Page 60 of The Beastly Earl

“Nothing.”

Guilt flashed across her face before she tipped her chin up in a mutinous manner. The instant he narrowed his gaze at her, she averted her gaze and nibbled at her bottom lip until it grew dark from the abuse. It aroused the temptation to run his thumb across the plump spot to soothe it. Self-disgust snaked through him at the way she could so innocently distract and entice him without realizing she was doing so.

“You're lying to me again, Louisa.”

“I haven’t lied to you about anything.” She winced, and he expelled a harsh breath, and she looked away from him again. “At least not really.”

“Not really? Then I shall rephrase the question. What is it you’ve kept from me?”

Hesitation furrowed her brow, and he leaned forward in an attempt to intimidate her. The effort failed miserably as he drank in her sweet fragrance, while her full, rosy lips formed a mutinous pout that heightened his need to explore the heat of her mouth as he'd done last night.

He swallowed hard as her rebellious expression softened and her hazel eyes became almost green in color. The desire he'd seen on her face moments ago returned. In seconds, his entire body was shouting with the need to pull her close and never let her go. God almighty, the woman was part witch, part sídhe.

“Tell me, Louisa,” he snarled as he fought not to act on the primal urges twisting his muscles into knots until he was hard all over.

“I know Ross isn't your son," she snapped.

Ewan took a quick step backward to stare at her in stunned silence. Tension tightened his body even further as he froze stiff and rigid before her. She knew he wasn't Ross's father. He wasn't sure why he should be surprised. Deep inside, he'd always known she knew the truth simply because of the an dara sealladh. The powerful strength of her gift of sight was unlike anything he'd ever heard about or seen. It had been irrational to think she wouldn't discover the truth.

Louisa's gaze didn't falter as her rebellious expression softened and became one of remorse. The regret and pain on her features emphasized how much it troubled her to have revealed she knew his secret. Intuitively, she'd understood his anger and humiliation at Agnes's betrayal. In a way, he was relieved she knew the truth. Every time she'd witnessed him berating the boy, his shame hadn't been simply at his own lack of fairness to the child. Last night had revealed how much Louisa's opinion of him mattered to him.

"I only know he's not your son, Ewan, nothing more."

Soft and gentle, Louisa's voice wove its spell over him as she took a step forward, and her sweet scent filled his nostrils. The moment her palms pressed into his chest, he was lost. His need to find solace in her arms, if only for a moment, made him shudder. In a swift movement, his good arm wrapped around her waist to pull her close. Without protest, she melted into him as he captured her mouth in a hard kiss. It was as if she'd always been a part of him.

Heat barreled through him, as he tasted the fiery sweetness of her mouth. His entire body ached with the need to possess her utterly just as he had last night. A soft murmur vibrated out of her as she pressed her body deeper into his.

Every inch of him cried out for her, and even with her held so tightly in his arms as she was now, he knew it would never be enough. He would always feel this need to hold her close, hear the sound of her voice, or simply see her walk into a room. The thought made him stiffen against her as he realized the hell he was about to descend into. It would make his existence unbearable for the rest of his life. God help him if the an dara sealladh showed her anything to use against him.

Louisa gasped softly in surprise as he roughly pushed her away. The moment he did so, she reached out to touch him. With a jerk, Ewan retreated even further from her. The battle about to ensue would test him unlike anything he'd experienced in the Sudan. The more space between them the better. With stiff movements, he retrieved his shirt, and roughly pushed his artificial arm through one sleeve.

"I have decided to send Ross away to school, so your services will no longer be required. You will pack your things and leave here tomorrow morning, my lady." Ewan's harsh words were followed by a wounded cry behind him. He ignored the way the sound lashed at his heart.

"My—" She drew in a sharp breath before her anger became a whip lashing at his back. "You intend to punish Ross because I deceived you?"

The outrage in Louisa's voice didn't surprise him, but it was the fear and pain running beneath her words that sliced into him like the sword that had taken his arm and eye. Ewan viciously shoved his good arm through his shirt sleeve, and fumbled with the buttons.

"I'm not punishing Ross. I am leaving Argaty in a few days and will not be back for some time. The boy will be best served by going to school."

"You're leaving—why?" she demanded. He knew better than to hope he could dodge Louisa's real question, but he needed to at least try.

"Why? Because if there's one thing I've learned since your arrival, my lady, it's that the lad deserves better from me than he's received to date. Ross will do better at school than here in this cold, miserable place."

"You know perfectly well that's not what I mean. Why are you leaving Argaty Keep? Is this about what happened between—"

"Last night has nothing to do with my decision."

"Please credit me with some intelligence, Ewan," she exclaimed with the fire and spirit that had endeared her to him from the beginning. "What other reason would you have for making such a hasty decision?"

"Believe what you like, my lady, but last night did not factor into my decision," he said tersely.

"And you call me a liar." The accusatory note in her voice made him stiffen as he slowly turned to face her. Her expression was filled with a passionate anger, as she scowled at him. "The least you could do is be honest with yourself, if not me."

"Have care with your words, lass. Honesty is the last word you should use with me," he snarled as he began to lose his foothold on the slippery slope he stood on. The woman was far more intuitive than he liked.

"Do not threaten me, Lord Argaty. I've battled my own demons for a long time, and if you think I don't recognize someone else struggling with theirs then you're mistaken."

Ewan's muscles hardened with tension at how easily she could read him. Hands on her hips, her glare silently challenged him to deny her words. She easily stood her ground against him as if she were a full-blooded Scotswoman. Her stance said she was a force to be reckoned with and was unwilling to give way to him without a fight.