Page 40 of The Highlander Steals a Virgin
“Ye looked happy,” he murmured. “Out there.”
Amara held his gaze. “I was.”
His jaw twitched at her answer, and he turned away, pacing back toward the hearth like he needed to outrun it. The silence between them thickened, pressing in like a weight she could almost feel in her chest.
“Daenae make a habit of it, lass,” he said as he turned around to face her.
Amara’s lips parted. “Of what? Playin’ with yer daughter or being happy?”
“Both.”
Before she could stop herself, she rolled her eyes. “Ye areexhaustin’.”
“Andyeare reckless.”
Their eyes locked again.
No more words.
Only heat.
And Rhys took a step back. “Ye need to return that book when ye are finished. It wasnae hers to give. And it is certainly nae yers to keep.”
Amara lifted her chin. “I’ll take good care of it.”
Rhys turned and pulled the door open, and looked at her. “Come.”
Her torso clenched and she felt a heat rest low between her hips. The sudden urge to please this irritating man had taken over all of her senses and her feet were moving before she could even think about an argument against the demand.
Moving past Myles in a blur, who remained posted outside of the library, she followed Rhys into the depths of the keep. Winding corridors and narrow passageways up several flights of stairs until finally he came to a screeching halt.
The torchlight danced across the cold stone, casting jagged shadows around them. The corridor seemed to have been mostly abandoned now, and dark, and secret.
“Where are we?”
“Near the old solar.”
“I cannae get back to me rooms by meself.”
“That’s nae me problem,” he said as his frustration was clearly boiling over between the useless banter they were engaged in.
“Everything seems to be a problem to ye, Rhys. So, out with it! Ye’ve brought me to a place, lost in yer keep, utterly reliant onye. Out with whatever it is that’s beenbotherin’ye e’er since ye brought me here.”
Rhys combed a hand through his hairs. “Children ask for sweets before supper. That doesnae mean ye give in to them. It doesnae matter if Daisy asked ye, ye should have had the sense of self-preservation to deny her.”
Amara crossed her arms. “She’s lonely.”
“She’smine!” His voice snapped tight around the word.
“I’m naetakin’her from ye. I’m just bein’ kind.”
He stepped closer. “Kindness gets twisted in places like this.”
“Why did ye bring me all the way up here to just continue the conversation that we were already havin’ in private?”
“I needed ye to fully grasp the gravity of yer situation.”
“Andwhatis that?”
