The Ranger (Highland Guard #3)(57)

She gasped. His mouth was low as well. Perilously so. Achingly close to hers. If she stood up on her tiptoes, she might even be able to reach it with her own.

God, she wanted to. Desperately she wanted to. Heat flooded inside her, concentrating in her br**sts and between her legs. Her ni**les tightened, aching for the heated friction of his hard chest.

Her body’s betrayal was humiliating. He had no right to make her feel like this. Not after his cruel rejection. Not after he’d left and proved that he was the man she’d first thought him. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?

“Do not challenge me in this, Anna. If you’d like me to get your brother involved, I will. I was trying to save you from the embarrassment of being treated like a child, but I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep you safe.”

Something in his voice made her skin prickle with alarm. “What is it? Are the rebels near? Did you see something?”

A shadow crossed over his eyes. He shook his head. “Not so far.”

“But you sense something.”

His gaze shot to hers, dark with suspicion, as if he thought she was trying to trap him into admitting she’d been right about the abilities he’d displayed before.

He seemed poised to deny it, but then he shrugged, dropping his hand from her arm. “Aye, I feel danger. And you should, too. Don’t be fooled into thinking they aren’t out there just because we haven’t seen them.”

Chastened by what she sensed was genuine concern, she nodded. “I will do as you ask.”

Both of them knew he hadn’t asked, but he seemed satisfied enough by her agreement not to quibble with semantics.

She knew she should walk away, but something made her ask, “Why are you here, Sir Arthur? Why did you insist on joining our party?”

He looked away. Her question had discomfited him. Good.

He squared his jaw. “I thought your brother could use my help.”

“And I thought you didn’t like scouting.”

A wry, enigmatic smile curved his mouth. “It’s not as bad as I feared.”

Her eyes scanned his face, but she wasn’t sure what she was looking for. “And that’s the only reason? Because you wanted to help my brother?”

He looked down at her. The intensity of his gaze penetrated with all the subtlety of a bolt of lightning. She could see the tic pulsing below his jaw. He was restraining himself, but from what?

“Since you wouldn’t listen to my warning, I had no other choice but to come and ensure you reach your destination safely.”

Safely delivered into the arms of another man. “I’m sure Sir Hugh will appreciate your service.”

He tensed, his eyes sparking like wildfire. For a moment she thought he was going to push her up against the tree and kiss her.

But he didn’t. Instead he clenched his fists and stared down at her angrily.

It wasn’t disappointment she felt, it wasn’t, she told herself. But it didn’t work.

“Don’t push me, Anna.”

But she was past warnings. “Don’t push you? How could I push you when you don’t care? You made yourself quite clear that night in the barracks. You were the one who told me to stay away, remember? Not the other way around.”

“I remember.”

The huskiness in his voice told her that wasn’t all he remembered. Her skin started to heat and tighten. The memories crackled between them like a breath of air on embers, flaring, ready to catch fire.

Anna didn’t understand why he was doing this. Frustration welled up inside her. “Have you changed your mind?”

At another time Arthur would have admired her challenge. Anna’s frankness and openness were part of what made her unique. But not right now. He didn’t want to think about changing his mind. It was taking everything he had just to keep his hands off her.

Why couldn’t she be shy and retiring? That he could handle.

He knew he was acting like an arse, but two days of being near her, of watching her turn away to avoid his gaze, of her acting like he was nothing more than a hired sword, had stretched his restraint to the breaking point. He couldn’t take another evening of watching her flit around the campsite, laughing and smiling with the men. Smiles that were conspicuously absent in his direction.

He liked it on the periphery, damn it. But from his familiar position on the edge of the campsite, away from the camaraderie of the fire, he found himself longing for the warmth of one of those smiles. Some of that laughter. Some of that light.

He’d wanted to force her to acknowledge him. But all he’d done was stir up things that didn’t need stirring.

Such as the overwhelming desire to push her up against that tree and ravish her. He could almost feel her arms circling his neck, her leg wrapped around his hip, as he sank into her, slow and deep. Her soft little body stretched against his. All those seductive curves melting against him. The erotic bead of her ni**les raking his chest.

Hell.

He shifted to adjust himself. But the swell in his braies was hard and unrelenting.

This shouldn’t be so bloody difficult. Focus. Do your job. Stay close enough to watch her, but don’t touch. Don’t let her get too close.

Too many people were counting on him. He had to keep his eye on what really mattered: seeing Bruce secure on the throne and vanquishing those who would stand against him. Such as John of Lorn. This was his chance to see his enemy pay for what he’d done to his father.