Chapter 21
Well, that didn’t sound promising. This was not going the way she’d planned at all.
Not one thanks. Not one tiny indication that he was glad to see her.
Meg had thought he’d at least be appreciative of her information, if not pleased.
Instead, he was stiff and unyielding and angrier than she’d ever seen him.
Angrier than he had a right to be. It didn’t make sense.
When they’d trampled deep into the trees, well away from the men on the beach, Meg stopped short and shook off his hold on her arm. “I don’t understand. Why are you so angry? I was only trying to help.”
He looked at her as if she were daft and took a few deep breaths, obviously trying to control himself. “Because every minute that you are here, you are in grave danger.”
The flatness in his voice belied any thought that he might be concerned for her. Meg’s emotions felt frayed and precariously close the surface. “Why do you care?” she asked thickly. “I heard what you said to Lord Huntly. You don’t need to pretend concern.”
Nothing. No reaction. No denial. He couldn’t even look at her. God, it hurt.
“This is no place for a woman. What I don’t understand is why your father didn’t just send a messenger? I can’t believe he’d—”
Unconsciously, she bit her lip; it gave her away.
“Of course,” he said, far more evenly than she would have thought possible given the present state of his temper. “Your father doesn’t know you’re here. How could you just up and leave like that, Meg?”
“I wouldn’t trust something this important to a messenger. And I told my mother,” she said defensively. “She knows I’m here.”
“But it’s your father who is going to strangle you when he finds out.” He paused and said ominously, “If I don’t do it for him.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Her flippancy acted like a trigger. Alex pulled her roughly into his arms, crushing her against his chest. Meg felt the familiar rush of heat, the slow melting, the complete surrender of her body to his.
“Don’t push me, Meg,” he warned, his mouth achingly close to hers.
“Not this time. You shouldn’t have come here.
” His lips were white with anger, and the dark edge of his voice sent a shiver down her spine.
But Meg didn’t care. It might be reckless, but she liked making him lose control.
At least it made her feel that he wasn’t completely indifferent to her.
Her head fell back as she studied his face, trying to gauge the danger. If the black expression was any indication, it was considerable. Every inch of his incredibly hard body pressed against hers, ready to explode. Anger, frustration, and undeniable attraction sizzled between them.
All she wanted to do was lean up and kiss him, force him to acknowledge what was between them. A sign. Anything to show that she was not alone in her feelings. But she knew that was probably the furthest thing from his mind. Meg had begun to accept the truth—she had made a mistake in coming here.
But his attempt to intimidate was not without effect. “Very well,” she admitted. “Perhaps it was risky. But I was scared, I thought only to warn you. I needed to …”
“Needed to what, Meg?”
Had his mouth moved closer, or did she just wish it so?
“I needed to see you,” she said softly, and dropped her gaze, unable to look at him—afraid he would see too much.
She was a fool. Why didn’t she just admit it? She would have grasped at any straw to have the opportunity to find out whether the quick about-face that Alex displayed in Edinburgh was as it had seemed. But their reunion had not gone at all as planned.
Now, coming here seemed foolish. She seemed foolish for running after a man who didn’t want her.
To make things worse, she was afraid she was going to cry. Meg was exhausted, hungry, and tired of being yelled at by the man she’d missed desperately the past few weeks. At any moment, she felt she might unravel.
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, Alex put his finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. “But why would you need to see me? You’re engaged to Jamie now.”
Her brows shot together. “I’m not engaged to Jamie.”
His expression darkened. “But Jamie assured me that he intended to ask for you.”
“He did.”
“And you refused him?” He was incredulous. For a moment, she thought she glimpsed relief in his eyes, but then he cursed. “God’s wounds, what were you thinking?” he admonished her with a vehemence wholly un-warranted. “You can’t refuse him.”
Meg let out an indelicate snort of outrage.
She lifted her chin to his and met his furious glare with one of her own.
“I can, and I did,” she said, not bothering to keep the bitterness from her voice.
“Why do you care whom I marry? You did your duty and offered for me, even though we both know I came to you. Your conscience is clear.”
His face was stony. “It’s not about that.”
“Then what is it about?” she said, unable to hide her frustration. “Why should you care whether I marry at all?” You didn’t want me. Only what I could bring you.
“Have you considered what will happen if your father tries to arrange a match? You are no longer a virgin.”
As if she needed to be told, when every minute in his presence reminded her of all they had shared.
When all she wanted to do was move back into his arms and stay there forever.
But it was clear that was not to be. Her back stiffened.
“That is no longer your concern. Nor will my lack of virginity preclude my finding a husband. As you so astutely pointed out to Lord Huntly, my lands are enticement enough. But you can be sure I won’t force a man to marry me who does not want me. ”
“Jamie wants you,” he argued. “He’s everything that you sought in a husband. He could make you happy.”
Meg knew that was no longer true. She wanted to do right by her clan, and would. But Alex was the only man who would ever make her happy.
They stood so close, Meg could feel the tension flowing from his body. She yearned to circle her hands around his neck and melt against his heat. Had she imagined everything?
She had to know, no matter what the cost to her already ravaged pride.
She rose on her toes and placed her hands on his shoulders, her breasts brushing against his chest. Her hips swayed into his.
The massive evidence of his arousal made her shiver with anticipation.
He wasn’t indifferent. He wanted her in some ways that could not be denied.
She rubbed a little closer, eliciting a groan that gave her courage.
Her lips parted just below his, and slowly she flicked out her tongue to sweep across his bottom lip.
Her heart pounded against his. She answered him in a whisper, just loudly enough for him to hear.
“How could I be happy with Jamie? I don’t love him. My heart belongs to another.”
Alex swore, and with a sound that was half anguish, half fury, he surrendered to her sweet enticement. His mouth covered hers in a fierce embrace.
The first taste of him sent shivers of remembrance through her. This was what she’d yearned for all those weeks, this was what was real. She loved him, and nothing could feel more perfect. Bliss showered over her. Meg thought her heart might burst with happiness.
His mouth swept across hers, branding her with the heat of his kiss. Soft and sweet, his lips held hers in a possessive grip. His tongue slid into her mouth, taunting her with its suggestive rhythm.
Passion flared between them. All at once their movements took on a frantic urgency, and they tore at each other lest sanity take hold.
Hot, fast, and absolutely perfect. One hand moved to cup her breast, the other held her bottom, as he ground her hips against his arousal in hot, circular movements.
His erection throbbed against her stomach.
She moaned, feeling a rush of dampness between her legs.
Her body responded to the memory of his length thrusting inside her, of the violent release that had shattered her soul.
He leaned her back against a tree and trailed kisses down her neck. He pushed aside her cloak as his mouth sought the skin above her bodice. His chin scratched a gentle path, lower and lower. She arched her back, silently begging for more.
Her hands traced the blades of his shoulders, then roamed down his back, exploring the layered muscles.
The weeks of fighting had only increased the strength of his warrior’s body.
He smelled of sun and sea, so wonderfully masculine.
There was something raw and primitive about him that aroused similar feelings in her.
Desperately, she pressed herself closer, but it wasn’t close enough. She wanted to feel his naked skin on hers, she wanted to feel the weight of that powerful body on top of her.
With a harsh sound, he broke the kiss.
He stared at her without saying anything, his expression unreadable. The hard rise and fall of his chest was the only indication that anything significant had just occurred.
“It won’t work, Meg. Not this time. You won’t change my mind.”
“Why not?” she said, stung by his rejection. “I know you want me.”
“I can hardly deny it. But passion isn’t the issue.”
Meg’s heart broke. Again. Was that it, then? He wanted her, but not enough to marry her? Tears gathered behind her eyes. She had only one more question. “So was it true, then? What you said to Lord Huntly? Did you only agree to marry me for what I could bring you?”
She studied his face, looking for a flicker, a change, anything. With each second that passed, despair sank deeper into her chest.
He stood perfectly still. “What do you want from me, Meg?” His voice sounded so strange. Hoarse. Strained.
“The truth.”
“You heard what I said. Why do you doubt it?”