Most women were as afraid of him as were the men.
The third man stood between their heights and was dressed as an Englishman, and she knew him not at all. Still, he possessed that same lethal aura of all the MacAllister brothers, and his confident stride held a captivating, seductive quality to it. He reminded her of a dangerous, dark beast pursuing his prey.
And the fourth...
He was the one her eyes feasted on, for she knew Braden MacAllister well. A friend to her older brothers, he had come often to her home while she was growing up.
Like some lovesick moon-calf, Maggie had always adored him.
Would there ever come a time in her life when the very sight of him wouldn’t quicken her breath? Make her heart beat out of control?
All of the MacAllister brothers were handsome, but there was something special about Braden. Something about him that was truly irresistible.
His wavy black hair fell just past his muscular shoulders and Maggie could easily recall the scent of elderberries that clung to the silken strands. Not that she knew for certain his hair felt like silk. ‘Twas merely the sheen of it that suggested it would be wondrous to brush her hand through the long, dark locks.
He had a high forehead with finely arched black brows that lifted up when he laughed. And he laughed often. It was a deep, throaty sound that filled the air with music and warmth.
And his lips....
Full and well shaped, they were the kind of lips a woman went to bed at night dreaming of kissing. Or better yet, the kind of lips that could kiss a woman senseless.
Or so she had been told.
Unfortunately, Maggie had never known the pleasure of those lips herself. Braden had always viewed her as a pesky child, even though only three and a half years separated them in age.
Ever since she’d turned eleven, she had tried to get him to notice her, even to the point of biting him once when he failed to look her way. Yet she seemed to be the only woman alive he truly had no interest in.
Her brother, Anghus, had told her it was Braden’s loyalty to her brothers that kept him from looking twice at her, but inside she suspected it was more than that. Maggie wasn’t a fool.
She had never been the type of woman men pursued for anything other than a hot meal, or advice on how to attract some other female.
As her twin brother, Ian, so often said, she was a good, reliable friend. The kind of woman a man could turn to for advice and never worry about her judging him.
At best, she was passably attractive, not a beauty by any stretch of even the most accomplished imagination.
But what she wouldn’t give to have the courage or beauty to make Braden notice her for just an instant. To be the one woman who could tame the wild wind.
However, today was not the day to try and gain his notice. In fact, today was the worst possible day she could ever see him. For in her heart, she knew he was the one man who could sneak past her defenses.
And today she couldn’t afford to lose. Not even to him.
Nay, she must keep the handsome warrior at arm’s length. That was if any woman could keep a man like him at arm’s length.
While Maggie watched Braden’s approach, Pegeen came up behind her, asking about blankets.
Though she heard her friend’s question plainly enough, Maggie couldn’t speak. Her entire being was fixated on the most handsome Highlander ever to live.
Braden walked toward her sanctuary with a confident, masculine swagger that turned every maid’s head. The wind blew against his ebony hair, stirring strands of it about his chiseled face. He moved with his left hand on his sword, his shoulders thrown back in pride.
The hem of his black and green plaid slapped against the tanned, well-muscled flesh of his thighs. Thighs that moved sinuously with each step that brought him closer to her.
O Mo chreach! He was gorgeous.
Raw, untamed masculine sensuality and attitude bled from every pore of his body.
Braden was a man comfortable with himself, and assured of his place in the world. He’d never been one to follow the dictates of others, but rather he had always walked his own path, consequences be damned.
Today, he seemed even more confident than he had the last time she had seen him.
