Page 31 of Highland Vows of Betrayal

“Did I upset ye?” she remarked.

“Ye flatter yerself if ye think ye have such control over me,” he said derisively, walking over the blanket and putting distance between them. She nearly spit out her apple at the abruptness of it.

“I dinnae think I have any control over ye. I think I annoy ye. Aye, certainly!” She wasn’t irked by the idea at all. She continued to sit confidently, with such a smile on her face, he found it sultry and provocative all at once, yet again. He longed to kiss those lips. He wondered if she’d moan his name.

Would she?

Turning his back to her, he strode purposefully to the horses.

“Where are ye going?” she called to him.

“I’m coming back.” He took out a satchel, his movements sharper than before. He was determined to change things between them. Come what may, she would know what it was like to feel as he had the day before. He took the largest of the satchels from the saddle and returned across the meadow.

By this time, she was tidying up. Her movements made him pause. How many times had he seen a lady refuse to tidy up? Even some of the maids he bedded refused to clean up after spending the night with him. They had risen above such things by that point. Or so they wanted to believe.

“Ye’re tidying?” Noah said in surprise as he halted behind her. She folded up the muslin cloth so neatly it looked as if she had done that a hundred times.

“What’s so bad in that?” she asked.

“Nae many ladies bother tidying in such a way.”

* * *

Scarlett stiffened, realizing what she had done. It was so natural to her to tidy up, to look after herself, that she hadn’t even thought for a minute that it might look strange to Noah.

I suppose Eloise isnae used tae doing such things.

“Well, I am a different lady, nae?” Scarlett said, lifting her head high, trying not to think too much about what she had done. “There is nothing wrong with being tidy, is there?”

“Nae.” Yet his eyes danced over the basket and Scarlett backed away from it on her knees. She had packed everything neatly.

“What have ye got there?” she asked, gesturing to the satchel.

“A game,” he said triumphantly and dropped it to the ground.

“A game?” She held herself back from laughing. “Somehow, I find it hard tae imagine ye playing games.”

“Well, Scarlett, just as ye surprised me, I can surprise ye too.”

She stood as he opened the satchel. She wondered if she had made a mistake asking him to call her Scarlett. At least this way she would respond to him when he said her name, instead of ignoring him by mistake.

“What game is this?” she asked, moving to stand beside him. When she came close he stopped what he was doing to look at her. “What is it?”

“Ye have come near indeed,” he said. “After the way I caught ye yesterday on the stairs, ye seemed in a hurry nae tae be close tae me again.” She rolled her eyes, enjoying the chance to make fun of him.

“Just as ye said, I have nae control over ye, ye have nae power over me either.” She moved her hands to her hips, determined to reject him. The number of times she'd thought of Noah while awake at night had bothered her greatly. Thinking about his touch on her back and kisses on her neck should not have bothered her, and yet they did.

“Nae power at all?” he said, moving the satchel to the side. She stood her ground, pretending that his coming closer didn’t affect her.

“Nae. Nae more power than the winter breeze has on the snow-capped hills.”

“Ay, ye think that if ye like,” he smirked. That mischievous glint was back in his eyes. She found it rather alluring. “So, if I did this, ye would be unaffected by it?” He bent toward her, his lips hovering over hers. He was so near she held her breath, thinking he was going to kiss her, but he merely teased her. “Unaffected, aye?” he challenged.

“Completely.” The lie felt flat on her tongue, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She was acutely aware of his proximity right down to their hips side by side.

Exercise control, ye fool!

“Nae affected at all.” She backed away and managed to put distance between them. Pleased that she resisted, she smiled until she noticed him gesturing to her face. “What?”