She stared at him aghast. “You’re saying you came in here last night and made love to me because youthoughtyou’d been invited to do so? You didn’t hear me say the words, you just assumed?”
“You’re denying it?”
“I’m telling you that if I looked at you in a way that could be considered inappropriate, I certainly wasn’t aware of it. And if I accepted your kisses, it was because of the silly notion that you were seriously interested in me, more fool me. Furthermore, I had consumed too much champagne, Lachlan. Couldn’t you tell that?”
“Nay, you just seemed more agreeable,” he said, his frown turning thoughtful now. “And wi’ as agreeable as you were, ’tis possible I may have convinced myself you were experienced in these matters.”
“Experienced! Inever—”
“Aye, I ken that now,” he cut in curtly, impatiently. “And I dinna take tae well tae champagne either, so I wasna exactly clearheaded myself, at least no’ enough tae think this thing through. You were a beautiful woman who gave every indication of wanting my attentions, and I’m no’ a man tae turn down a beautiful woman.”
The compliment didn’t even come close to touching her. She was simply too furious, and at the moment, too filled with disgust.
“Then you’re as faithless as a barnyard cock,” she said scornfully, “to claim to love one woman, yet be so quick to dally with another.”
Hearing that, he had the audacity to grin at her and shrug. “Och, lass, you’ve a lot tae learn. A man will be faithful when his needs are seen tae on a regular basis. When that isna the case, he’ll be randy enough tae take whatever comes his way and be grateful for it.”
He’d managed to make her blush with such base talk, yet she couldn’t take him to task for it since she’d started it. However, she could point out, “True love should make an exception to that.”
He shook his head at her, even sighed, indicating he was really disappointed in her contention. “Now you’re spouting romantic drivel, Kimber. The body is an amazing thing, and you’ll learn that it has a mind of its own when it comes to certain things—lovemaking one of them. Did you no’ discover that for yourself last night? Or perhaps you’re needing another demonstration?”
She put out a hand to stop him if he thought to approach her, understanding him clearly. And she refused to admit that there was some truth to what he was saying. She did indeed remember her body’s reaction and how her will had succumbed to it.
But it was a moot point. The relevant point was that she hadn’t invited her own ruination. He had forced that on her because he hadmisinterpretedher behavior.
But she’d said enough about that. “I’ve already had a demonstration, for which I’d like to draw and quarter you. If you weren’t aware of it, I am here expressly to find a husband. How am I going to do that now after what you’ve done to me?”
“Is it marriage you’re wanting from me then?”
She should have said yes. She should make him pay for what he’d done. But her pride reared up, and it was the truth she gave him.
“When you’re in love with another woman?” she said tightly. “No thank you.”
“Och, well, it has been brought tae my recent attention that ’tis possible I dinna ken my own feelings,” he said in a tone laced with disgust. “So if you’ll have me, lass, I’ll be marrying you.”
“How self-sacrificing, but unnecessary, since I won’t have you. I won’t have a man who’ll always be pining over another woman. My mother had just such a marriage, so I know exactly how intolerable that can be.”
“You’re sure?”
“Oh, I’m most definitely positive. And I’ll thank you to vacate my room, Lachlan, and don’t step foot in it again. And just in case you misconstrue any more looks of mine, let me assure you now, you will never be welcome here again—not that you ever were.”
His expression turned mulish as he demanded, “And if I insist?”
She gasped. “On coming in here?”
“On marrying you.”
Her eyes rounded. “Why ever would you do that, when you don’twantto marry me?”
He didn’t answer at first, just stared at her, but after a moment more he growled and raked his fingers through his hair in exasperation. “I dinna ken what I’m wanting just now.” And then his light green eyes pinned her to the spot and there was a wealth of meaning in them that she couldn’t begin to understand, until he added, “But I usually pick up the gauntlet when ’tis tossed down.”
“Don’t—” she began in a choked whisper, but he cut that short.
“I’ll be seeing you later, darlin’.”
She was so flustered by what his previous remark implied that the door had closed on him before she managed to shout, “And don’t call me that anymore!”
It was another moment before she actually realized that she was alone and leaped for the door to lock it. And locked it would stay from now on when she was behind it. The gall of that Highlander. The brazen impudence to suggest that she had challenged him to change her mind.
