Page 8 of The Highland Heir

But instead, Kieran dropped the blade andglared at the man.

“Now ye know. Don’t forget it.”

He’d claimed her?

She didn’t know how she felt about that.She’d expected to feel annoyed, but something else kept her fromcalling him out. Some warm tingling sensation in her stomach at theknowledge that she was his to protect.

It was silly. She knew Kieran had only doneso because it was the easiest solution to keep the man fromharassing her further.

But still, she couldn’t lie to herself.

She’d liked it more than she should.

Chapter Four

That night, after she wished her father agood night and went to her bed, she was still thinking of whatKieran had said. The feeling was still there hours later as shetossed and turned. If anything, it had grown warmer and morepleasant.

Even more surprising was the way thesensation followed her eventually into sleep.

She dreamed of them as they’d been earlier inthe day on the shore, tossing stones into the sea. But Kieran stoodcloser than he had then. And when she looked up at him, he wassmiling at her in the way he always did when she’d managed to amusehim. That sweet smile that flashed his white teeth.

Such a rare thing; she felt like a queen tohave earned it.

Only this time, when the smile faded, thewarmth remained in his eyes. He bent down and pressed his lips tohers.

They had kissed before. An odd push of theirlips together at a time they thought to explore the differences intheir growing bodies. It had not been unpleasant, but it had notbeen like this.

He’d claimed her in the great hall to saveher, but in her dreams his claiming of her mouth set her free. Hiswarm breath caressed her face as his tongue searched for hers.

His hands trailed over her body. Each touchtingled until her skin felt alive. She reached for him, wanting tofeel him against her. She knew how a man and a woman joinedtogether.

She didn’t have personal experience with sucha thing, but Kieran had explained it to her. She’d thought itdisgusting, but now as she throbbed in the lower part of her thatwould be filled by him, it wasn’t disgust she felt it was—

“Ella . . . Ellisay!” What was herfather doing here?

She opened her eyes to her dark room. Darkexcept for her father standing over her with a candle lit. Shesquealed in alarm.

“Ye were having a nightmare, lass.”

“A nightmare?” It was no nightmare, that wasfor certain. She didn’t know what it had been, but she surelyhadn’t been frightened.

“You were moaning as if ye were in pain. Ithought to spare you from it.”

“Ah. Well, thank you, da.” She lay back asher father left, taking the light with him. She stared up into thedarkness, remembering the dream and trying desperately to hold onto the feeling.

For whatever reason, it seemed important toburn each kiss, each touch, into her memory so she could recall itlater. As if she would someday want to lie in bed thinking aboutKieran in that way whilst he lay in his chamber in the castle withhis wife.

The tingling she’d felt earlier vanished atthat vision, and she felt an empty pain in her chest. The pain thatcame from longing for someone she could never have.

“Lord, help me,” she whispered.

*

Life went on after the MacKenzie laird leftwith his guards and half the cattle promised. For Kieran, it was asif the man had never been there. As if Kieran wasn’t promised to awoman he’d never met.

The truth would come soon enough. He had onlya few months until he would be wed, and he chose to spend that timenot thinking about that fate. If only Ellie would cooperate.

“Do you think she will be pretty? How do youimagine her? Fair or dark-haired?” Ellie asked.