Page 57 of Highland Renegade
He hesitated a moment. “’Twas the reason ye married?”
“Yes.” She took a deep breath. “My father was certain one of his inventions would result in great fortune. Sadly, none of them did, so there was little money for a dowry.” Emily looked down at her folded hands. “The earl agreed to take in my sisters if I married him.”
Something that felt very akin to a knife blade sliced through Ian. He had thought—at least when she’d arrived—that she’d married the elderly Woodhaven for his money. In a sense, she had, but for the right reason. As laird, he understood the responsibility of taking care of not only his family, but also his clan. He reached over to tip her chin up with his fingers.
“Did he treat ye well?” The question was no more out his mouth when he saw a flash of pain in her eyes and knew the damn earl had not. But the look vanished almost instantly.
“I had no expectations,” she said. “It was…a convenient marriage.”
The invisible knife twisted in his gut once more. What she’d left unspoken was clearer to him than the words he’d heard. He had a thousand questions he wanted to ask, but no right to. Still, he couldn’t resist asking one.
“Did ye come up here to escape…memories? Mayhap some that were nae so good?”
She made a little scoffing sound. “I suppose one could say that.” For a moment, she gazed out to the garden, then she turned to him. “You might as well know the truth. My sisters and I are here because we have no place else to go.”
Ian started. “What about the earl’s country estate? And the London townhouse?”
“His cousin claimed the estate and it did not have a dowager house.” She shrugged. “I sold the townhouse to pay off creditors.”
Lucifer’s horns! This was worse than he’d expected and it also made clear why she was so desperate to live at Strae Castle. She had to.
She gave him a wry smile. “So you see,thatis why you are stuck with me.”
Being stuck with her didn’t seem so terrible, although he was well aware his clan expected him to fight when the time came and their name and lands were cleared. Rage built at the earl who’d squandered his money and left no provisions for his wife, and along with the anger, a desire to protect her surged through him.
He leaned forward, cradled her head, and brushed his lips over hers. “This will be yer home then, lass—”
“God Almighty! I kenned the Sassenach would get to ye!” Devon stood in the archway, staring at both of them. “I kenned it!”
Before Ian could react, Devon turned and stomped off. Ian started to go after him, but Emily held him back. “He needs time.”
“He is a grown man, not a bairn.”
“That may be…” She hesitated, then smiled. “But I would rather continue where we left off. If you do not mind.”
He blinked, not sure he’d heard correctly. If he did not mind?Mind? All hismindcould think of was kissing her.
With a groan, he pulled her close and covered her mouth with his.
Chapter Sixteen
Pure pleasure washed over Emily like warm water as Ian’s mouth claimed hers. This was nothing like the tentative brushing he’d just done or the measured kiss he’d given her when she’d fallen. This was a kiss demanding more, and somewhere deep within her, a need emerged.
His lips were soft yet firm, teasing, pressing, yielding. He sucked her lower lip between his, gently nibbling before releasing it. The sensation had her quivering, wanting more. Was she actually doing this? Participating even? As if invisible floodgates had suddenly opened? Angling her head, he positioned her to deepen the kiss, his tongue seeking entrance. Her arms curled around his neck as she opened to him, her body melting into his.
“Emily! Where are you? Emily!”
Lorelei’s shouting brought her out of her reverie and Ian’s head snapped up. Before they could untangle, her sister appeared in the open doorway. Her sister’s eyes widened and her mouth formed a perfect open circle as her face turned pink. Emily was probably just as flushed. She certainly felt like it, although from embarrassment or her surprising reaction to Ian, she wasn’t sure. Lord, her body still thrummed, like a finely tuned harp. There was hardly a point in trying to deny what had taken place. She dropped her arms and folded her hands in her lap.
“What is it?” she asked, hoping she sounded as nonchalant as Ian looked. He appeared calm, as though he’d just been interrupted reading a book.
Lorelei glanced from one to the other, her eyes still round. Finally, she found her voice. “Devon just came charging through the castle, shouting something about—sorry, I should not use this word, but he did—thebloodyEnglish and history repeating itself.” She frowned. “Fiona went after him and Juliana is looking for you in the old part of the castle.”
Ian sighed and straightened. “I had best go find him before he has a full-blown explosion. He will be hard to control if that happens.”
Emily wanted to ask—desperately—why his brother would react so violently to finding them kissing. Granted, Devon wasn’t fond of her. He’d made quite clear what he thought ofSassenachs. But even disproving of Ian’s affection for her—and she wasn’t really clear if it was affection or a sympathetic reaction to her tale in an opportunistic setting—it didn’t involve Devon. And, as Ian had pointed out, his brother was an adult, not a child, or even an adolescent. So why would he fly into a rage?
Emily gave Ian a questioning look as they both rose, but he shook his head subtly and she understood this was not the time to ask. Lorelei’s expression had changed from shocked to inquisitive and the less said right now, the better.
