Page 21 of Tempting the Highland Devil
Lily smiled first, and Niamh also shook her head. “Tell me,” Yvaine insisted in a louder tone.
“We all watch ye and Arran, me dear,” Elspeth spoke first. “We can tell that he is too jealous to see ye with those other lairds. It is why he cares about being yer chaperone.”
“That’s nay true,” she defended as a flush crept up her skin.
“He is probably too stubborn to ever admit it,” Lily chirped in while playing with Rose, Amelia’s eldest daughter. “But it is the truth. It is why Duncan wants ye to find a husband quick. He believes ye are unmarried because of Arran.”
Yvaine tipped her head and laughed hard as their comments made sense to her. “That is nay true…And even if it was, it means naythin’ because he is intent to never take a wife.’
Everyone fell silent after that, and she went on, “It is the truth. He told me that himself. He will nay take a wife. Nay me or anyone else.”
“Ye, me dear, just need to focus on the competition and choosin’ yerself the perfect husband to spend the rest of yer life with.” Elspeth handed over the child to Niamh then she kissed Yvaine’s forehead before exiting the room.
The ladies continued a light conversation about the upcoming games while Yvaine focused on the embroidery to keep her mind busy. She could not think of anything else but her mother’s words about Arran.
Why does he pretend not to be jealous?Yvaine had known Arran since she was a child, and over the years, even though they bickered a lot and never agreed on anything, she still considered him a friend.
Until now, he had never acted like he saw her as anything other than that. The way he looked at her at the river bank the other morning, and at the cliff when she almost fell… made her certain there was more.
Arran desperately fought to hide it from her, and she had to find out why.
11
Arran waited till she came out to join him for their night training.
“I need to speak with ye, Arran,” Yvaine said as she joined him in the courtyard. He tossed her a sword, and she let it drop to the ground without attempting to catch it.
“Pick up the sword,” Arran ordered and waited till she met his gaze. His hands jittered with the quakes of shivers that passed through him.
He had never felt thrill like this.Even in battle.And he was constantly trying to make sense of the twist of emotions slithering through him.
Sometimes, she annoyed him till he wished he could yell at her, and other times, she tempted him till he imagined himself kissing those lips till she melted in his arms.
Arran knew she would melt. Yvaine was untouched. Her innocence showed in the way she looked at him and how she spoke to the lairds aiming for her hand.
He could not allow himself to feel at ease with her plan.But I agreed to it.The only reason Arran did was because Yvaine marrying a better laird was the most selfless gift he could give her.
Wanting her for myself is possessive and selfish.He could never let his father’s traits become his.
“What are ye waitin’ for?” he queried her as she faced him without picking the sword. Yvaine still did not move, so Arran drew his sword and charged at her without pausing.
His blade paused at her neck, and her eyes widened. “If I was tryin’ to hurt ye, ye would be dead by now.”
“But ye arenae tryin’ to hurt me, are ye?” she challenged, those hazel eyes latching onto his as she pursed her lips. “In fact, ye willnae hurt me because ye care about me. Maybe even far too much.”
“Pick up yer sword,” he ordered and drew away from her again.
“Can we just talk?” Yvaine asked as she obeyed. Arran charged at her harder, and she blocked off his attack this time, wielding the sword with a perfect stance.
“Good,” he praised. “Now, block me off, or ye will get hurt.”
“Arran…” He lurched at her, and they fell into a dance battle. Their blades clashed with every move, and she kept up with his pace better than when the lessons first started.
Arran tried not to let his mind take any other thoughts besides their training. Each time she came close to him, he caught her scent, and it made his heart tingle harder.
He could barely think of anything else but her lips and the creaminess of her skin. Arran’s blood roared in his ears, and the tempo of his heart scared him.
She swerved another of his blows, and he stuck out his leg to tackle her to the ground.
