Page 6 of Tempted By a Highland Beast
Rowena found herself acutely aware of the space between them. Close enough that she could see the flecks of gold in his eyes, yet far enough that their arms didn’t quite touch… though she caught herself wishing they might.
Focus Rowena!
“What is yer name, lass?”
“Why would ye like tae ken?” She crossed her arms, a gesture that was half defensive, half teasing.
A slow smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I cannae demand the name of the woman I just risked me life fer?”
Rowena almost snorted at that, even though she knew he was right. “Fair enough. I am Rowena… Rowena Fraser.” The false name was a shield between her true self and this stranger. She searched his face for any reaction, a flicker of recognition or suspicion, but she found nothing.
He nodded, then casually bent to retrieve another fallen apple, brushing off the dirt on his tunic before biting into it.
From this close, Rowena couldn’t help but notice how for all the brutality he wielded with ease, not a single scar marred his face.
It makes him all the more unsettling… arresting.
“I’m Constantine MacLean,” he said, his voice a rumble that sent a shiver down her spine.
“A pleasure tae make yer acquaintance,” she said, surprised by how steady her voice sounded.
“A pleasure tae have saved yer life,” he countered, that hint of a smile growing bolder.
She gestured toward the unconscious men and took a few steps toward them, crouching beside the nearest. “I suspect, though, ye enjoyed it more than ye should have.”
“Aye,” he waved a dismissive hand, though he followed a short distance behind her His eyes sparkled with something that might have been amusement. “I would dae it again.”
She cast him a look over her shoulder. “What? Fight two armed men fer a stranger?” She raised an eyebrow at the easy declaration. “That is either very noble or very foolish.”
“Perhaps both.” He tilted his head slightly, still chewing, his gaze shifting from the unconscious men back to her with quiet intensity. “Though I am beginning tae think ye’re worth the risk, Rowena Fraser.”
Her breath caught at the way he said her false name, as if he were tasting it. She rose and dusted her skirts off, then turned her gaze toward the trees, toward where threat might still be lurking for her. That may not have been the last of her step-uncle. Her instinct for self-preservation clashed with her urgent desire for help.
“So ye truly would dae it again?” she asked, lifting her chin with a challenge in her voice. “Put yersel’ in danger fer someone ye dinnae even ken?”
His eyes glinted. “Are ye admitting ye’re dangerous then, lass?”
“I am admitting that helping me might be.” She stepped back toward her horse, brushing her hand along its flank for steadiness, though her gaze didn’t leave his. “Two men with swords hardly seems like ‘nothing’ tae most people.”
“Most people,” he said, closing the distance as he tossed the apple core into the brush, “are nae me.”
“Aye, so I have noticed.”
CHAPTER THREE
Constantine glanced at the unconscious men, then slowly walked to one and nudged him with the toe of his boot, checking for signs of waking. “I must say, ye didnae seem very concerned about me when ye were begging me tae save ye. Did ye trust me?”
“I was desperate,” she shot back. “‘Tis different from trust.”
“Is it?” he asked, brushing his hands together as he stepped next to her, caressing her mare with a soothing hand. With how tall this man was, Rowena had to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact. “And what about now, Rowena Fraser? Are ye still desperate?”
The sound of her name sent a shiver through her, but she didn’t retreat. Instead, she rested a hand on her horse’s reins and met his gaze squarely. “That depends on what ye’re asking in exchange tae yer help, Constantine MacLean.”
They stood like that for what felt like a small eternity, staring at each other. Rowena did not want this moment to come to an end. An inexplicable urge passed through her to lift her hand and brush her fingers through the damp strands of his dark hair, to feel their texture.
The thought startled her.
Afraid of what she might do if he held her a moment longer, Rowena broke away from the eye contact and stepped back, as if distance might still the ache stirring low in her chest.
