Page 27 of Captured By the Highland Devil
Paige looked up, “I dinnae learn in the way that healers do, as me faither forbade me to see such horrid things. But I wouldwatch them from time to time, and eventually I picked up on some things along the way. What did yer man-at-arms mean by, of course ye will?” she asked.
He heard her question, but it took an awkward moment before he could answer. Without her eyes narrowed in a glare, it was easier to see the fullness of her mouth and the soft curve of her cheeks. The delicately shaped foot that she propped up on a stool, under the heavy fortress of her kirtle made his blood warm.
“Ye really are an innocent,” he said. Unwilling to shield her from the reality of married life—much like her mother and father had - he spoke in no uncertain terms. “He was hintin’ that we werenae off to the healers but to me bedroom.”
“Why would he think we’d be off to—” her tone showed her absent state of mind. But soon enough, she caught on and her cheeks flamed bright. “—Oh.”
“Aye,” he said, “Oh.”
He watched her slim fingers trace gently over the broken skin before she cleansed it with water. Gingerly, she wrapped the poultice around her knee, and the flawless ivory of her skin shone bright against the blue wall of her dress.
She tightened the knot to the side of her leg then tended to her elbow in the same manner. “That is the one thing ye’ve nae deigned to tell me…” Paige kept her head down. “What have ye decided about that? As a matter of fact, ye were nae all that clear on what other duties I have.”
Cocking a boot onto the wall behind him, he said. “As ye well ken, this marriage was nae of me choosin’. Me hand was forced, and so was yers.”
“That goes without sayin’,” she muttered.
His tone sharpened. “Maybe when ye tame yer tongue and curb yer temper, we can get on well with mutual respect,” he snapped. “I expect ye to manage the runnin’ of the keep and the household. I will protect and provide for ye as me wife, ye will respect me in public and in front of me men, and I will do the same.”
“That’s a bit hypocritical of ye, isnae it?” she dared him. “Back on the field ye told me off and insulted me to me face even though I am yer wife. Was that respect?”
He scowled. “It was an appropriate response! I will nae tolerate ye puttin’ yerself in danger.”
“I understand,” she said, biting her tongue, “But as for the terms the King made, a marriage must be consummated for him to accept it,” she stated at him with wide eyes. “We cannae bide his rules by just signin’ a piece of paper.”
“Are ye sayin’ ye want to be done with it?” Ruben asked, his left brow tucked into his hairline.
“Nay—I- I daenae ken,” she puffed out a breath. “I assume ye daenae have the same issue. Women probably trip over their own feet to fawn over ye.”
He shook his head. “Having women fawn all over me isnae somethin’ I encourage.”
She bit her lip and kept her head down, “And these women, the ones ye do favor? What—what are they like?”
“Ye daenae want to ken that, lass.” He shook his head.
Paige lifted hers, her expression still and somber. “I wouldnae ask if I dinnae want to ken.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Tried as he might, Ruben could not figure out why the lass was egging him on, why she was testing him. He did not want to scar the girl but if she was daring him, he would oblige her.
“I prefer wanton women in bed and non-existent outside of it,” he said. “Those times were only to slake a physical need, nothin’ more. They were nay vows of undyin’ love to any of the lasses and before ye ask, nay, there is nay bairn who is goin’ to land on our doorstep and claim me as their own.”
Their gazes held, and Ruben saw how she actively turned away from him; Tension crackled in the space between them. This strange, magnetic attraction had been there from the moment they met but it had presented itself as animosity. He knew she felt it too—but was hellbent on denying it.
Perhaps animosity and attraction are two sides of the same coin.
“I… see.” She lifted her chin, dropped her leg and fanned her skirts out. “Thank ye for makin’ sure I wasnae harmed today.”
“Tryin’ to change the subject?” he asked.
“Nay,” she said. “I just want to give ye me appreciation.”
“Ye daenae have to thank me more than once, lass,” Ruben shrugged. “I always protect what’s mine.”
Paige swallowed. “I’m nae yers.”
“The marriage vows say so,” he said.
