Forbidden Night With The Highlander

Rhys rose to face her, striding forward without bothering to put on clothes. She took another step backwards, but then stopped and raised her chin to defy him. For a moment, there was a silent battle between them.

‘I would never let any man harm my friends,’ Rhys said coolly. ‘Sían had no cause to attack us. I will not apologise for defeating him in the fight.’

She raised tear-filled eyes to his. ‘Do you honestly believe I can forgive you for what you did?’

His face turned grave. ‘The moment you gave your innocence to me, you bound us in marriage. I warned you what it meant. I gave you every opportunity to say no.’

Her fury stretched out within her, intensifying her guilt. For he was right. If she had never opened her arms to him, they might have avoided a union.

‘My father sent you to me, didn’t he? And you disguised yourself so I would not ken who you really were.’

Rhys’s face hardened. ‘I came to reveal the truth to you tonight. I wore the same clothing so you would know what I said was true.’ His dark blue eyes narrowed. ‘I told Alastair I would not wed you until I confessed my identity. You deserved that much.’ He had known she would despise him and was fully prepared to face her hatred. But when she had kissed him, offering herself to him, the force of his desire had driven out all else.

Even now, bound up within the bedsheets, he found her beautiful. Her brown eyes gleamed with unshed tears, and her hair spilled over her bare shoulders like a fiery mantle. No longer did it matter that they were on opposite sides of this alliance. He would never let any other man touch her.

When Lianna had taken him into her body, it had felt as if it were meant to be, that they belonged together. He had understood what Ailric had meant about waking up beside a woman and feeling that sense of contentment.

He wanted that still, and he was determined to have her, in spite of her hatred.

‘How do you know Gaelic?’ she demanded.

‘My grandmother spoke it with me, ever since I was a child,’ he admitted. ‘She visited us from time to time, and she insisted that I learn your language.’ Because Margaret had known that he would one day take his place as chief of this clan. He could never assume that leadership without fluency in their language.

‘And what of you?’ he asked in the Norman tongue. ‘Can you speak my language?’

He detected a flicker of recognition in her eyes, but she would not admit it if she did. She continued to speak Gaelic and insisted, ‘I will never marry you. I would rather drown myself in the sea.’

‘You have no choice now,’ he said. ‘You may be carrying my heir.’

Horror washed over her, and she shook her head. ‘I’m not.’

‘We won’t know that for many weeks,’ he said calmly. And given her fiery temperament, it would not be the last time she shared his bed. She might hate him now, but even she could not deny that he had satisfied her. Lianna had seduced him the first time, but he would claim her again.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, still holding the sheet. ‘I want you to leave my chamber. And do not return, unless you want my dagger buried in your heart.’

He picked up his trews and donned them, noting the flush upon her cheeks. Deliberately, he stood before her, tightening his muscles as he slid his léine over his head. Lianna bit her lip and then turned away.

He would not bother her again this night, for it was too soon. Only time would soothe the ragged edges of her hatred. ‘I will send food to you. Then you will prepare your belongings. We will journey to Montbrooke where the formal betrothal will be signed and our marriage witnessed.’

Her eyes flared with anger, and she said, ‘I will go nowhere with you.’

He changed tactics, knowing what meant the most to her. ‘I rode with my men throughout Eiloch earlier today. I have seen the poverty of your clan. They lack supplies to survive this winter.’ She stiffened, and he drove his point in deeper. ‘My family holds enough wealth to provide for every MacKinnon man, woman, and child. It would not be difficult for me to provide for them.’