Her loveliness made her both vulnerable and dangerous because she had no idea of the monster she had married. Vulnerable because he could not protect her, just as he had failed to protect his father on the battlefield. In his eyes, that meant she would always be in danger. And she was dangerous to him as well, since to love was to lose, which inevitably meant heartbreak. He had decided a long time ago that he had no right to either give love or receive it.
So, Olivia was proving to be a big problem for him. She was so alluring, so beguiling, so artless and unaffected by her beauty, that it was a constant struggle not to lower his defenses in her company.
And I’ve let her do it! And now I’m actin’ like some lovesick fool buyin’ her presents? I must get a hold of meself before things go too far!
Nevertheless, he was deeply worried after learning from young Bobby that someone had bribed him to steal Olivia’s purse. The thought of her being harmed in any way drove him mad because he knew he could not protect her. Which was partly why, when they reached the mile marker on the outskirts of the village and no one else was within sight, he drew to a halt.
“Why are we stoppin’?” Olivia asked, looking puzzled as he put down the packages on the grassy verge and took her gently by her upper arms.
“Because ye took a nasty knock back there, and I want to make sure ye’re nae hurt,” he told her.
“Och, ’tis sweet of ye to worry about me, Edan, but there’s nay need. I’m perfectly all right,” she assured him soothingly.
“Let me be the judge of that. Someone bribed that lad back there to steal from ye. That worries me. I need to find out who it was and why.”
He believed that Nurkirk was behind it as well as the destruction of the crops, but he had no intention of mentioning it to Olivia. He did not want her to think of Nurkirk at all. Which was why her next words took him completely off guard.
“I suspect Laird Nurkirk is behind it. He didnae take kindly to losin’ his chance of takin’ over the clan, nor bein’ humiliated when ye threw him out of the castle like that. From what I’ve heard, he’s a spiteful man who never lets a slight go unanswered.”
Edan, incredulous that she had figured all of this out on her own, could only stare at her in amazement as she continued, “I heard about what happened with the farmers’ crops, and I immediately thought of him. It seems like the kind of thing he would do to get his revenge on us.” She paused and looked up at him appealingly. “I figured that was probably why ye suddenly decided ye had to go away again—to fight him.”
“I want to destroy him,” Edan growled, so overcome by his anger with the man that he failed to realize he was giving his intentions away.
But there was more to it than just anger. Even thinking about Nurkirk’s insolence in trying to steal Olivia from him stirred the dark, toxic stew of jealousy and hatred that had been bubbling deep within him ever since he had learned of the proposal. The last thing he wanted was to hear the man’s cursed name on Olivia’s lips for any reason.
He stared at those full, rosy lips as she continued talking, and he knew she had to stop.
“Of course, and I understand why ye feel that way,” she was saying reasonably. “But as of yet, ye have nay proof that he’s guilty, and until ye do?—”
Edan did the only thing he could think of to shut her up. He pulled her close, bent his head, and kissed her,hard.
As his mouth covered hers, she let out a small, startled squeak. But then, as his tongue hungrily sought hers, she sighed, and he felt her lean into him, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck, cleaving to him and returning his kiss with a passionate one of her own.
Ach, God, this wasnae supposed to happen, he groaned inwardly as the kiss grew more heated and they moved closer to each other.
Powerless to resist his urges, he enfolded her more tightly in his arms while she pulled his head down, the better to kiss him back. Her response excited him such that he could already feel his manhood pressing against the front of his trews. He dreadedto think what might have happened next if they had not been startled by a subtle cough behind them that caused them to spring apart.
An old carter was driving past with a rickety cart loaded with turnips. His lined, old face split into a grin as he tipped his hat and murmured, “Me Laird, Me Lady.”
“Good day to ye,” Edan managed to mumble in reply.
They stood motionless, watching until the old man had passed. Then, Edan turned to Olivia to see that her cheeks were scarlet, her lips bruised and swollen from the kiss. Feeling a rush of panic at what he had done, he quashed his desire and immediately withdrew behind his mask.
“We should get back to the castle. I have a lot of work to do,” he heard himself say coldly, hating himself for the hurt and confusion that appeared in her eyes.
He stooped and collected the packages before walking on without another word.
After a few moments, Olivia trotted after him. As they walked in awkward silence, Edan felt his defenses crumble away a little more, while his self-loathing only increased.
Three more dates,and then she’ll give herself to me.
Edan stole glances at Olivia as he sat brooding next to her in the Great Hall during supper.
“What a pretty, wee necklace ye have there, Olivia,” his grandmother remarked.
She was sitting next to Olivia and reached over to gently take hold of the little silver dragonfly.
“I havenae seen ye wearin’ it before. Is it new?” she asked, admiring it.
