Something snapped inside him.
Lachlan stepped forward suddenly, closing the distance between them before she had the chance to retreat. His hand caught her wrist, and he drew her closer to him, firmly enough that her chest collided with his.
“Ye talk too much,” he said quietly, his voice rough.
They were close enough now that neither of them could pretend that it didn’t matter. His grip tightened on her wrist.
Her breath brushed against his lips as she spoke. “And you?—”
The rest of her protest was swallowed by his kiss. Lachlan claimed her lips quickly and roughly, as though he’d been starving for a taste.
They broke apart just enough to breathe, the space between them charged.
He expected her to shove him back. But her gaze flickered to his lips, and for a moment, she did not move. Then she rose onto her tiptoes, closing the distance between them and pressing her lips against his.
Lachlan deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping into her mouth, just as her senses returned. She pulled back sharply, her palm striking him with the lightest slap imaginable.
“Do not do that again,” she warned, almost breathless.
Lachlan glared at her, his breathing ragged.
What have I done?
He studied her—her flushed face and her defiant posture as she stood her ground. As if she had not just kissed him back.
It shouldn’t matter, but God help him, it did.
He saw his mother’s face at that moment. She’d held herself with that same posture.
His jaw tightened in anger. He wanted to push Marian away and ask her to leave his lands right then.
He opened his mouth to speak. Instead, he heard himself say something different.
“Then stop darin’ me to.” His voice was rough. Raw.
His chest burned with anger at himself as he stood there, staring at her like a man who had already lost.
He turned on his heel and headed toward the castle without saying another word.
Damned Sassenach.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Marian stirred in bed.
Her body shivered as the cold Highland wind burst in through the window. She groaned, reaching across the bed for more blankets. She pulled them tighter around herself as another gust rushed in, banging the wood against the stone walls.
A small breath escaped her lips, somewhere between a sigh and a huff. She’d been certain she’d closed the window before going to sleep, but now it was wide open.
Heavens help me this morning.
She blinked her eyes open and slid out of the bed, wrapping one of the blankets around her shoulders like a cloak as she walked to the open window.
The violent breeze fought against her, whipping her hair in every possible direction and sending chills down her spine. Lightning struck overhead.
As she shut the window, she let out a sigh of relief.
It is going to be a heavy downpour.
