Page 9 of Deception of a Highlander

“We leave for Scotland so soon?” Mariel allowed Jane to drape the fur over her shoulders.

Kieran did not reply as they stepped out into the frosty night once more. Mariel glanced behind them to ensure no guards followed --- for either of them.

Thus far the hall behind them was clear, but she steered them toward a shadowed corner of the lawn just in case.

“Yer maid isna a verra good escort.” Kieran looked over his shoulder to where Jane stood against the door with her back facing them.

Mariel pulled in a deep breath of icy air to calm her nerves and offered him her most seductive look. A look that left her gaze heavy-lidded and her mouth soft. She took a bold step closer, so her body whispered against the heated wall of his chest. So close that his scent tugged at her awareness. A sensation fluttered in the pit of her stomach, and bumps of excitement prickled her skin.

“Jane understands when I want to be alone.”

His indifferent stare held her gaze. “Ye want to be alone?”

In the soft glow of the moon, his eyes gleamed like inky pools. They captivated her, drew her with the power of her own seduction, the challenge of his resistance, and the success of earning his affection.

Her hand rested on the fine wool of his simple jacket. “I want to be alone with you.” She wanted the heat of his lips against hers and his strong arms wrapped around her body. In a world of feigned lust, the heady rush of the true emotion left her reeling.

Intoxicating though it was, she did not know if she liked it.

“Mariel…” Kieran gently removed her hand from his chest and stepped back. “I canna take ye to Scotland.” His lips thinned into a stubborn line—a silent command not to be questioned. The command of a man who did not know the persistence of a woman like Mariel.

* * *

Kieran took one look at Mariel’s set jaw and knew she would not accept his decision not to take her to Scotland.

“We had a deal, Kieran.” She lifted her chin, and her eyes flashed in the muted light of the moon.

“We did, and now I am saying I canna take ye. It is far too dangerous a journey, and life on Skye is harder than anything ye’ve been exposed to here.”

“You don’t know what I have lived through, what cruelty I have endured. Surely, nothing on Skye can be so vicious as what lays in the shadows of London.” She caught his hand with icy fingers. “Despite your hesitation to honor your agreement and take me to Skye, I can sense you are a man of your word. There are far too few in this world we live in.”

She gazed up at him with the naïve hope of a child, as if silently pleading with him not to disprove her trust. Something in his gut twisted. He had been correct. She had been subjected to the abuse of men.

He wanted to give her his trust, to allow her to come with him so he could protect her against the sadness that never left her exotic gaze.

“Please.” Her voice was soft in the semidarkness. “If I become too much of a burden, you can leave me along the way.”

“I would no’ leave ye,” he said firmly.

She gave him a slow smile. “Thank you, Kieran.”

He stilled. Had he just agreed she could come? He muttered a curse under his breath. Damn his arrogance. It could cost him more than he was willing to pay.

How could he have agreed to let her come to Skye? The wager had been agreed upon under the assumption his win was guaranteed. It was supposed to have released him from her company so he could continue his search. Thus far he had been unable to locate Lord Hampton and was starting to question if the whoreson was in London at all. Perhaps Alec and Colin had been more successful.

Mariel closed the distance between them once more and drew his attention with her heated gaze. “I promise you won’t regret this.”

He wanted to step back from her, but the tone of her voice lured him like a siren’s song. She tempted his curiosity.

Her slender hand settled on his chest, and the pressure of her fingers sparked a heat in his veins.

Kieran gazed down at the dark-haired beauty, torn between drawing her to him and walking away forever.

Unbidden, his hands slid down her back and circled her narrow waist, neither holding her to him nor pushing her away. He should release her and leave yet found he could not. Not when he wanted to trace the delicate curve of her neck with the tip of his tongue to sample if she were as sweet and soft as he’d imagined.

Mariel eased her body closer against his, so her supple breasts pressed against his chest and swelled over the top of her bodice, milky-white in the light of the moon and tempting as hell.

Her red lips were moist and parted, teasing his resolve with unspoken promises. “Kiss me, Kieran.” Her breath was sweet against his mouth, and her black lashes fluttered closed.