"I came out for air—air—because I was suffocating in that chamber with women fussing over me like I was a prize mare going to market!"She gestured wildly toward the window."Look around ye, ye great big fool!Do ye see the mist?Do ye see how thick it is?I got lost in my thoughts and wanderings and couldn’t find my way back!"
"Ye could have—"
"Could have what?Flown back through the fog?Caught a ride on the back of a faery?"Fiona's voice rose to match his earlier volume."I spent the night in this hovel because I had no choice!And dinnae ye dare call me weak-willed, when ye're the one who thinks me cursed and crippled ye’d rather die than marry!"
Connor winced, but Fiona wasn't finished.
"Aye, I heard every word!Every cruel, hateful word ye spoke about a woman ye'd never even met.And yet here I am, ready to wed ye despite yer obvious contempt, because unlike ye, I do ken what duty means!"She planted her hands on her hips and glared at him with such fire that he almost stepped back."So dinnae ye dare question my commitment to my clan, Connor MacNeil!"
For the first time in his life, Connor found himself utterly speechless.The woman standing before him, chin raised in defiance and eyes blazing with righteous fury, bore no resemblance to the meek, frightened lass he'd expected to marry.
It was then that his gaze dropped slightly, and he noticed what she was wearing beneath the blanket that had slipped from her shoulders.Men's clothing that clung to her form and revealed curves he hadn't noticed before.The garments outlined her full breasts, the gentle curve of her waist, the flare of her hips.She stood like a warrior goddess, magnificent in her anger.
But it wasn't just her unexpected curves that sent heat racing through his blood, it was the fire in her, the way she'd given as good as she got, the passion that blazed from every word she'd thrown at him.
This was no meek, biddable wife.This was a woman with claws who wasn't afraid to use them.
And heaven help him, it was the most arousing thing he'd ever seen.
***
Chapter 5
The silence stretchedbetween them, broken only by the crackle of the dying fire and the distant sound of Connor's stallion snorting impatiently outside.Connor found himself staring at this fierce woman before him, his mind reeling from her passionate defense.The blanket had slipped further from her shoulders during her tirade, revealing the smooth curve of her collarbone where the borrowed leine gaped open.
Fiona became suddenly aware of his gaze, her eyes following his to where the rough wool had fallen away revealing her bare shoulder.Heat flooded her cheeks as she quickly tugged the blanket and garment back into place, but not before Connor's intense stare had burned itself into her memory.
Their eyes met and held.Something crackled between them, not anger this time, but something far more dangerous.Connor's dark eyes blazed with an emotion she couldn't name, his jaw tightening as if fighting some internal battle.The intensity of his gaze made her breath catch, and she watched as his expression shifted from wonder to confusion to something almost like fury, though she sensed it wasn't directed at her but at himself.
He frowned deeply, then his face darkened into an almost scowl, as if her effect on him was something to be resented rather than welcomed.
"I spoke in haste.And in ignorance."The words seemed dragged from him."Ye were right to defend yerself.I had no right to accuse ye."
It wasn't quite an apology, but from a man like Connor MacNeil, Fiona sensed it was as close as she was likely to get.She studied his profile, noting the rigid set of his jaw, the way his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides.
"I accept yer apology," she said matching his formal tone.
