She was movingas she spoke, circling the desk with that predatory grace she probably thought was seductive. Before Ewan could react, before he could step back or order her away, Laura had slipped between him and the desk and straddled his lap.
Her hands wentto his shoulders, her lips aiming for his mouth. "Let me show ye what ye're missin'. Let me prove to ye that I'm better than her in every way."
Fury,white-hot and instant, flooded through Ewan's veins.
He grabbedLaura's wrists and shoved her off him with enough force to send her stumbling backward. She caught herself on the edge of the desk, her eyes wide with shock.
"How dare ye,"she started, but Ewan cut her off.
"How dareI?"His voice was ice. "How dare ye enter me study uninvited, proposition me despite bein' explicitly told ye were nae welcome, and then put yer hands on me without permission? Have ye completely lost yer mind?"
"I was just—"
"Ye were just remindin'me why I wanted ye gone in the first place," Ewan finished. "Ye're vain, entitled, and utterly incapable of takin' nae for an answer. And ye just made the biggest mistake of yer life."
Laura's facehad gone pale. "What do ye mean?"
"I meanye're nae just banned from me castle anymore. Ye're banned from McGill lands entirely. If I see ye here again, if I catch even a glimpse of ye on me territory, I will strip yer faither of his position on the council and exile yer entire family. Do I make meself clear?"
"Ye cannae do that."
"I can, and I will."Ewan moved around the desk, forcing Laura to back toward the door. "And just so we're absolutely certain there's nae misunderstandin'—I would never, under any circumstances, choose ye over Maia. Even if she were nae in me life, even if I were desperate and alone, I wouldnae want ye. Because ye're everythin' I despise in a person, and she's everythin' I?—"
He stopped abruptly,the words dying on his lips as he realized what he'd been about to say.
Everythin'I love.
The realization hithim like a physical blow.
"Get out,"he said again, his voice rough. "Now. Before I do somethin' we'll both regret."
Laura fled,and the door slammed behind her with satisfying force.
Leon,who'd been watching the entire scene in silence, let out a low whistle. "Well. That was entertainin'."
"Shut up,"Ewan muttered, sinking back into his chair.
"Ye love her.Maia. Ye're in love with her."
"I said shut up."
"It's writtenall over yer face. Has been for days, if I'm bein' honest. But that little speech, 'she's everythin' I'," Leon grinned. "Ye've got it bad, friend."
Ewan droppedhis head into his hands. "This is a disaster."
After Leon left,Ewan sat alone in his study, staring at the door Laura had fled through.
He loved Maia.Was in love with her in a way that made everythin' else seem insignificant.
And he had absolutelyno idea what to do about it.
20
"Ican do this. I can absolutely do this."
Maia stoodoutside Ewan's study, her hands clenched at her sides, her heart hammering so hard she thought it might burst from her chest.
She'd been standing herefor at least five minutes, gathering her courage, reminding herself of everything Mollie and Aisla had said.
