Page 43 of His Secret Highland Bride

He drew her close and kissed her. As he was holding her, she picked up the faint scent of roses. The feminine smell drifted from his clothes as if he’d held a woman who wore rosewater. She pulled away and looked him over. He was wearing the same clothes he’d worn when he left that morning, but the fabric did not smell of sweat, as one would expect from a soldier who had been in drills with the war chief all day long.

It had rained that morning, yet he didn’t seem to have been wet. Did the MacPherson warriors not train in foul weather? She’d seen the Wallace warriors in the yard every day without fail, come rain, snow, or sun.

“How were your drills today?” she asked, watching for the hint of a lie leaving his lips.

Instead, his lips remained closed and pressed softly against hers. His arms pulled her close again, and she felt the evidence of his attraction growing against her stomach. A man could not feign this reaction, surely. He wanted her, while he wore another woman’s scent.

“I asked about your day,” she said, pulling away yet again. She was unable to lie with him with these questions circling in her mind.

“I’d rather you save your questions for another time so I might continue kissing you.”

“I want to kiss you the same, but I must know…” How should she form the question? To accuse her husband of such a serious offense might shatter the comfort they shared. She had no right to be jealous of Maria, but if he were with another woman now that they were wed, she wouldn’t be so generous. She’d foolishly thought she’d be enough, for he seemed pleased with their bed sport. “Are you happy?”

“I am when I’m here with you.”

“And when you’re at the castle?”

He shook his head. “I’m not at all happy when I’m at the castle.”

“And do I please you? When we are in bed together?”

“Aye, lass. Why do ye think I’m trying to get you into our bed right now?”

He laughed, and she felt the truth of his words. He was happy with her.

“I know many husbands find other entertainments outside of their marriage bed.”

His smile faded as his brows pulled together and he stepped back to look in her eyes. “Do ye think I would do such a thing?”

She shrugged. It was best to say what she needed to say. Stepping around the subject was not getting the answers she needed. “You’re a warrior being summoned to the castle by the war chief, yet you return to me smelling of roses rather than the sweat of physical effort as I would expect. You seem to word things in a particular way. I do wonder why.” She looked away, unable to see the disappointment in his eyes that she had such little faith in him. She wished she could take the words back, as much as she hoped he would answer and reassure her with the truth.

He plucked his shirt from his chest and bent his head to smell it. The puzzled look on his face turned knowing as he nodded. “Aye. A woman did hug me today. A relative who was happy to see me returned.”

She could’ve melted to the floor at this quite reasonable response.

“As for the effort, I am spending most of my day inside, toiling over numbers.”

This surprised her. “You’re seeing to the laird’s ledgers?”

“Aye.”

“I had no idea you were so skilled.”

“I have other skills I have not yet shared with you.” His lids drooped into a lustful gaze. “Mayhap, I can show those to you instead of speaking of my boring day spent in dust and ink.” At this, he pressed his lips to her neck, trailing kisses up to her ear.

“You have no reason to fear I’d ever spend a minute in another woman’s bed—not while I have you. You’re everything to me, Lindsay.”

That time, her legs did give way, and he pulled her up into his arms and carried her to their bed.

…

Shane had barely woken when someone pounded on his door. He’d been lying next to his wife, watching as the light of dawn reached out from the window to touch her midnight hair. He knew he needed to tell her the truth and soon. He’d been careful not to lie to her.

But contorting the facts so they were still true was becoming more difficult with each passing day. Grumbling at whomever had bothered his perfect moment, he slid from the bed and pulled on his shirt before going to answer the door.

The door pushed in as Alec barged past him, muttering something Shane’s mind was too groggy to comprehend. He looked toward the bed to be sure his wife was covered. The furs were pulled up past her breasts, but her shoulders were bare and her hair was perfectly messy in the way he loved. Alec froze for a moment before bowing.

“Pardon my intrusion, mistress. I need to speak with my—”