Page 23 of Confessions of a Highland Assassin

Boyd noticed the way her bare chest rose and fell as she struggled to regain her breath; her beautiful dark hair was messy as long strands fell from the bun at the back of her head. She seemed somewhat familiar to him.

“Have we met before?” he asked as his eyes kept falling back to the torn dress barely covering her milky flesh. There was a strange feeling brewing deep in his gut that he couldn’t quite place his finger on. If was too dark to make out the features of her face clearly, but he gazed at the beauty of her body. He quickly realized her vulnerability and helped her pick up her cloak that had been tossed to the side near the tree.

“I dinnae think so,” she said and hurriedly covered her chest with her dark cloak as she followed his gaze.

“Ye are safe now, lass. I will dae ye nae harm. I am the laird. I promise, ye are safe with me,” he tried to reassure her when he saw the panic growing in her eyes.

“I ken very well who ye are, milaird,” she said almost dismissively as she scurried to neaten herself and pick up her belongings scattered across the ground.

Boyd felt strangely aroused when he glimpsed parts of her chest as she hurried to retrieve her belongings. Her cloak was nowhere near sufficient to cover her cleavage. The dismissive way she acknowledged his title was both refreshing and alluring at the same time.

“Thank ye for saving me,” she said quietly, attempting to cover her torn dress. The fight had left half of her dress torn all the way up her thigh. Her soft cheeks grew rosy with embarrassment.

“Here,” he said, taking off his coat and handing it to her. “Ye cannae walk around with yer dress like that.”

The woman accepted the coat and tied it around herself. “Thank ye,” her full lips parted slightly as she breathed.

“Are ye sure we have nae met ‘afore?” Boyd asked, but quickly stopped when he heard Rory calling his name in the distance as nearby bushes rustled. Not wanting their encounter to end before he even learned her name, Boyd stepped forward and shielded her from view as he stepped behind a tree. He vastly rethought his actions, worried that she would be scared because of her recent ordeal, but he was pleasantly surprised by her absence of fear or panic. She merely stared up at him with a veiled expression on her face.

The look in her light blue eyes made his heart race and his pulse quicken.

And before he knew it, his warm lips were caressing hers.

CHAPTER TEN

Ava had spotted Sophie sitting inside The Three Wisemen and made her way over to the table. She was still wearing her disguise as there had been no time to change. Skye was still occupying Bram in the cabin, and the letter needed to be written before they were done.

Sophie had been sitting alone, sorting through a stack of letters, lifted a burden from Ava's chest; her parents were not there. The tavern was busier than usual. However, the patrons mostly ignored her as she pushed her way through the drunken throng, her slim figure hidden beneath the cloak.

“Good afternoon, Sophie,” she greeted quietly as she reached the table, lifting the hood of her mantle barely enough for Sophie to see her face. Blinking a few times in confusion, the lass looked up, surprised to see Ava in her disguise. They had been friends for many years. She knew what Ava did to earn a living but she’d never seen her disguise before. “Good afternoon,” Sophie greeted, omitting her name.

“May I tak’ a seat?” Ava asked politely and smiled reassuringly to put the girl at ease.

“Of course,” Sophie gestured for her to take the empty seat across from her.

“I’m sure ye must be surprised tae see me here. I’m sorry if it’s a shock, but I was hoping I would catch ye alone.”

“A little,” Sophie blushed and admitted before continuing. “My parents are across the road. We dinnae have much time before they arrive, so whatever it is, better be quick, Ava. Ye ken they dinnae like it when we spend much time together...”

Ava nodded her acknowledgment. Sophie’s parents disapproved of her, thinking she would be a bad influence on their daughter. They weren’t entirely sure of what Ava did for a living, but there were rumors that it wasn’t entirely above board.

“At most, we may have an hour, my mother likes tae talk tae the dressmaker whenever she has the chance,” Sophie explained.

Ava pulled the letter from her cloak and slid it across the table toward her friend. “I was wondering if ye would help me write a letter.”

“Of course. Ye ken I will always help ye.” Sophie said without hesitation.

“It’s a response tae an invitation. But naebody must ever ken that ye wrote the letter, or that I ever had any knowledge of the response,” Ava explained as quietly as she could, keeping her voice just above a whisper. “This shall stay only between us, Sophie.”

“Ah,” realization dawned on the girl as she picked up the letter, “I was wondering why ye would talk tae me in yer disguise. This is business.”

“I’m sorry tae have tae ask ye, Sophie. But I dinnae ken anyone else that I would trust with this secret. Ye ken that I would nae involve ye if there were any other choices. This also needs tae be done as soon as possible.”

The girl looked uneasy for a moment. “Does this have anything tae dae with Neil?”

Ava nodded solemnly. “It’s the only way I have o’ getting him back.”

“Ye dinnae have tae explain anything else tae me,” Sophie said gently and reached across the table to squeeze her hand reassuringly. “Just tell me what tae write and I will dae it.”