Page 52 of Wicked Kilted Highlander

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE

Darragh was standing outside the hall when he saw Lara rushing out, seemingly angry. Very angry indeed. He felt it radiating from her in waves of heat, even though her expression gave nothing away as she just raced across the corridor.

When Lara reached him, her voice was like ice.

"What were ye thinking Darragh?!" Lara hissed. "Gregor is Elsie's betrothed and a laird, and ye attacked him in front of everyone?! Do ye nae understand how serious this is?!"

Darragh did understand Lara’s anger, he really did, but that did not mean he had to accept it.

"He insulted ye, Lara," Darragh snarled. "How was I supposed tae act, listen and nae defend yer honor? Gregor is a blackguard and deserves tae treated as one!"

"This animosity between Gregor and yerself has gone too far," Lara snapped. "Whatever Gregor did, does nae give ye the right tae attack him, Darragh! He will retaliate, and Elsie will suffer the most!”

Darragh eyes narrowed. Lara angry face told him that he was the one in the wrong, but she did nae understand. Gregor mocking Lara’s honor hurt more than any wound.

"I dinnae care, Lara," Darragh growled.

Lara scoffed, but Darragh expression softened her angry face. Before he could speak, she continued.

"Darragh, I never thought ye could be so hostile, without any reason."

Darragh could not understand her anger; why would she be angry with him? Was he wrong?

"Hostile? Ye call me being worried about ye and yer honor hostile?!" Darragh said, his own anger starting to bubble up again.

Lara finally looked up at him, her face still blank.

"Darragh, ye being possessive and jealous is what I am calling hostile." Lara said each word slowly, enunciating every letter carefully. "I dinnae need ye tae protect me in such a violent way, or watch out for me, or whatever it is that ye want tae call it," Lara continued, her anger starting to show again. Darragh stared at Lara, trying to figure out how their conversation had gone from bad to worse so quickly.

"Problem?! Is that what ye think—that yer me problem?!" Darragh asked incredulously. How could she think he saw her as a problem? A responsibility. The idea made his heart clench painfully in his chest.

Lara rolled her eyes at him. "Well, what else could it possibly be?" She practically yelled at him, gesturing wildly around her. Darragh couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want to fight with her, he just wanted to hold her. To wrap her up in his arms and keep her safe from everything and everyone who’d ever caused her pain or upset her.

Darragh strode forward closing the distance between them. He reached out and grabbed Lara's arm pulling her close against him. He wrapped one arm around her waist and tangled the other hand in her hair holding her firmly in place.

"Ye really have nae clue dae ye, lassie?" Darragh whispered looking down into her wide eyes. She freed herself and stormed off upstairs, leaving him alone in the corridor.

He stared after her, wondering if she had any idea how much she affected him. He sighed, running his hand through his hair. His anger had dissipated completely, and now he was left feeling like a fool. A lovesick fool. He decided not to join Lara in her rooms as he knew she wouldn't welcome him. He was afraid he might say something to her that he would later regret, so it was probably best to just stay away.

He wandered aimlessly through castle, trying to clear his mind. He felt angry with himself and annoyed with Lara, but mostly he just felt frustrated. Frustrated that he couldn't control his feelings, that he wasn't able express himself properly. He headed to the stables, deciding that maybe sleeping alone would help calm him and get some perspective.

He entered the stables, helping himself to a blanket before finding an empty stall. He made himself comfortable, but instead of sleeping, he soon found himself tossing and turning, unable to drift off. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Lara's face. Her beautiful smile, her soft lips, her perfect curves. He groaned, rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling above him.

After a few hours of sleeplessness, Darragh gave up on the idea of getting any rest and instead sat thinking about going somewhere far from there, going back to see his family, to ask his brother Aidan for advice. But then he thought of Lara and realized he couldn't leave her behind. Not yet anyway. It would break her heart, and his too. And besides, he needed to make sure she was safe before he went anywhere. As all these thoughts raced around his head, he suddenly realized that perhaps the night before might have brought a bairn. Darragh decided he would talk to Lara in the morning and then decide what to do next. Tomorrow, he would tell her exactly how he felt about her. With those thoughts Darragh drifted off, dreaming of Lara and their future together.

* * *

Darragh was suddenly woken up by the sensation of movement nearby. He opened his eyes, blearily blinking against the darkness, trying to adjust his vision. He heard footsteps. He jumped up, grabbing his dagger, ready to defend himself if necessary, and scanned the place, searching for an intruder. But he found nobody there. Then, suddenly, he caught sight of Gregor walking alone outside.

Darragh’s curiosity was piqued and he quickly got up to follow him. But just then, he felt something moving around his legs, and when he looked down, he realized it was a rat. It had dark brown eyes and long whiskers and was staring up at Darragh curiously. Darragh stared back for an instant before he hurriedly looked around for Gregor, and he realized he was gone.

Damn it!It was obvious something was amiss, and Darragh was determined to understand what it was. His investigations would have to wait until the morning, he thought as he lay back down in frustration.

With that he dozed off to sleep again.