And his retribution for refusing him.
She’d known the kind of man he was but had been foolish enough to succumb to his masculine allure. Even now, when she should feel nothing but revulsion, she felt an unmistakable pull.
It hurt to look at him. How could something so beautiful be so black? Could she really have thought he was anything but a cold, ruthless enforcer?
Their eyes met. Emotion cut through her like a jagged knife as she gazed into the piercing blue eyes of the man who’d destroyed everything she’d loved.
The memories came back to her in pieces. His face. The fire.
Unconsciously, she took a step back. Her voice shook with emotion. “Stay away from me.”
The look on Caitrina’s face cut Jamie to the quick. He’d wanted to see her so badly, and here she was, finally, but with fear in her eyes. After months of searching for her, of wanting to make sure she was safe and protected, it was a surprisingly sharp blow. He hated that she would think the worst of him, though what else should he have expected? It would be too much to hope that she’d remember his part in her rescue and in putting an end to the battle.
After sliding from his mount, he approached her cautiously. “I mean you no harm, lass.”
She shrank back, and it felt as if he’d been socked in the stomach.
“God, how can you say that?” she cried. “After what you’ve done?” She put her hand up as if to stop him and took another step back. “Stay away from me. D-Don’t come any closer.”
He halted, but he was close enough to see her tearstained face and the other transformations wrought by tragedy. She looked wan and tired and much thinner than he remembered. Her luminous eyes seemed to dominate her face, but there was a hard edge to her gaze that hadn’t been there before—of wariness and distrust. The spirited, brazen girl who’d challenged him without thought was gone, and in her place was a forlorn young woman of heart-wrenching fragility.
He ached to hold her in his arms and wipe away the hurt, feeling an overwhelming urge to protect her and ensure that nothing ever harmed her again.
“I only wish to speak with you,” he said gently. “Nothing more.”
“How can you think I’d ever want to lay eyes upon you, let alone speak with you again?”
He looked into her eyes. “I had nothing to do with what happened to your clan, Caitrina. That is why I am here: to explain.”
“You werethere.” She emphasized the last word with damning finality. “I saw you. Do you deny it?”
He shook his head. “Nay. I came as soon as I could, hoping to prevent a battle. But I was too late.”
“You expect me to believe that?” she said, scorn dripping from her voice.
Her anger was a relief. She was undeniably fragile, but not broken. He hoped like hell that he would never have to see fear in her eyes again.
“After what you said when you left?” she continued.
“Should I believe it wasn’t a threat when you told me I would regret refusing you? You told me I knew nothing of the real world and that one day it would find me.”
The tears that rolled down her cheeks ate like acid in his chest. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight, and he caught a glimpse of the strength that still burned inside her.
“Well, you were right, I know now that the world is a cruel place. You’ve made your point brutally clear, now leave me be.”
Her accusations rang with more truth than he wanted to acknowledge. Hehadwanted her disillusioned, to see his side—but not like this. “I spoke out of anger,” he said, taking a tentative step closer. God, he could smell her. The sweet flowery scent made him yearn to bury his head in her neck and hair. The urge to touch her was overwhelming. He took a deep, controlling breath. Right now he needed to make her understand. “I’m sorry for your loss, lass. You must believe that I had nothing to do with the attack on your clan.”
Slowly, he reached down and put his hand on her cheek, bracing for her rejection, more relieved than he could imagine when she didn’t flinch away from his touch. He wiped the tears from her face with his thumb, savoring the touch of her baby soft skin. Her mouth trembled and he ached to taste her, to wipe away her confusion with his kiss. He tilted her chin with his fingers, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I would never hurt you.”
For a moment, it looked as though she wanted to believe him, but her eyes hardened and she turned her face from his hand. “So the timing was just a coincidence? You had nothing to do with the attack? You knew nothing of the charge leveled against my father that he was harboring the MacGregors?”
He hesitated. “I did not order the attack on your clan.”
“And as to the other? That Argyll believed my father was giving aid to the MacGregors? You had nothing to do with that as well?”
He held her stare, not shying from the truth.
She gasped. “You did know.” He watched her work it out in her mind. “You didn’t come to Ascog for the gathering or to woo me, you came to spy on my father.” She gazed at him accusingly, eyes wide with hurt. “God, you used me.”
