The Highlander's Temptation (15 page)

They rode a mile down the beach, then two, her thighs tingling with that familiar burn she loved. Behind her Jamie kept his distance to sixty paces.
Lorna couldn’t decide if she was happy about that or irritated. After three miles, she pulled Angel to a stop and turned to wait.

Jamie stopped as well—sixty paces away from her. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.
Was he following her instructions to bait her or impress her? Either way it didn’t matter.

“Ye can come closer,” she called over the din of the waves crashing to shore.

A seagull screeched and took off from a few feet away. Neither horse moved, nor acknowledged the sudden shriek.

“Are ye certain that would be wise, lass?” he asked.

Lorna narrowed her gaze. “Why would it not be?”

“I dinna know. ’Haps ye might try to seduce me once more.”

It was extremely difficult to keep her mouth from falling open. “
I
, seduce,
ye
?” Exasperation sounded in her voice.

“Aye, lass. Ye canna keep your hands off me.”
He shrugged as if it was common knowledge.

If blood could boil and steam could burst from nostrils, both would be h
appening to Lorna at that moment. The man had the ability to make her sigh with passion one moment and scream with anger the next. No one had been able to pull the range of emotions from her that he had. No one. Which was why she’d thought there was a chance that maybe they could have a future together. A thought process that was obviously flawed.

And now he was finding it great fun to goad her. To tempt her anger, like a dog baiting a bear.
Well, a dog could get crushed by a bear, and she was ready to crush him.

“I can keep my hands off ye, ye lout. This I promise, I’ll never touch ye again.” Lorna flicked Angel’s reins again, urging her forward.

But Jamie had placed himself in a very inconvenient area. He’d positioned himself directly between two boulders, one of which the water kept lapping over, which meant it was deep enough her gown would get wet. The second boulder, leaned against a dune, and it would be tricky taking Angel up over that incline, especially with the sand soaking up most of the morning rain. Angel’s hooves could very easily suck into the moistened earth.

That meant, she’d either have to face getting wet, leap a boulder or kindly as
k Jamie to step aside. Lorna brought her horse muzzle to muzzle with Jamie’s, cocked her head to the side and issued him a honeyed smile.

“Will ye please let me pass?” she asked, using a syrupy sweet tone that worked oft on her brothers.

“Nay.”

Chapter Fourteen

’Twas not every day that a man could take such enjoyment in the wrath of a woman he cared for. Lucky for Jamie, today was just such a special day.

Waves lapped at his horse’s feet, standing in just the spot he knew would irritate Lorna the most. She liked to escape him. To run from her problems. Hell, she’d been running the first times they’d met as children and adults, and she hadn’t stopped since.

Well, he wasn’t going to let her run from him any longer.

Every muscle in Jamie’s face worked to keep the smile from curving his lips. Damn but the look of extreme anger that flashed across Lorna’s features when he said
Nay
was impressive. And somehow entirely endearing. He wanted to swipe it from her face with a thousand kisses, but that only brought to mind why they were out here in the first place.

She was a
ngry at him, and he was in turn, perhaps not angry, but definitely disgruntled, with her. The situation they found themselves in wholly stung. Betrothed to another… It’d been a blow to the gut for certain. Entirely unexpected.

And to think he’d come to Dunrobin in the hopes of asking her brother for her hand.
In the back of his mind, the idea that she was betrothed didn’t altogether cancel out his desire to ask for her to be his anyway.

What
bothered him most was that she’d known about it when she’d pulled him into the alcove. What was it she hoped to gain?

He was flattered that even knowing she was betrothed to another, she still sought him out, but she was playing with fire, and he knew her to be an honorable woman—except where he was concerned, which if she were to be his, he had
no problem sneaking into any darkened corner to kiss the breath from her.

A million questions swirled in his mind and not one of them could he answer. The upside of things was that he was out on the beach with her now. Just him and her. No one else about to remind them of the truth of things.

Only they could do that.

And he probably should.

But he was having entirely too much fun goading her. Gave him a nice sense of satisfaction, too. She’d lied to him, and now he was going to toy with her in retaliation.

The only thing was, he was starting to think that his own line of thought might backfire on him.
He couldn’t seem to get it through his mind that Lorna was off limits. And truly, he provided her escort on her ride, but it was entirely inappropriate given his feelings for her, and certainly if Magnus had been in the courtyard he would have forbidden it.

That gave Jamie pause. The right thing to do was to step aside and let the beautiful, fuming, blonde before him pass
by. He should lead her right back to the castle, then gather his men and leave Dunrobin behind forever. The wrong thing would be to tug her horse forward until he could lean over and capture her lips in his. Why, then, was the latter so damn tempting?

The images that thought conjured heated his blood, and he shifted in the saddle, finding his cock suddenly filled with potent need.
He ground his teeth, forcing his body to tame itself, else everything be lost as he tumbled her to the sand and showed her just how much she tempted him.

Jamie cleared his throat. “A truce, my lady?” he heard himself
saying. Seemed he was too preoccupied with the devil between his legs to realize his mind had moved on to another path, and that he’d even spoken.

Lorna narrowed her eyes
, pursed her lips as she studied him. Och, why did she have to do that? The pink pout was even more enticing

“What are your terms?”
she asked.

Jamie caught her gaze roving over him and wondered at what she hoped the terms were. Brazen lass she was.
Damnation! His body stirred right back to life.

He cleared his throat, shifted again, glad for his sporran which mostly hid his thickening groin.
“We ride, side by side.”

“And?”
She cocked her head. Coy little minx.

“I want to get to know ye better.”
So much better. Stripped bare and spread out beneath him, all around him.

“Whatever for?” she sniffed, trying to a
ct as though she was not interested, but he’d seen the curiosity flare in her eyes.

He had a lot more than mere curiosity flaring on his side of the beach.

“Because. Ye’re nay married yet.”

Lorna’s lips formed the perfect little O. He’d shocked not only her but himself as well. Was he actually considering s
tealing her away from MacKinnon? Perhaps what she’d said about the man fighting for his country was true. He wouldn’t suddenly turn traitor because Jamie stepped between the two of them. But what of respect? If he stole the man’s bride, he could hardly expect him to follow his lead in battle—the man was more liable to lop his head off than his enemy.

Ballocks!
MacKinnon would take it as a personal affront. Jamie cursed under his breath. He should call off everything. Insist Lorna return to the castle.

But just then,
Lorna shoved her hand forward, her long slim fingers reaching toward him. Jamie stared at her outstretched hand. At the way the sleeve of her gown touched her delicate wrist, and the skin on her knuckles creased, how her manicured nails were short but still extremely feminine. He recalled how her hands had felt on his chest, on his back, in his hair. A rush of fresh desire tormented him.

“Well, Montgomery? When one asks for a truce and that truce is accepted, do we not shake on it?”

“Huh,” he grunted. “Aye.” But he didn’t grip her arm as he would a man, instead, he held tight to her hand, tugged her forward and bent to kiss the knuckle on her middle finger. He lingered, breathing in her scent, the warmth of her hand and the softness of her skin. When he was dangerously close to flicking his tongue over her flesh he let her hand drop. “Truce.”

“For now,” she murmured
, color high in her cheeks. “Shall we?”

“Where do ye want to go?”

“Ye wanted to know more about me.” A mischievous twinkle came into her eye. “I’ve something to show ye. Something that gives my aunt a fit of apoplexy and makes my brothers shout at me.”

Jamie shook his head, glancing toward the water. Many a maiden liked to take a dip in the warm ocean waters with not a stitch on. He’d spent many hours watching as a lad. What other act could she mete out that would have her family rail on her? As much as he wanted to see the ocean water sluice over her taut curves… Well, he was certain it wouldn’t end with her a maiden any longer. “Sounds like a bad idea. I’ll likely have both your brothers ripping swords off the walls
and challenging me to a duel to the death.”

“Not if ye keep it between us.”
Again she gave a coy cock of her head.

Dear God what was she going to show him?

“Stay right here,” she demanded.

Jamie narrowed his gaze, suddenly not trusting in the least whatever it was she was about to do. Would she run off and leave him there? Was that her game, to ditch her escort? He wouldn’t put it past her. Lorna was more intelligent than
most females he’d come across. And dammit, but he’d learned rather quickly that she liked to play games.

“I promised the guards I’d be your escort, that means I canna simply stay put while ye dash away, even if we did call a truce.”

Lorna waved her hand at him like he was a silly child. “Pish, my laird, I’ll not be far. I promise to remain within your sight the entire time.”

That was the problem. “Keep your clothes on,” he warned.

Lorna’s cheeks reddened and a short feminine gasp escaped her. “Saints, Jamie, what have ye got rolling through your head? Naughty laird that ye are.”

He swallowed hard, unwilling to share exactly that
, though she might have guessed and now he couldn’t get the image out of his head. “I dinna wish to…”

“What? Marry me? Well ye needn’t worry as MacKinnon has already staked his claim on this prized sow.” She turned away, anger tightening the line of her jaw.

Jamie reached out, his fingers trailing up her arm. “That is not what I was going to say, lass. I simply did not want to compromise ye. And…” He gritted his teeth. “If MacKinnon had not gotten to your brother first, I would have offered.”

She whirled back to him, mouth partially agape. “Then ’tis unfortunate that he did.”

“Aye, that it is.” He stared at her mouth, wishing he could capture her lips with his. One last kiss before he saw himself southward. “Now, if the task ye had in mind does nay involve ye removing your gown,” he spread his arm out, “then by all means, I am your most captive audience.”

“’Tis a good thing we’re not to marry, because after ye see this, ye’d have likely broken it off.”

She didn’t leave him room to reply, but surged down the beach, her horse’s hooves shoveling sand up into the air.

Jamie turned his own mount to watch, wondering what she could ever do that would make him not want to be with her. He couldn’t think of a single thing, only that she trusted him so much that she was willing to show him. How had he ever garnered that trust?
He was honored that she’d bestowed it on him, and his chest puffed a little at the realization.

Lorna didn’t stop, but kept on riding down the beach. Far enough away that he itched to chase after her, but not so far that she was out of sight. Then she stopped and turned back toward him. Had she changed her mind
about escaping him? What was it she wanted to show him?

As he sat, perplexed by what it was she hoped to accomplish, other than making him into a drooling fool, she rode back toward him.

She lifted her hands up into the air, like she would reach for the sky, and his stomach flipped. She’d let go of the reins. What was she doing? But the next seconds had him gasping, his heart completely tunneling out of his body, and fear taking hold. The daft woman stood up on the horse as her mount galloped at lightning speed. Her body long, hands out to the side as though she would fly. Legs straight, head held high and regal. The horse didn’t falter in its steps, but kept on running with Lorna standing in the saddle like some sort of warrior goddess.

If this was what a fit of apoplexy felt like, Jamie was most certainly having it. And he was also going to shout at her as her brothers did. He couldn’t sit still, but raced towards Lorna, both fascinated by her daring and fearful
for her life. The distance between them closed and he observed that Lorna’s eyes were closed.

“Holy hell,” he muttered. He had to reach her before something awful happened.

But the movement of his own mount must have spooked hers. Lorna’s horse veered just a foot toward the water. The slight movement caught Lorna off guard, and she teetered on the saddle, eyes popping open in surprise.

“Lorna!” he shouted,
reaching, nearly toward her, but not close enough.

She bent forward grappled with the saddle, but her mount seemed even more jittery. Jamie realized
, too late, that he was probably the reason for that, and yanked his mount to a dead stop. He leapt off the animal and ran toward her on foot. But not quick enough.

He watched in slow motion as
Lorna tumbled from her horse and into the ocean waves.

“Lorna!” he shouted again, splashing into the water.

Relief struck him in the gut, as he caught sight of her in the shallow sea, laughing, and a completely soaked mess. Hair fell in her eyes, her gown clung to her. Waves lapped at her bent knees.

“Told ye it would scare the wits out of ye,” she said between laughs.

“More than that,” he muttered, dropping to his knees beside her. He clutched at his heart, certain it had burst.

She laughed all the more and patted him on the back.

“Ye look as though ye saw a ghost.” She laughed even more.

“I might have,” he answered.

Jamie reached out his hand to her and Lorna slipped her fingers into his. He stood and he tugged her up. Her gown clung to her curves like a second skin. Jamie gulped, tore his eyes away from the enticing sight and tried to keep his gaze riveted to the water that dripped down her nose, over her lips and formed droplets on her chin. That, too, was wholly enticing. He swiped them away with the pad of his thumb.