to rest. He’d hoped they would carry on without pause, but as he held his tired bride, feeling her slacken once more, he made his choice.
“We’ll halt in the next village,” he called to the driver, following behind.
The driver gave a nod. “Aye, M’Laird.”
“We’ll go on ahead.” With a squeeze of his thighs, Gordon urged Manadh into a lope that stretched into a gallop, thundering through the dismal moorland toward those faint lights.
CHAPTER 16
“This is delicious!”Anna enthused, tearing into a chunk of fresh bread with hearty abandon.
She was already feeling more like herself, thanks to the roaring crackle of the inn’s hearth and the dry clothes she had changed into, and every bite of the warming lamb stew brought life back into her numb limbs. Although, her backside still hadn’t woken up, deadened by the endless hours in the saddle.
Gordon, seated opposite at a round table, nearest to the fire, made a noise of approval. Yet, Anna noticed thathehad barely touchedhisstew.
“Are ye nae hungry?” she asked.
He stirred the stew slowly with a spoon. “I daenae like to eat in places I daenae ken.”
