Bound by Wish and Mistletoe (Highland Legends #1.5)(11)

Robert came up behind her, blocking the unrelenting wind, and placed his hands on her shoulders. He led her to a gargantuan pine with twin trunks that sprouted from the ground, and he turned, pulling her shoulders to his chest as he leaned back against one of the trunks.

The shock of being as close to Robert as they’d been on horseback—without necessity—sent her heart racing. She tried to pull away, but his hands gripped her upper arms, holding her tight.

His silken hair brushed against her cheek as his lips pressed down on the top of her head. “You needn’t fight me, Susanna. Nothin’ will happen between us.”

His statement surprised her. “Nothin’ will happen?”

He dropped his head, soft lips barely touching the top of her ear. Hot breath fanned down across her ear and neck, and its heat flowed straight into her veins, settling down between her legs. She shifted at the sudden discomfort, but the sensation only intensified with her movement.

“I’ve never taken from a woman what she didn’t offer. I’ll not start now.” He dipped his head further and placed a kiss beneath her ear that set her skin on fire. “Anythin’ you want me to have, you’ll offer. If I have my way, you will beg me to take it.”

She couldn’t catch her breath. A throbbing pulse pounded between her thighs, and some wild part of her wanted to offer, wanted to beg. She had no idea what to beg for, but everything about the man holding her close—touching her more intimately than she’d ever imagined a man doing—made her want.

An ingrained resolve shattered the bone-melting sensual haze. Her survival depended on her keeping a clear head. “I’ll do neither,” she scoffed.

His rich laughter boomed out, wrapping itself around her like a warm embrace. “Aye, lass. I think you’ll do both. Soon...and often. I’m verra fond of the fight in you though.”

Robert loosened his hold, as if making good on his promise. She relaxed on a slow sigh, but the panicked pressure in her head eased faster than the disconcerting throb in the most intimate of places.

The quiet minutes unnerved her as she stood within his embrace, his hold so slight she had to shift to feel his arms. His dark eyes remained steadfastly focused on the horizon beyond the trees, his gaze shifting back and forth as he scanned their surroundings.

A snowflake danced before her face. Another flew by. The wind kicked up as the snowfall increased, sending swirls of white spinning amid the dark greenery of the forest. She stuck her tongue out, catching a few on the tip.

Robert chuckled.

“What? You doona ever have fun?” she asked.

Robert pulled his arms away, and she turned around. He settled against the tree’s scarred bark once again, folding his hands behind his lower back and propping the heel of a boot flat on the trunk. His gaze drifted beyond her and out of focus. “Aye, I have a bit of fun when time allows.”

“What do you do for fun?” she asked.

Robert dropped a smoldering gaze to her. “Besides takin’ what pleasures women offer me?” An unreadable emotion flashed across his face after the scandalous intimation, but then instantly disappeared, his eyes narrowing.

Her cheeks flushed hot. “Aye, besides that.”

“Weel...I do love to hunt,” he said.

“You’re not huntin’ now. ’Tis because I’m here?” she asked.

He tilted his head, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Not all prey are four-legged.” He winked at her.

She laughed, shaking her head.

“Och, lass. You’re verra bonnie when you smile.”

Uncomfortable with his flattery, she lowered her gaze and unexpectedly caught the glint of an object. In the cuff of his boot was the hilt of a dagger.

Her dagger.

The smile fell from her face as her gaze drifted back up, assessing the striking man before her. Charming. Devastating. Enemy.

“I’ll remember to keep my smile to myself then.”

A thunderous sound startled her, and she spun around to the loud cracks of snapping limbs, her heart racing. Thick scrub beneath the tree canopy shook, and a large stag broke into the clearing, stumbled, and fell, an arrow protruding behind its shoulder. Duncan and Seamus appeared through the brush, both men grinning and breathing heavily. Seamus stopped, squatted by the deer, and unsheathed a large blade from his thigh.

Robert brushed past her and met Duncan halfway into their small clearing. “I recall our deer park being a good distance away.”

Duncan’s grin widened. “Aye. Why not flush them your way, save us the long haul, and enjoy the sport of the kill?”

Robert chuckled, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Duncan, you shall make a great commander.”

While Seamus finished with the deer, the snowfall increased, tiny specks of white dusting down through openings in the canopy. Susanna occupied herself as best she could while waiting; sitting upon the stump of a tree, pacing the length of the clearing, and finally settling back against the alligatored bark of the pine beside Robert, where he’d calmly leaned the entire time.

With the passing minutes, she grew more restless. Not only did the looming danger of being apprehended weigh heavy on her thoughts, time spent around men in their natural element, without any purpose to occupy her hands or her mind, made her uneasy.

As Seamus strapped their bound kill to one of the horses, Duncan gravitated to the edge of the forest, staring out in the direction from where they’d come. Seamus soon joined him. Both men tensed, their hands hovering over the hilts of their swords.