“Is this where ye’ve been hidin’ all morning?”
That voice… it reverberated through her, such that her heart leapt violently.
Sorcha froze mid-movement, the water bubbling softly around her shoulders. She remained still, not wanting to accept reality because she had the biggest guess right now.
For just one foolish second, she considered sinking deep beneath the surface and pretending she had never heard him.But she didn’t. Instead, she rose slowly until her head broke the surface.
And instantly regretted it.
William stood near the entrance. Six feet and more of him. He was shirtless, his dark hair falling messily across his forehead as though he had run a hand through it one too many times.
The firelight behind him did even a greater job of highlighting his chest and arms, strong and lean and unmistakably real.
He was devastatingly handsome. So much so that it hurt.
It’s nae fair.
Her breath caught in her chest. Whatever heat she had felt moments ago now burned for an entirely different reason. But then she remembered her current state.
She was completely naked, and it wouldn’t take him long before realizing that. The water only covered her up to her collarbone. If he took even one step closer, if the light shifted just enough…
Nay. He must nae ken.
She would do everything she could to make him stay by the entrance.
“Stalkin’ me now?” she taunted, lifting her chin, though her pulse thundered wildly. It took all her strength to keep her voice steady.
She expected a sharp answer. A mocking one. Something smug. Instead, he said most sincerely, “I’ve been searchin’ for ye.”
Her lashes fluttered.
What?
“I havenae seen ye all day.”
He moved forward, but she was too stunned by his confession to stop him.
By now, she had stopped moving altogether. The water had stilled around her as she watched him in silence.
He was here to confuse her again; she was sure of it. And she was going to do her best to resist him.
When he was close enough, she noticed the way his eyes dropped. Not to her face, but to the surface of the water. To the skin surrounded by faint ripples.
She knew what he was thinking. She knew he was guessing. But she quickly pulled his attention back to her face.
“Why?” she asked, her voice sharper now. “To trade me off to another suitor?”
His jaw tightened.
He lifted his chin slightly and fixed his dark, unreadable eyes on her. In the low light, he looked every bit the devil people whispered about.
“I wouldnae mind,” he said.
There was no teasing in his tone. He meant every word.
Something inside her snapped. She was annoyed. Even though she had told him at the fair how much she hated conversations about suitors, he refused to drop it.
Anger burned through every attempt to stay calm. All day, she had tried to forget their argument at the fair, to convince herselfthat it didn’t matter. She had stayed out of the castle for most of the day to avoid him.
