Page 68 of Highland Slayer
He nodded quickly. “She does,” he said. “Especially since she manages tae enrage or annoy nearly everyone she comes intae contact with, including her brothers. She needs for my father tae protect her from them.”
Anaxandra giggled. “I’m afraid I did not grow up with a family or brothers, so I would not know,” she said. “You are the closest thing I’ve ever experienced in that regard.”
His smile faded. “I dunna want tae be yer brother, lass,” he said in a low, seductive voice. “Ye do understand that, dunna ye?”
She was back to flushing bright red again. “I do.”
“And ye’re agreeable?”
She couldn’t even voice the words. It was too…something. Overwhelming? Embarrassing? But she was absolutely agreeable, so she nodded eagerly, eyes averted.
Estevan laughed softly.
“Good,” he said. “Because I plan tae tell my parents so they can approach Mother Michael for permission. That means my mother must meet ye. She’ll appreciate ye, I promise.”
Anaxandra’s gaze lifted, meeting his. “I do not know why,” she said. “In many ways, I am ignorant. I know nothing of the Outworld.”
“Ye’re going tae live with my family and learn. We’ve discussed this.”
She nodded, lowering her gaze again. “I find that this all seems like a dream,” she said. “It does not seem real. Does it feel that way to you, too?”
He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “I dinna think when I brought an injured women to the lair of the Templar nuns that I would find a wife here,” he said, his gaze drifting over her lovely face. “But I think I did. I hope I did. But she’s never said that she is excited about this. All she’s ever done is ask me if I’m certain I want tae go through with it.”
She grinned, both a modest and coy gesture. “I said that I was agreeable.”
“Did ye ever say, ‘Estevan, ye’re a handsome devil and I’m fortunate tae have ye’?”
She put her hand on her face, snorting, completely unused to the gentle flirtations between men and women. Still, she was taking quickly to it, or at least trying to.
“Estevan, you are a handsome devil and I feel very fortunate,” she said, watching him laugh. She chuckled with him before quickly sobering. “I’ve never wanted to become a nun. I told you that. But I did not know how I would leave this place, or what I would do, or if I would actually ever leave at all. God brought you here, Estevan. He left that wounded woman on the riverbank for you to find so that you would come here. I will believe that until the day I die.”
The humor faded on Estevan’s face. “I think they call that destiny,” he said. “I’m yer destiny and ye’re mine.”
Anaxandra thought on that for a moment before a smile spread across her lips. “I like that,” she said. “I never knew I had a destiny.”
“Nor did I.”
“I certainly never knew it was you.”
“Are ye glad?”
Her smile widened and she nodded, yet again, agreeing with him but unable to voice it, yet again. She would have to practice her responses to him, but he was giving her the courage to try. His response was to reach out and pull her to him, gazing deeply into her eyes before kissing her most sweetly.
“Finish yer duties,” he said huskily as he released her. “When ye’re finished, I’ll introduce ye tae my mother.”
Breathless from his kiss, Anaxandra nodded unsteadily. “I look forward to it.”
Knowing how his mother could be, especially with women where her sons were concerned, had him give a little snort. He wanted to say something like,I hope you feel that way once the introduction is over,but he bit his tongue. He didn’t want to frighten her.
Mabel could do that all by herself.
But something told him that his mother was about to meet her match.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
In the chaosof the battle and subsequent retreat, Willem had managed to do what he’d set out to do.
He’d made it inside the abbey.
