His eyes locked onto her lips, and she licked them, coaxing a helpless groan from him.
It would be so easy to take her lips and give them both the kiss they both craved. Except he suspected that if they started this, they would not be able to stop until they brought it to its natural conclusion, and they ended up in a sated heap on the floor.
He respected her enough not to do that. Not yet.
13
Frustration was a very bad bedfellow, Ruaridh knew this firsthand, especially since it had been with him for a long time—since he met Violet, in fact—and somehow he could not find the way to kick it out of his head.
This was probably because the cause still resided in his head rent-free, tormenting his dreams with various erotic fantasies he would not be able to fulfill.
He did not understand how one person could be so endearing and so annoyingly rigid at the same time, but Violet was showing him that it was very possible. Driving himcrazyat the moment.
“Good day, me Laird,” Logan greeted in a cheery tone that was at odds with his foul mood, further adding to his annoyance.
Ruaridh grunted in response, doing his best to stem the growing tide of bitterness that was rising in his chest. Logan was not thecause of his irritation, even though it was getting very difficult not to take out his frustration on him.
“Hmm,” Logan hummed after a pause. “This dark mood of yers wasnae what I expected at all. Since I saw yer lady drag ye off, I thought ye would be in high spirits after spending time with her.”
Yes, Ruaridh would have felt better after spending time with Violet if he had kissed her, if he had not simply flirted with temptation and emerged without soothing the urges it stirred. So now he was sexually frustrated with no end in sight, wishing that he could go find her, drag her to some alcove, and devour her lips.
Except with the need now riding his body mercilessly, he would definitely not end things at a kiss. He would claim her body until there was nothing left, until he had burned the edge off his fiery desire.
Nothing would have stopped him from making her his in truth and making his obsession with her worse, because he could not lie with her and let go. He would have been treading the edge of coercion, using every manipulative technique in the book to bind her more to him.
So it was better this way, even though it felt synonymous with torture
“Aye,” he replied, unable to hide the bitterness in his voice. “Perhaps I would have been in better spirits if she had agreed to me proposal.”
“She rejected yer proposal?” Logan’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
“Nay, she asked for more time,” Ruaridh replied wearily.
“But we daenae have time, the celebration is barely a sennight away. What do we do?” Logan asked, panic coloring his voice.
“Nothing at this moment,” Ruaridh said quietly. “I would just observe and do me best to convince her.”
“We have to send out the invitations soon. The preparations have to be finalized. We cannae afford to invite the neighboring lairds to a wedding that isnae going to hold!” Logan exclaimed.
As if Ruaridh did not already know that.
The lairds of the neighboring clans had a good relationship with him, and were usually carefree when they met, but that did not in any way mean that they did not possess formidable egos that would be bruised if he invited them here only to waste their time.
“They wouldnae forgive ye,” Logan said quietly.
“This is me fault,” he muttered. “I should have made sure she was willing before making plans. I understood her reasons for delaying, but it seems she insists on running no matter how I try to show her that this could be a good match for her. Sometimes I suspect that she doesnae care for me as I care for her.”
“I beg to differ, me Laird,” Logan countered. “I daenae think Miss Violet’s behavior has anything to do with her lack of care for ye. That is simply nae true. I have watched both of ye exchange heated glances when ye think nay one is looking. She does care for ye. I just think she is afraid of what marriage to ye will mean for her future and her place in this clan, and considering everything she has gone through, it is a valid concern. Ye should be more patient with her.”
“Me patience grows thin with every day that passes,” Ruaridh sighed. “I do understand her, considering the way we met was less than ideal. She has nay reason to trust that I could protect her when I hadnae managed to do that properly with me daughter.”
“What happened with Keira wasnae yer fault,” Logan said quietly.
“Then whose fault was it?” Ruaridh shot back bitterly. “She is me daughter. It is me duty to protect her, and I failed in that duty.”
“Ye have many duties as a faither and as a laird, and ye are just one man. Ye cannae be at more than one place at a time, or else ye will tire yerself out. If ye wish to blame anyone, blame me. I am yer man-at-arms, I should have watched the guards.”
“And abandon the hunt so the castle goes hungry? It wasnae yer fault that wee Keira takes after her ma and had sought to follow me after watching the path I took to join the hunt.”
