Page 38 of The Highland Heir

“I don’t know what you did to Aunt Jenny, butyou’ve put her in a mood.”

“She doesn’t care for me,” Kieran saidhonestly. At the moment, he couldn’t say he blamed her, but withElla smiling at him the way she was, it stripped away any strengthhe might need to do the right thing.

Ella waved her hand. “Are we ready?”

“Did you pack us some of those tarts youmade?”

She answered with an annoyed, “Pfft. Ofcourse. But they are for later.”

He helped her mount, taking note of how slimher waist was and how his fingers fit perfectly along her ribs. Hemounted his own horse, being careful of the predicament under hiskilt caused by touching her.

He reined his horse to the side, but Ellastopped him by digging in her bag and handing him a tart.

“It’s later.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Ye spoil me,Ella.”

“You’ve always needed a bit of spoiling,” shesaid, causing him to grow harder still. Even knowing she hadn’tmeant it that way. But all he could think about was how she mightspoil him with her lips and body against his.

Kieran managed to shake off the foolishthoughts as they rode out of the village. He watched her as theycrested the hill, where the castle would no longer be visible. WhenKildary and everyone there would be out of sight. Would Ella lookback?

He realized he was hoping she wouldn’t, forif she gave him the barest idea she didn’t wish to go, he wouldturn them back and tell her to stay.

She didn’t look back. She didn’t lookanything other than happy to be riding next to him.

Jenny had been wrong. He wasn’t being selfishby asking her to come with him. This was truly where she wanted tobe. Anyone could see that.

But an hour into their travels, she begantalking about Arran and didn’t stop until Kieran could not take anymore and ordered them to stop to water the horses.

He left her to her necessities so he couldwalk the horses into a shallow stream for them to drink. Ridiresnorted.

“Aye, laddie, I’m happy for the silence aswell.” He stood there in the river longer than needed, just givinghimself a moment to calm down.

But as he returned to her, any calm he hadmanaged to scrape together was undone when the first thing out ofher mouth was, “I wonder if this is the stream Arran mentioned. Hesaid—”

“Good God, woman. How could he have said somuch in the short time you spent with the man? If ye are so caughtup by him, why did you leave with me?” He was near to shouting,which was something he’d never done to Ella. It was no wonder shejust stood there in shock for a moment.

But when she managed to shake off hersurprise, she let him have it.

“I left with ye because you asked me to,” shesaid.

“Nay. I only asked if you wanted to come homenow or if you wished to come home later. It was your choice tomake.”

“And we both know I wasn’t making a choiceabout when I wished to return home, didn’t we?”

“I don’t understand you. What other choicewas there to make?” Though, of course, he knew what she meant.

She stepped closer so she could point herfinger into his chest. The gold in her brown eyes blazed as sheyelled at him.

“You wanted me to go with you. You wanted meto pick you!”

It was as if she’d broken some rule inspeaking something that wasn’t meant to be spoken, and at such animpressive volume.

“Aye! I did want you to pick me!” he said,feeling as if he might fall over for how sharply his world hadtilted. Was he going daft? But a moment later, the question of hisdaftness was answered when he bent down and kissed her.

Chapter Fourteen

Ella stood still for two breaths while shecontemplated how this had happened. One moment they were screamingat each other loud enough to make the horses shy, and the next hewas kissing her.