“Whatever ye think ye’re doing with that false poet,” she said, “it willnae work.”
“He serves a purpose, that is all.”
“And that purpose is humiliating me?” Her eyes flashed.
“I told ye, I like to ken everything about ye,” he said, quieter now. “But I’d never do anything to hurt ye.”
She missed a step, possibly from the anger she was feeling. He steadied her anyway, a taunting smile on his face. The music shifted, and they spun again, the floor feeling solid under his boots.
“Ye pulled at a thread that wasnae yers,” she continued, her breath even now. “Ye brought a private thing into a room full of teeth.”
“Are ye nae going to ask how I got the poem?”
“Ye’re a laird. How do ye get anything?”
“It was already a song men sang at their cups,” he said. “I only set a light on the writer.”
“So ye decided to bring the wrong writer out so he can take the praise? Just because ye need to get me attention?”
“Aye.” He nodded.
She held his eyes when they circled.
“Well, I suppose congratulations are in order. Ye have me attention,” she said flatly.
“That I do,” he agreed.
He had her right where he wanted her. Angry at him and curious as to why he would even want to do any of this in the first place. That was the first step. Now, he needed to find a way to drive home his point, and to do that, he needed her to prompt it first.
“What do ye want from me this time?”
A smile spread across his face.
There it was.
“I have come with an offer.”
“An offer?”
“Aye. But before that, I want another dance.”
A soft laugh escaped her lips. “I havenae given any other man a chance since I stepped into this hall. What makes ye think I will give ye one?”
He kept his eyes on her. “Because I am nae any other man.”
CHAPTER 5
The music shifted again,this time to an even softer tune. The candlelight was slowly dying out, the first hint that the cèilidh would end soon.
Jack swallowed, looking around. He needed to make his offer clear very soon, or he might not get the opportunity to do it again. He kept Emma close because the dance required it, not because he had any claim to her.
Her palm was warm in his, and her breath had grown more even. She was still angry, but perhaps not as much as earlier. And that was a good sign.
His eyes drifted to the far side of the hall, where he spotted a familiar face—the same face, but in a different mood. He had seen her twin sister on the day they were supposed to wed. MacFinn had introduced them. He could tell Emma and Ava had the same fire, but Ava had more grit in her, at least more than Emma did.
Ava met his gaze with an expression that could freeze stone. Her arms were folded, and her chin was jutted, but there was nothing but bright curiosity in her eyes. He also noticed the protectiveness in her stance before looking away.
“Yer twin’s got very sharp eyes,” Jack noted coldly, his breath brushing Emma’s ear. “She’s been staring holes through me all night.”
