Page 20 of The Highlander's Auctioned Virgin
She couldn’t be around him for long. Not like this.
“Ye cannae ask me to come to ye in yer chambers.”
Ciaran folded his arms across his chest and arched an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
Elinor narrowed her eyes at him. There was no way in heaven he was not doing this intentionally.
“In case ye have forgotten, Laird MacTraigh, this is me castle.Mecastle. I already let one man dictate me life, and I willnae do it again. Especially a man like ye.”
“A man like me? What do ye mean?”
“Ye ken exactly what I mean.”
“Nay, I daenae .”
“Dinnae play these games with me.”
“I thought those were yer specialty, M’Lady. The games.”
“This is different.”
“Nay, this is the exact same thing, from where I stand. So, tell me, why do ye think a man like me cannae win the games– ”
“Challenges,” Elinor corrected.
“—the challenges ye have so carefully put in place?”
It was Elinor’s turn to move closer to him.
His haunting green eyes grew brighter, like the shiniest of leaves looking back into her eyes.
Was this the last thing they saw? The people he had killed? Were his green eyes the last thing they saw before closing their eyes forever?
“Because the challenges are made to only be passed by the best of men.”
“Aye, I remember the qualities. Protective, caring, and humorous.”
“Ye’re a killer. Ye cannae have all three. God, ye cannae even have two out of the three. If I were ye, I would just turn around and go back to me clan. The challenges werenae made to be passed by a killer.”
Elinor didn’t wait for him to speak; she turned around and made for the door.
Except she didn’t go far. Not in the slightest. She had felt it around her wrist before she could register what it was. His tight grip.
“If I’m getting this right…” he said, turning her around slowly. The feel of his cold hand against her skin sent shivers down her spine. “Ye’re asking me to leave the castle before the games even start?”
Elinor looked up at him and smiled. “’Tis a shame that ‘understanding things very quickly’ isnae one of the qualities I am looking for in a man, or ye would have been a top contender.”
Ciaran chuckled. “Listen to me, M’Lady. If ye’re asking me to leave without trying after sending an open invitation, that isnae very wise.”
Elinor eyed him narrowly. “What?”
His grip loosened on her wrist. “Aye. I am certain ye are familiar with the laws of the Highlands. Ye ken that kicking a laird out of an event after sending an open invitation is tantamount to declaring war.”
“Are ye threatening me, Laird MacTraigh?”
“On the contrary, M’Lady,” he replied. “I am stopping ye from making a rather dangerous decision. One that could cause a lot of harm to yer clan.”
He then released her wrist and dropped his hand to his side, feeling her eyes bore holes into him as if he had just declared war on her clan.
