It washim. A giddy, tingling feeling of anticipation washed over her whole body before she could stop it, and she quickly checked her rising excitement.Oh no, no Allia, stop that right now! You do not need trouble likehimright now. They don’t call them heartbreakers for nothing. You have more than enough on your plate already without adding that kind of mayhem to the rest of it…Damn voice of reason!
He casually walked the rest of the distance to where she still knelt by the cave entrance, the weight of his gaze practically holding her captive. He smiled at her, and shealmostsmiled back. She just couldn’t help it. He wasverygood at the whole charisma and charm thing, and he hadn’t even spoken yet. No doubt if she were a whole lot more naïve, she’d be falling at his feet right about now like the rest of the women she had seen. He moved toward her with a sensual, animal grace that held her rapt attention despite her best intentions otherwise. As he drew closer, she slowly stood up and faced him, reaching down nonchalantly to brush the bits of grass and heather from her skirt. He came to a stop just a little too close, and she would have automatically backed up if there weren’t a boulder directly behind her. She raised an eyebrow at him in challenge to his invasion of her space. He ignored it.
“Och lass”, he said in a voice that felt like warm honey over her skin. “What are ye doing up here all alone?”
She bristled at that. She didnotneed constant guarding, for god’s sake! She’d been living completely on her own for more than two years now. “What I do is certainly no business of yours”, she said, irritated by more than just his question.
He seemed briefly taken aback by her tone, but his seductive smile didn’t falter. And as luck would have it, as she noticed his perfect smile, she also noticed his broad, masculine mouth, twin dimples, and very kissable looking lips. This close, he was nearly irresistible. Damn, she would have definitely kissed him, if only she could have whatever she wanted, with no undesirable consequences… Life was just not fair.
He motioned behind her with his chin. “Is that the entrance to a cave there? I’m looking for one that’s supposed to be near the top of this hill.”
Allia shrugged, not bothering to look at the cave she of course knew was there. “Looks like one to me.” Oh God, was it possible for someone’s heart to beat right out of their chest? The electricity that seemed to be jumping between them was… damned unnerving.You’ve just never been so close to a man who’sthatgood looking before… she told herself.
“I… I collect stones”, he went on, with a gesture towards the rocks scattered around them on the hillside. “To study them, ye ken. I was told there are some rare ones in that cave, that I doona have yet. In my collection.”
Allia regarded him with doubt. A rock collector? That somehow just didn’t fit. Not with those muscles. A rocklifter, maybe. More likely a swordsman. Or perhaps a warrior. One just didn’t get that kind of physique collecting rocks. Of course, it would be only a hobby. Or a pick up line, she thought. Though certainly not a very good one unless perhaps one was at a geology convention.
“So you’re going into this cave?” she asked, gesturing towards the narrow black opening. She hoped she had just called his bluff.
“Aye.”
Or maybe not. “Well, you’ll need a light. It’s very dark in there.” His closeness was making her so nervous. It was a little hard to breathe when she could feel the heat of his body so close to hers.
Still holding her gaze, he swung a pack down from his shoulder, dropping it to the ground in front of him, and making her notice his chiseled, muscular legs between the hem of his kilt and the tops of his high leather boots.Damn again.
“I brought a light”, he told her, looking up to catch her gaze again. When he looked at her like that, she felt like she was the only person on earth. Of course, so did a lot of other women, no doubt. “Essential for entering dark caves, of course.” He knelt on the ground and pulled out a torch and a tinder box, which he opened to take out a flint and steel. He didn’t light the torch though. Instead he looked up at her with a provocative little smile.
“Come in with me, lass. It will be an adventure, much more fun than going alone.”
She shook her head. “No. Uh uh. I’m not going anywhere with you,especiallynot into a small, dark cave. I… I don’t even know you.” But in her mind she pictured the two of them together in the cramped space of the cave, their bodies pressed close because there wasn’t enough room, and then his mouth lowering to hers, because no one would see and neither of them could resist…Stop! That’s what you get for reading all those romance novels. Real life isn’t like that… and this man is a womanizer, not some hero to sweep you off your feet.Though she could certainly use a hero right about now…
“Come with me”, he pressed.“Dinna be afraid.It will be fun, and I can show ye the umm… stones.”
Allia sighed and looked down at her feet, wavering with indecision. Shehadalways wanted to see what was inside that cave, and he was calling her out on being afraid. She didn’t like being called out. It tended to bring out the worst in her,andthe most reckless. What could it really hurt to spend just a little time with him?
“All right, I’ll go with you, but only because I’m actually curious to see what’s in there, and I didn’t bring a torch of my own. And you’renotallowed to touch me in any way”, she added.
He smiled again, and this time she could have sworn his smile was far more self-satisfied, if not downright predatory. There was a dark, heady lust in that gaze, that spoke of wicked pleasures she had only ever read about, in said romance novels. It was the look of a man who knew exactly what he wanted, and a part of her was outright flattered that such a gorgeous man would look at her that way at all. But it didnotmean she would give in, as much as she might be tempted.Noentanglements. She had more than enough to deal with already, she just had to keep reminding herself of that.
“Aye. I swear, no touching. Unless ye ask. What’s yer name, lass?” He struck the flint to light the torch. It didn’t catch.
“Why?”
He shrugged easily. “So I ken what to call ye. I’m Eian.”
“Allia.”
“Allia”, he repeated, looking up at her from under his dark lashes and the wavy locks of hair that had fallen over his face. His lips curled up at the corners as he went back to the flint and steel.
He struck another spark, and this time the torch flared to life. He picked it up off the ground quickly before it could start the heather on fire, then held it up and rose to his feet with that same animal grace. She bet he’d be a wonderful dancer…
“Shall we?”
“After you”, she said with a gesture towards the entrance. There was no way she was going in first so he could block her way out. Come to think of it, what was she doing going into a cave at all with a man she didn’t even know? But she knew he wouldn’t hurt her, well, at least not physically. She had always had an innate ability to read most people, and their intentions, whether good or bad. It was part of her heritage on her mother’s side, along with a few other minor abilities. Nothing compared to what her grandmother had been able to do, though. She knew Eian wanted her, but she also sensed he wouldn’t force her if she told him no. He might be a womanizer, but he was at least honorable in that regard. All she had to do was control her own hormones, and she’d be fine. But oh, God she was sorely tempted. When he brushed past her to enter the cave, (on purpose, the bastard) her whole body tingled at the contact, and a warmth spread from deep in her belly, causing a throbbing sensation to start between her thighs. Hoping he didn’t notice the hitch in her breath, Allia turned and followed, lifting her skirts out of the way and ducking into the narrow opening.
For the first twenty feet or so, they had to crouch down as they moved through the low ceilinged passage. Eian held the torch in front of him and the shadows danced and flickered on the jagged walls of the cave. Allia fervently hoped the light wouldn’t go out, because she had always been a bit claustrophobic, and she didn’t want to end up panicking in front of Eian if it went dark. She looked furtively over her shoulder. As long as she could still see daylight from the opening, she was OK. The tunnel narrowed even further, and it started to feel as if the walls were closing in around her. Maybe she should go back. What if they got stuck? No one would ever find them… she stopped in her tracks, suddenly afraid to go any further. But then she saw Eian stand up to his full height not far in front of her, his head and shoulders disappearing from view.
“Bloody hell”, he mumbled under his breath, holding the torch higher to look around. The words echoed dully in what must be a much larger space than what she could see.
