Read Online When a Laird Loves a Lady (Highlander Vows: Entangled Hearts Book 1) by Julie Johnstone - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Julie Johnstone
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once again.
“Desire.” His words came out low and husky.
She stilled. How had he known? How
had she not?
His body shook with suppressed
laughter. “Ye’ve never experienced desire, have ye?” he asked as they left the
road they were on, taking them out of the sight of the guards. She glanced
behind her, catching a smug look in Iain’s icy blue eyes. She stiffened her
spine and glared at him. “I’d rather not talk about it right now,” she
murmured, hot mortification singeing her cheeks.
He nodded his agreement. “Likely
best. We need to make haste.” And then, without another word, he clicked his
tongue and his destrier took off in a gallop. Up ahead, Rory Mac’s horse did
the same. She supposed the beast could sense the shift of pace of the other
animal.
The wind whipped her hair in her
face and sliced through her gown. She shivered but was soon shaking and
clenching her teeth in an effort to control it. They approached the end of the
path, coming close to her father’s castle. She was about to tell Iain when he
pulled up on the reins and slowed his horse to a stop. Ahead of them, Rory Mac
slowed his horse and turned back to look at them. Without a sound, Iain raised
a hand and motioned Rory Mac around. The man immediately obeyed without
question. Marion’s teeth chattered in the silence as she pondered this. Would Iain expect the same blind obedience from her as he
apparently got from his men?
Before she could think on it
further, he spoke. “Ye’re freezing,” he said, shifting behind her. His arm
released her, and then both hands encircled her as he drew her so close to him
that she could feel the beat of his heart through the thin material of her gown. In the next instant, a heavy fabric was laid over her legs and
tucked behind her back and under her chin. She glanced down to see the plaid
he’d been wearing, and her eyes flew open wide as she craned her neck to look
at him.
She gasped as her gaze locked on
his bare legs. He wore nothing but a long léine. “You cannot ride around like
that! You’re naked.”
He grinned. “I assure ye, I’m nae.
If ye’d care to see me naked…”
He was trying to provoke her. She
shook her head. “No.”
He stared at her as if he were
trying to read her thoughts. “Ye ken ye desire me.”
“I don’t know a thing about
desire,” she snapped, though she suspected he was right and that the odd feeling
he’d been causing in her was indeed lust.
“It’s nae bad ye desire me. I
desire ye, too.” He said the last as if that fact bothered him, but he spoke
again before she could consider why. “’Tis the truth. It will make being
married more pleasant for both of us.”
“Do you want a pleasant marriage?”
If he did, at least that was something. Many men just wanted a wife to give
them babies and do their bidding.
He shrugged. “It matters little
what I want. We’re to be married by the wishes of our kings, so we will be.”
“It matters to me what you want,”
she said. “ I don’t wish for a husband who will treat me poorly.”
“I dunnae treat anyone poorly,” he
replied, his voice gruff. “Simply do as I tell ye, stay out of my way, and we
will live peacefully.”
She ground her teeth. “So you want
a wife without an opinion who will obey your every command?”
“A wife must listen.”
His hard, unbending tone irritated
her. “You want a dog not a wife,” she grumbled.
“Ye’ve strange ideas about a
woman’s place, Marion.”
Maybe she did, but her mother used
to tell her stories every night about her sisters who had married for love and
how wonderful their lives were. Marion wanted that. She had longed for a happy
family for as long as she could remember, and she had known deep within that
the key to that was love. A husband had to love his wife, or at the very least
be capable of love, unlike her father. She stilled, fear rising in her chest.
She couldn’t even say if Iain was capable of love or not.
“Have you
“Desire.” His words came out low and husky.
She stilled. How had he known? How
had she not?
His body shook with suppressed
laughter. “Ye’ve never experienced desire, have ye?” he asked as they left the
road they were on, taking them out of the sight of the guards. She glanced
behind her, catching a smug look in Iain’s icy blue eyes. She stiffened her
spine and glared at him. “I’d rather not talk about it right now,” she
murmured, hot mortification singeing her cheeks.
He nodded his agreement. “Likely
best. We need to make haste.” And then, without another word, he clicked his
tongue and his destrier took off in a gallop. Up ahead, Rory Mac’s horse did
the same. She supposed the beast could sense the shift of pace of the other
animal.
The wind whipped her hair in her
face and sliced through her gown. She shivered but was soon shaking and
clenching her teeth in an effort to control it. They approached the end of the
path, coming close to her father’s castle. She was about to tell Iain when he
pulled up on the reins and slowed his horse to a stop. Ahead of them, Rory Mac
slowed his horse and turned back to look at them. Without a sound, Iain raised
a hand and motioned Rory Mac around. The man immediately obeyed without
question. Marion’s teeth chattered in the silence as she pondered this. Would Iain expect the same blind obedience from her as he
apparently got from his men?
Before she could think on it
further, he spoke. “Ye’re freezing,” he said, shifting behind her. His arm
released her, and then both hands encircled her as he drew her so close to him
that she could feel the beat of his heart through the thin material of her gown. In the next instant, a heavy fabric was laid over her legs and
tucked behind her back and under her chin. She glanced down to see the plaid
he’d been wearing, and her eyes flew open wide as she craned her neck to look
at him.
She gasped as her gaze locked on
his bare legs. He wore nothing but a long léine. “You cannot ride around like
that! You’re naked.”
He grinned. “I assure ye, I’m nae.
If ye’d care to see me naked…”
He was trying to provoke her. She
shook her head. “No.”
He stared at her as if he were
trying to read her thoughts. “Ye ken ye desire me.”
“I don’t know a thing about
desire,” she snapped, though she suspected he was right and that the odd feeling
he’d been causing in her was indeed lust.
“It’s nae bad ye desire me. I
desire ye, too.” He said the last as if that fact bothered him, but he spoke
again before she could consider why. “’Tis the truth. It will make being
married more pleasant for both of us.”
“Do you want a pleasant marriage?”
If he did, at least that was something. Many men just wanted a wife to give
them babies and do their bidding.
He shrugged. “It matters little
what I want. We’re to be married by the wishes of our kings, so we will be.”
“It matters to me what you want,”
she said. “ I don’t wish for a husband who will treat me poorly.”
“I dunnae treat anyone poorly,” he
replied, his voice gruff. “Simply do as I tell ye, stay out of my way, and we
will live peacefully.”
She ground her teeth. “So you want
a wife without an opinion who will obey your every command?”
“A wife must listen.”
His hard, unbending tone irritated
her. “You want a dog not a wife,” she grumbled.
“Ye’ve strange ideas about a
woman’s place, Marion.”
Maybe she did, but her mother used
to tell her stories every night about her sisters who had married for love and
how wonderful their lives were. Marion wanted that. She had longed for a happy
family for as long as she could remember, and she had known deep within that
the key to that was love. A husband had to love his wife, or at the very least
be capable of love, unlike her father. She stilled, fear rising in her chest.
She couldn’t even say if Iain was capable of love or not.
“Have you
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