Page 3 of Scot of Seduction

I wish he wouldnae talk about coupling so much.

She had a reputation for her wit and her arguments, but whenever conversation turned to such matters, she preferred to stay silent. For her, intimacy was sacred. It should only be shared between two people who were very much in love. She knew that Tad did not agree though. He saw sex as little more than sport.

“How would ye have fought off a man, eh?” Tad asked, coming to a stop, though he still didn’t put her down. He just held her, his arms around her waist, their bodies pressed flat together. “Assuming ye wanted tae fight him off, of course?” It was a leading question, the glimmer of mischief in those gray eyes, despite the anger which had made his jawline taut.

Her mind was racing. When had Tad arrived at the castle? He must have come to call on her brothers, but then what had induced him to come looking for her out here? Was it chance?

When he still didn’t release her but glared at her in anger, akin to the fury her brothers would feel, her own rage snapped.

“Ye bast –”

“Always so affectionate, little Cat,” he whispered, smirking.

She kicked out at him and he dropped her, allowing her to push away from him across the riverbank.

“I was perfectly safe,” she insisted, scrambling to pull her dirk out to show him. “See. I had this.”

“Oh, aye,” he said loudly with full sarcasm, waving an errant hand toward her. “Much good that was going tae dae ye, eh? Dae ye think a dirk would stop a strong man who wanted tae force himself on ye?”

“I would have stopped him,” she insisted.

“Let’s test that, shall we?” He advanced toward her.

“Tad… Tad, what are ye doing!?” She turned and ran away from him, but she only reached the first tree before he caught her. In one swift movement, he took hold of her skirt and flung her around. She fell against the trunk of the fir tree, raising her dirk threateningly toward him, but he caught her forearm with his right hand.

She couldn’t move her arm and they fell still, staring at one another. She had a feeling he was using a small amount of energy to hold her wrist in place. Compared to his strong biceps, her arms were like twigs.

“See?” he pointed out, his eyebrows risen. “See how easy that was?”

He didn’t move but stayed close to her. The way her gut squirmed once again wasn’t helping. It didn’t help either that Tad had that look in his eyes – it was an expression she could not understand and one she had seen on him a lot recently when he looked at her.

“Ye-ye made yer point,” she managed to stammer.

Abruptly, he released her and stepped back. She returned her dirk to her belt, staring at him, his back now toward her as he breathed heavily and stepped toward the loch.

“I’ll take ye back tae the castle.”

“I’m nae going yet.” She marched toward him, ready to argue further, yet to her surprise, he said nothing. He stayed completely silent. “Tad? Did ye hear me?”

He lifted a hand between them, the palm outward, as if pleading for silence.

“What is it?”

“Shush,” he hissed so quietly, she almost didn’t hear him.

He had cocked his head to the side, his eyes scanning the trees behind them.

I ken that look. I have seen it before on him as well.

She had seen it when he went hunting with her brothers in the woods. He turned completely to face the trees, then reached for her.

“What are ye doing?”

“What dae ye nae understand about holding that sharp tongue of yers, Cat?” he hissed angrily.

“Who said I have tae obey yer order?”

“Quiet!”