“Such as spying on me whilst I am bathing!?” She gestured madly toward him. He did not think he had ever seen her so mad, even the day before in Inverness.
“I wasnae spying,” he explained quickly. “I came to talk to ye.”
“And you thought you would get an eyeful as well at the same time,” she turned away from him and started to button up more of the shirt, hurrying to put on the waistcoat. Erskine was tempted to groan at the idea, desperate to remove those clothes and explore beneath them, just as he had imagined.
“That is nae why I came.”
“Then why did you come?” she snapped, turning back to face him. In her hurry, all the buttons on the waistcoat were misaligned.
“To continue our argument from yesterday,” his simple reply only infuriated her more. He could see it.
“I beg your pardon? And ye have picked this moment to finish this!? Ye cannae be serious.”
“We merely paused it to get ye out of Inverness, and now,” he waved his arm at her, “we are goin’ to continue it.”
“No, we are not. Not now. There’s another matter to discuss. I want to ken why you were spying on me?”
“I was not spyin’.”
“So, why are you here? You want to rant at me for a few minutes because you are still angry?”
“Aye, that is exactly it!” He marched toward her again. Their heated, whispered argument felt so strange. She backed away from him and was now dangerously close to the edge of the loch. “Ye have put us all in danger.”
“You said that yesterday,” she spoke with directness, folding her arms. “No one is going to discover I am with you.”
“Really? Ye think nae? I am growin’ more doubtful by the minute,” he glanced back through the trees, wary of being overheard, but there was no sign of anyone else. “What if someone does discover ye in me clan? What happens then?”
“Then I’ll run before they can turn me in.”
“Pah! And ye think that will work? If it is discovered that we are hidin’ ye from yer faither and betrothed, then what do ye think will happen of the peace between the English and the Scots? Hmm?”
“What?” She looked startled by this. “I do not understand.”
“Peace is fragile after the Jacobite uprisings. As the Earl Moore’s betrothed, ye must be important, ye ken that. What will happen when it’s discovered that two sons of a Scottish Laird helped tosmuggleye out of the country,” his words were so fast, he barely heard them himself. She began to shake her head with such fervor he feared she might hurt her neck. “Ye daenae think we’ll face a punishment for that?”
“That will not happen, I promise you, Erskine,” she said, trying to take a small step away from him again. He watched as her boot came dangerously close toward the water of the loch. “Now, tell me why you were watching me.”
“Nay. Ye think ye have any control over what will happen because of yer lies?” He felt as though he were lashing out with his words at her. Throwing every possible reason, he could be angry at her rather than telling her the truth behind his anger.
“If I’m discovered, I will tell the truth!” she pleaded with him, her hands outstretched. Those hands were so close, Erskine could see they were but an inch away from touching his chest. “ThatIam the one who ran. That I deceived you all.”
“Ye think they will believe that?”
“Well, I made you believe I was a boy for a time, didn’t I?” She lifted her chin high. That look of victory was almost Erskine’s undoing.
Aye, ye did, lass.
“That doesnae mean I have to like it!” He stepped toward her again, and this time he saw her wobble completely on the riverbank. She was tipping backward, about to fall in the loch, when he reached out for her.
One of his hands grabbed her waist, pulling her toward him. The other hand went for her arm and pulled that too, so that she toppled into his chest, with the two of them staggering back. Erskine was painfully aware of her hands on his chest and the feel of her slim waist beneath his palm.
“Stop changing the subject!” she demanded. “Why were you spying on me?”
“Why do you think!?” he cried, just as her blue eyes widened. She opened her mouth to say some kind of retort, but Erskine capitulated. He had crossed the line now, and there was no way of going back. He kissed her, pressing his lips quickly against hers and pulling her with both hands on her waist until she was tightly pressed against his chest. He could feel every curve of her, her breasts against him, the curve of her waist and hips beneath his hands, and the way her hands were pushing against his chest.
At first, he thought she was trying to push him off her, and just as he was about to release her, he realized those hands were no longer pushing him. One snaked up to the collar of his shirt and was pulling him down toward her. Her lips were soft beneath his own, softer than he had imagined, and as he gave a quick nip to her lip, begging entrance, she gave it.
She is kissing me back!
