A sugary smile curled her lips. “And if you had told me of your plans, I would have.”
He took a step closer. “Don’t push me, Meg.”
She didn’t like being put on the defensive. He had some explaining to do as well. “And what of you, Alex? Did you think that I would not remember your man Robbie?” She waved her hand toward his horse. “Or that terrifying beast over there? It was you in the forest that day. Youliedto me. And I want to know why.”
His jaw locked in stubborn silence.
Meg’s emotions bubbled dangerously close to the surface. She wanted him to trust her. To give proof to the connection that had grown between them. She wanted some sign that her feelings were not the only ones in jeopardy. “What is it that you are not telling me?”
She took a few cautious steps toward him and gently laid her hand on his arm, feeling the tension coil under her fingertips. She stood so close, she could see the faint hint of stubble on his chin and the telltale pulse in his neck. The scar that crossed his brow seemed more prominent. And menacing. Yet she felt a strange urge to trace it with her fingertip.
“It has nothing to do with you,” he said tightly.
“Then why can’t you tell me—” Her voice broke. “Please, Alex.”
Something in his expression shifted. The fury had been tempered by something that she could describe only as longing. She could see the tumult in his gaze. Deep inside, there was an internal battle being waged that she did not understand.
“Why can’t you let it go?” His voice was strangely hoarse.
She couldn’t tell him. She couldn’t admit it even to herself. She couldn’t let it go because she didn’t want to make the wrong decision, and she’d begun to feel that the only right decision was standing before her.
“Do you really want me to?” she asked softly.
He knew what she was asking. She could see it on his face. She waited, not wanting to acknowledge how much his answer mattered. How much she wanted him to acknowledge what had grown between them.
“Yes, damn it. I want you to leave me alone.”
Her heart plummeted. He didn’t want her. Oh God, she was a fool. Chasing after a man who wanted nothing to do with her. Stricken, she turned away, not wanting him to see how much his rejection stung.
He swore. And before she realized what was happening, she was in his arms and his mouth fell on hers with a savage hunger that belied his indifference and took her breath away.
Meg was relentless, pushing him in a way that no one ever had before. Pushing him until he snapped.
From the moment she’d ridden into the inn yard, head held high with that adorable stubborn tilt to her tiny pointed chin, he’d been waging an internal battle. A battle between desire and reality. He wanted what he could not have.
It hurt just to look at her. The sun drenched her hair with flecks of gold light and flooded her translucent skin with a gentle pink warmth. Artfully arranged chestnut curls framed her moss green eyes to perfection. But it was her mouth that drove him wild. The memory of her honey soft sweetness laid siege to the fortress of his restraint.
Still, his anger held him in check. She’d followed him and interfered in his mission once again. He intended to be harsh, to ensure that she put an end to her foolish quest to discover his true purpose. With one wrong word, she could destroy everything.
But the hurt in her eyes undid him.
For a moment, he’d wanted to tell her why it was so important to him. Why he needed to do this. Why he wasn’t for her. But for her own sake, as well as his, he could not embroil her in his scheme. A scheme that would brand him a traitor.
She thought that he was fighting for gold, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He was fighting for justice. For a way of life. For the land held by their clans for generations. But fighting was all that he knew how to do. He couldn’t give her what she wanted.
But she’d stood there, achingly lovely, with hurt brimming in her eyes, and he’d reacted. With passion. As if he could wipe away the sting of his words with the force of his mouth.
At the first touch of her lips, he groaned, tasting the subtle sweetness that had been impossible to forget. Her heart fluttered wildly against his chest. He wanted to tame her, to kiss her into submission, to unleash the maelstrom of his passion, but his anger was immediately drenched in a flood of unexpected tenderness. He forced himself to be gentle, wooing a response with the soft urging of his mouth and tongue.
She relaxed and softened, melting right into him. His hand moved from her waist up her back to run his fingers through the silken web of curls tumbling down her back. It was even softer than he remembered. The subtle movement unleashed a beguiling scent of roses teasing his senses.
He moved his hand from her hair to gently trace the soft point of her chin, massaging with his thumb the frantic pulse below her ear. His fingers cupped her chin, tilting it back, coaxing her lips apart to explore the tender recess of her mouth, drinking in the honey moist taste of her.
Tentatively, her tongue reached out to meet his. Heat surged to his loins, filling him with a longing so intense, it should terrify him. But all he could think of was the delicate woman in his arms and how much he wanted her.
Her response grew bolder, and enticing little sounds escaped from between her lips. He recognized her building desire in the urgency of her movements.
Blood pooled hot and heavy in his loins. Alex fought to keep his passion in check, but he knew it was a losing battle.
