Read Online Under the Highlander's Spell by Donna Fletcher - Free Book Online

Always alight with passion. Damn, but he found her appealing, and the more he got to know her, the more appealing she became.
    If he felt so intense about her in such a short time, he could only imagine how he’d feel about her given time. And he had decided he wanted extra time to spend with her. How he’d manage that, he wasn’t certain, but he would.
    He turned slowly and burst into a smile, his vision having taken solid form.
    â€œI found you,” Zia said exuberantly.
    â€œI didn’t know I was hiding.”
    She laughed, stopped in front of him and rested her hand against his chest. “You can’t hide from me; I will always find you.”
    He placed his hand over hers, the feel of her warm, soft flesh, tingling his own. “Why would I want to hide from you?”
    She scrunched her face in thought and he almost laughed. She looked even more adorable to him. No matter what expression she wore, she remained a beautiful woman.
    She answered in a seductive whisper. “I will let you find that out on your own.”
    He lowered his head and returned the whisper. “Do you warn me that you’re too much to handle?”
    She pressed her hand more firmly against his chest. “It’s a possibility.”
    â€œI can handle anything.”
    â€œYou don’t have much luck handling Nessie.”
    She stepped away from him laughing, and he muttered beneath his breath as he followed her. There would be time for him to show her just how capable he was of handling anything.
    â€œWould you like to gather plants with me?” she asked, reaching out to take his hand.
    â€œDo I have a choice?” he asked laughingly as she tugged him along.
    â€œNot really.”
    He followed along willingly, eager to spend time with her, even if he had to collect plants to do it.
    Artair wasn’t surprised when Zia snatched a basket from the side of a cottage. He was learning that the village Black shared just about everything. The villagers were a contented lot, though not without imperfections, but they dealt with things with relative ease and unity.
    He realized why the village operated with almost no conflict. After speaking to several of the villagers he learned that many of them, if not all, found their way here after a great deal of suffering and none of them wished to jeopardize the safety and peace they found. And he certainly could respect that.
    â€œDid you find what you were looking for?”
    Her question stopped him dead. Had he found what he was looking for?
    â€œYour brother? Did you find out more about your brother?”
    He hadn’t thought of his brother when she had askedher question. It had been Zia who entered his mind. He cleared his head as best as possible since thoughts of her continued to flit in his mind. “No, I didn’t.”
    She nodded and dropped down by a patch of ground covering and with her fingers gently snipped off leaves. “Then you will be leaving soon.”
    Artair hunched down beside her. “You wish to be rid of me?”
    â€œYou are welcome here as long as you wish to stay.” She continued snipping leaves.
    â€œA few more days should do.”
    â€œOnly a few?”
    She sounded disappointed, so he challenged. “Give me a reason to remain longer.”
    She dropped the gathered leaves into the basket and stared at him for a moment before reaching out and slowly running her fingers down the side of his face. “Perhaps there is more here for you to discover.”
    He liked her veiled invitation. And he more than liked her touch. It sent shivers through his insides that landed in his loins, and he had a hard time controlling his reaction, though managed to do so with great difficulty. He prided himself on his control, his sensibility, and while he found Zia appealing, he refused to lose sense of his senses.
    â€œWe shall see,” he said, and gently, though regretfully, eased her hand away, so her