Page 38 of The Highlander Steals a Virgin
Rhys didn’t answer.
William let the silence settle. “And so do ye.”
Rhys met his gaze. There was no jest or grin. Just understanding. Which was worse, somehow… much worse.
13
The library had a stillness that Amara hadn’t appreciated until now. After the brightness of the courtyard and the echo of Daisy’s laughter, it felt almost sacred.
She let her fingers trail along the spines of the old books, their leather bindings cracked, and golden lettering faded. A breath slower, a heartbeat steadier.
Myles strolled beside her, brushing hay off his shoulder and humming under his breath. “Told ye we O’Donnells ken how to throw a proper game.”
Amara smiled faintly. “Yer aim… is atrocious, Myles.”
“Aim?” He raised a brow. “Me dear lady, I was distractin’ ye.Thatwas the plan.”
She didn’t answer. Just plucked a thin volume off of the shelf and moved toward the hearth.
He followed, of course, leaning a shoulder against the mantel. “Suppose ye have had suitors before. Like ones who read poetry and wore powdered wigs?”
“Some,” she murmured, flipping open the cover.
“Bet none of them kent how to start a fire without flint or ride a stallion bareback through a storm.”
Her lips twitched, but she didn’t look up. “And ye do?”
He tapped his chest. “All day. Every day.”
“Mmm.”
That was as much as she gave him. It was all she could afford to give. Myles was warm and easy to be around, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Still tangled in rough hands, stormy eyes, and the lingering echo of a kiss she had no business thinking about again… and again.
The door creaked behind them.
Amara turned just in time to see Daisy skip inside, her cheeks still flushed from play.
“There ye are!” the girl cried. “I was lookin’ for ye.”
Amara smiled softly. “Oh, I figured ye were off bein’ scrubbed and scolded for gettin’ so dirty.”
Daisy held up her tiny hands, showing ten clean fingers. “Washed, aye. Scolded, nay. I’m very overwhelming.”
Myles barked a laugh which drew out a chuckle from Amara as well, and Daisy beamed up at him before turning back to her with that same wide-eyed intensity that made it hard to breathe.
“What’s yer excuse this time to busy yerself with the likes of us instead of with yer nannies?” Amara teased, recalling that Daisy had insisted that she needed to go inside to use a chamber pot as her first reason to pull Amara and Myles from the library.
Daisy’s face glowed with innocent menace. “I dinnae use any excuse. I just told’em I wanted to play hide 'n' find.”
Amara nodded her head dramatically, “Oh, and here is yer hiding spot?”
Daisy hummed gleefully and nodded just as dramatically in return until her curious eyes caught sight of something that distracted her. Her mood changed quickly as she made her way toward the small cupboard built into the wall.
Amara and Myles both watched the young girl intently as she rummaged for a moment and returned holding a thick,weathered book with green trim and gilded corners. The leather was worn soft, the title barely legible.
“This one is me favorite,” she said, offering it out. “Ye can have it.”
Amara took the book carefully, heart tightening. “I daenae ken if I can take it, but I will read it.”
