Page 65 of The Laird’s Sinful Secret

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“Ye want me tae decide me entire future in a week?”

Moyra’s voice came out sharper than she’d intended, but Euan’s proposition had stripped away any pretense of calm. They stood in the corridor outside her chamber, close enough that she could see the muscle ticking in his jaw, far enough that propriety remained barely intact.

“I want ye tae have time tae think clearly,” Euan said, his eyes holding hers with uncomfortable intensity. “Without yer faither’s threats hanging over yer head. Without me Council breathing down me neck. Just ye, deciding what ye actually want.”

“And if what I want is tae leave?” The question tasted bitter on her tongue. “If I decide marriage—tae anyone—isnae what I need right now?”

“Then I’ll find a way tae get ye out safely.” No hesitation. Just that absolute certainty that made her chest ache. “Somewhere yer faither cannae reach ye. Somewhere ye can build whatever life ye choose without anyone trying tae use ye as a pawn.”

The promise should have filled her with relief. Instead, it made something twist painfully beneath her ribs. The thought of leaving Dunvegan—of leaving him—felt wrong in ways she couldn’t quite understand.

“But ye think marriage would be better.” Not a question.

“Aye.” Euan stepped closer, and the air between them crackled with tension. “A marriage between us would solve everything, Moyra. It would give ye protection that goes beyond me word. It would neutralize yer faither’s claims. It would unite our clans instead of keeping them at each other’s throats.”

“How practical.” She wrapped her arms around herself, hating how defensive she sounded. “A political solution wrapped up in vows.”

“Nae just political.” His voice roughened. “That’s nae what I—” He stopped, dragging a hand through his dark hair. “Is the thought of marrying me really so terrible?”

The vulnerability in his question caught her off guard. This wasn’t the commanding laird or the skilled warrior. This was just a man asking if she could stomach the idea of binding herself to him.

“I didnae say that.”

“Ye didnae have tae.” He moved closer still, crowding her against the door in ways that made her pulse race. “Every time I mention marriage, ye look like I’ve suggested throwing ye back in that dungeon.”

“That’s nae fair⁠—”

“Then tell me why.” His hands found the door on either side of her head, caging her in without quite touching. “Tell me what’s so horrible about the idea of being me wife.”

Heat crawled up her neck. “It’s nae about ye specifically⁠—”

“Isnae it?” Those grey eyes searched her face, and she saw hurt flickering beneath the intensity. “Because from where I’m standing, it feels personal. It feels like ye’d rather risk whatever uncertain future awaits ye than bind yerself tae me.”

“That’s nae—” She stopped, frustration mixing with something far more dangerous. “Ye’re twisting me words.”

“I’m trying tae understand them.” His voice dropped lower, rougher. “Would it really be so horrible, Moyra? Being married tae me? Staying here at Dunvegan, where ye’re safe and⁠—”

“Ye’re just nae what I want.” The words burst out before wisdom could stop them.

Silence crashed between them like a physical thing. Euan went very still.

“What? Because I seem tae recall ye returning me kiss.” His mouth curved in something that wasn’t quite a smile. “And unless I’m very much mistaken, ye seemed rather enthusiastic about it.”

Heat flooded her face. “That was different. That was⁠—”

“That was what, Moyra?” He shifted, his body nearly pressing against hers now. “A moment of weakness? A mistake ye regret?”

“I dinnae regret it. But that daesnae mean⁠—”

“Daesnae mean what? That ye’re attracted tae me?” His hand moved from the door to cup her jaw, thumb tracing her cheekbone. “Because I think ye are. I think ye’re lying tae both of us right now, and I want tae ken why.”

“Euan—”

“What is yer type, then?” The challenge in his voice made her spine straighten. “Describe him fer me. This perfect man who’s everything I’m nae.”

She should step back. Should duck under his arm and escape into her chamber before this conversation destroyed what little sense she had left. Instead, she met his gaze and felt something reckless take hold.