Page 46 of The Highlander's Auctioned Wife
He walked toward her, extending a hand. “Nay matter. Ye’re here now.”
She hesitated to take it. “Have ye suddenly learned to fly since yesterday?” Her gaze flitted to the cliff edge, her stomach twisting into knots. “Where did ye come from?”
He frowned as if he didn’t understand. “The cove.”
“Pardon?”
“Down there,” he replied. “The cove.”
Her throat tightened, concerned about what their rendezvous might entail. “Did ye… climb up?”
“I can, but I dinnae ,” he answered, not boasting just matter-of-fact. “There are steps.”
The breath of absolute relief that left Anna’s lungs, releasing all of the anxiety that had tightened her muscles, brought a smile to her lips… and a deeper frown to Gordon’s brow.
“Were ye lookin’ for bat wings?” he asked drily. “Ye should add them to yer next drawin’.”
She chuckled, letting the feeling of laughter relax her some more. “I ken that was daft of me, but if ye were standin’ where I was standin’ and saw what I just saw, nae kennin’ about the steps, ye’d have thought the same thing—that ye’d just seen a man fly.”
“I wouldnae,” he said flatly.
Still smiling, she nodded. “Nay, I supposeyewouldnae. Ye’re too serious for that.” She tilted her head to one side, observing him. “I imagine ye’re someone who sees a beautiful sunset and thinks about what it means for tomorrow’s weather.”
He narrowed his gray eye and held out his hand again.
Anna gazed back at him, remembering the face in the portrait; it was still there, still handsome, still breathtaking, just disguised by the scars and the eyepatch. It was almost like a distraction tactic, the gaze drawn to the ‘flaws’ instead of the beauty that remained: the longer she looked, the more she saw that beauty, and the more the supposed flaws just became a part of it, adding layers, adding interesting facets to his handsome face.
With a breath, she took his hand at last.
There was nowhere Gordon relished as much as the cove, though he couldn’t quite grasp its usual tranquility as he carefully led Anna down the curving steps. They were cut into the cliff, meandering down to a crescent of white, sandy beach and pristine water.
In truth, he’d never shared this spot with anyone before, and while he knew it was ridiculous, he harbored some anxiety that she might not find it as beautiful as he did.
She doesnae have to like it,he told himself sternly.She doesnae have to come here again after today if she doesnae like it. Better for me, in truth, if that is the case.
“I’d hate to come down these steps in the rain,” Anna said nervously, gripping his hand so tightly that she was at risk of cutting off the blood to his fingers.
“Then daenae ,” he replied, as if that should have been obvious.
She smiled uncertainly. “Aye, a fair point.”
Feeling her nerves vibrate through his hand and up his forearm, he paused and took pity on her. It was easy to forget that she wasn’t of his clan, and likely hadn’t been near to the sea before, considering she hadn’t left Castle MacTorrach.
“Get on me back,” he commanded, turning and crouching a little.
He’d expected her to protest or hesitate, so he almost wasn’t ready for her as she abruptly clambered onto his back, her slender arms looping tight around his neck. But he kept his balance, curving his arms around her shapely thighs, enjoying the press of her body against him, as he headed down to the cove, wearing her like a quiver.
Reaching the sand, he held onto her a moment longer, carrying her toward the blanket he had arranged on the beach, with luncheon packed by the cook into a basket.
Only then did he set her down, suppressing a smile as she gasped and sank down to her knees, touching the sand as if she had been imprisoned for years and was just receiving her first taste of fresh air and different scenery.
“Ye daenae like heights?” he asked, sitting down.
“I daenae like heights with a risk of fallin’,” she countered. “And Ireally daenaelike steps that are just vague ledges cut into a cliff, all lopsided and dangerous. But… I like this.”
She swept a hand around her, a broad smile lighting up her face as her gaze took in the peaceful shore, the gently lapping wavelets, the soft white sand, the majesty of the towering rock that kept the wind out of the cove.
“Do ye swim?” he asked.
