Page 12 of Forbidden Kilted Highlander

"I'm fine," he said. Not harshly.

"Ye're nae," she answered, holding his arm until the moment passed.

They approached the horse, already restless. Tav checked the girth with a quiet efficiency. His hands, though slower, still worked with practiced ease. She watched the way he moved, the control in every gesture. Even injured, he moved like he was ready to fight again.

He helped her mount first, heat rushing the moment his hands met her waist. He then mounted behind her, his chest flushed against hers.

He shifted, adjusting around her, arm coming around to grip the reins. His other hand settled lightly at her waist. For balance, not want, but the heat spreading through Agnes’ body made it impossible not to consider the option.

It branded her.

The forest was a blur again as they rode. The sun had fallen far enough to bathe the world in amber. Shadows stretched, long and reaching. The rhythmic pounding of hooves filled the silence between them.

Agnes leaned slightly forward, trying not to feel the heat of him behind her. It was impossible. Every breath he took brushed the back of her neck. Every slight shift reminded her of the body beneath his clothes.

She wanted to think of something else. Anything else. But all she could hear was his voice, low and rough: "He was there the night they beat me." What had they done to him? She had never asked. Had never truly known. But now she had seen his scars. The ones on his body, and the ones hidden deeper still.

They rode for an hour before he spoke again.

"Ye fought well today," he said suddenly.

The words startled her.

She didn’t know how to answer. "I was lucky."

"Ye were quick. And smart. That's more than luck."

She glanced over her shoulder. "Is that yer way o’ saying thank ye?"

A ghost of a smile tugged at his mouth. "Maybe."

She smiled too, then faced forward again. Each bump of the trail pressed her against him. Each curve in the path made him shift closer.

She closed her eyes.

She should have been afraid of whoever had sent those men. But in that moment, she only felt the steady thrum of his heart behind her.

And the way her own answered.