Page 47 of The Highlander's Auctioned Wife
She nodded. “As often as I can, but only in a calm loch.” She laughed nervously. “I daenae think I’d dare swim out there.”
“It’s calm enough in the bay,” he told her. “If ye can brave the steps, ye should swim here.”
She glanced at him, her cheeks pinkening. “I’ll think about it.”
He considered telling her that he’d be only too happy to accompany her, to bring her down to the cove on his back again, to keep watch over her as she swam in case she got into any difficulty, but the words wouldn’t come. It was offering too much, and he didn’t want to make any false promises that he wouldn’t be able to continue after they were married.
I’ll be too busy. This is why ye wanted a capable bride.
“Sophia will join ye,” he said instead. “She likes to swim, too.”
Anna nodded slowly, repeating, “I’ll think about it.”
The conversation dwindled, as Gordon realized that these ‘engagements’ might be far more difficult than he’d anticipated. Freeing his ardor was one thing, where he had control and she was willing to obey, but just… talking wasn’t a talent he possessed. He felt awkward, possibly for the first time in his life.
Seeking distraction, he hunted in the picnic basket that had been prepared, placing delicacies onto a plate: cold, thinly sliced venison; a slice of some manner of meat pie; a piece of bread alongside crumbly, sharp white cheese, paired with wild strawberries that were still plump and juicy and perfectly sweet.
He handed the plate to Anna. “Tell me anythin’ ye daenae like.”
After all, they were meant to be getting to know one another.
She blushed as she took the plate, thanking him. “I’m nae fussy when it comes to food. I’ll eat just about anythin’, though I prefer honey on me porridge, nae salt.”
“Ye like things sweet?” he said, taking a strawberry for himself.
As he bit into it, he watched her expression change, her beautiful green eyes flitting to his mouth. Her lips parted slightly, as ifshewere the one eating the fruit, and as he brushed away a stray bead of juice and licked his thumb, her throat bobbed, a shine glazing her eyes. As if her mind was elsewhere, in a different, more private place.
“I… do,” she choked, snapping out of it.
“I’ll bear that in mind.”
She cleared her throat. “And ye? What do ye prefer?”
He met her gaze, letting the silence linger and strain,justto the point of discomfort. “Contrast.”
“Pardon?”
“Sweet and sour. Sweet and salty.” He shrugged.
Pleasure and pain. Bliss and torment. The wait and the reward. The chase and the capture.
Stuffing a piece of bread and cheese into her mouth, presumably to suppress any words that wanted to come out, she couldn’tquitehide the rush of pink that crept up from her bosom, coloring her neck and cheeks to a pleasing flush. Maybe, this talking business wouldn’t be so difficult, after all.
Swallowing the mouthful, Anna fanned herself furiously with her hand. “Goodness, those cliffs do well at keepin’ the wind away. It’s… so hot down here. Are ye nae hot?”
“Nae yet,” he replied, the heat of his desire already rising.
CHAPTER 22
What was I thinkin’,suggestin’ this?
Anna tried her best to concentrate on the delicious luncheon, savoring the berries, the fresh bread, the creamy cheese, the marinated meats, but it was proving tricky to satisfy her hunger when her stomach was tying itself in knots.
Do I have somethin’ on me face?
She was aware of Gordon looking at her, and every time she glanced his way, their eyes met and a feeling like a panic made her look away again. Except it wasn’t panic; it was something altogether more dangerous, that she couldn’t possibly give into—not out here on the beach, where anyone walking by above might peer down and see.
Indeed, if she had learned one thing about Gordon during this luncheon, it was that he might not have said much with his voice, but he said plenty with his striking gray eye. And if she was notmistaken, he had a hunger for something other than delicious food.
