Heat rushed through her as she stepped back and dropped her gaze. The vision of him in such a manner caused heat to surge from the center of her being to extremities. "Laird MacMillan. I wasnae expectin' to see ye here." Embarrassment flooded through her as heat flushed up to her cheeks. She took a step back, only to smack into the wall. Stumbling to regain her footing, Leah hit her head on the iron lampstand, causing bright specks of light to rain through her eyes.
“Are ye sure yer a healer?” Killian taunted, stroking the flames of her ire. She glared at him as she rubbed the pain from her forehead.
“That’s nae amusin’,” Leah scolded.
“Now that depends on who asks,” Killian said as he flashed her a crooked grin. “If ye were to ask me, I’d say ye are a walkin’ disaster.”
“Well, good thin’ ye willnae have to put up with me for much longer,” Leah said. Killian flinched. Instantly, Leah regretted the words that spilled out of her mouth.
“Are ye so eager to leave? Am I nae bein’ a hospitable host?”
Leah shook her head. It wasn’t like she was in the worst predicament she could imagine. Still, there was a pang of longing to see familiar faces and places she couldn’t ignore.
“I’ve nay complaints,” Leah said with a sigh of disappointment, knowing she still had some time before seeing family or friends. But instead of dwelling on the things she couldn’t change, Leah rolled back her shoulders and gave Killian her brightest smile. “What is it that brought ye in today?”
"I’ve come to see how has yer day has been goin' so far? I heard of the accident and came to check on ye."
Leah stared at him a moment, letting his words sink in. She didn't know what to say. But having him confess his concern for her made her stomach twist into knots.
"Ye came to see about me?"
"Aye," he answered as he stepped closer. "I've come to ask if ye'd visit Mason today."
"I can," Leah answered as she found herself too eager to please him. "But I was sort of wonderin' about what ye had spoken of last night."
Killian's eyes widened as he rushed to fill the space between them. He moved swiftly, startling Leah. She sucked in a sharp breath as she realized he'd pinned her to the corner of the room.
"Ye must nae say such things out loud," Killian whispered, his teeth grazing her earlobe as he spoke. Chills of pleasure raced through her body, setting everything on fire. "Ye never ken who is listenin'. There's ears everywhere, ye ken."
Just as Leah had grown accustomed to Killian's body heat warming her from the inside out, he stepped back. Icy air swirled around her, slapping her back into reality.
"See to me brother," Killian said as she heard his footsteps falling further away from her. She wanted to call out for him to stop, but she couldn’t come up with any logical reason for her to want him to. Exhaling, Leah watched as Killian disappeared down the hall and around the corner. The knots in her stomach tightened as a longing settled in her bones.
6
Killian leaned back in his chair, the leather moaning beneath his weight as he attempted to refocus on the pile of parchments cluttering his desk. But as much as he tried, nothing he did pushed Leah from his thoughts. He pinched the bridge of his nose as Leah skipped at the edges of his mind, distracting him from his work.
"Please tell me these are the right books," Brandon asked as he sorted through the ledgers Killian handed him. The question rattled Killian and pulled him from his thoughts.
"What's that now?" Killian asked as he glanced over his shoulder. Brandon, his trusted adviser, glared daggers at him.
"I ken ye werenae listenin' to me. Ye got that spark in yer eye that tells me ye're across the channel," Brandon snickered.
"What of it? I dinnae sleep well," Killian grumbled as he wished he could be anywhere but in his study looking over the renter'sledgers. "As I recall ye werenae lookin' so good after a rough night with Angelina. And daenae give me that, I ken all about it. Half the clan kens."
"I'll give ye that one," Brandon chuckled darkly. "But that's the only low blow ye get. Ye ken very well what happened that night. And I daenae need ye to be rubbin' it in when the memory is still fresh in me mind."
"It was ten years ago," Killian grumbled as he wished his adviser would find somewhere else to be. It was almost as if the universe was doing everything it could to keep Killian on edge and frustrated.
"Aye, and what of it?" Brandon asked as the doors of the study swung open. Killian couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief on seeing his man of arms coming back in one piece.
"Ah, Fraser, what news of the north?" Killian asked as he rose from his chair and moved to the corner table. He poured two of the whiskey and handed Fraser a glass.
Fraser stared at his glass and dropped his shoulders. The bravo that he came in with vanished.
"The news is nae good," he answered as his attention shifted to Brandon before landing on Killian once more.
"Well daenae be coy about it," Killian snapped as he took a sip of the whiskey and leaned back on his desk. By the different shadesof red flushing on Fraser's cheeks, Killian already knew what was going on.
