She smacked him on the chest. “It’s sinful to be so proud, ye ken?”
He caught her small hand with his big one and pressed it to his heart. The thump against her fingertips made them tingle. At least she thought that’s what it was. Her mind felt a tad fuzzy as his open stare bore into her. “I ken it’s sinful,” he said, his voice velvety and strong. “I’ll repent later. Now let me help ye.”
“A kiss kinnae have that much power, Lachlan Mac—”
His mouth covered hers, stealing the last of her protests and all of her doubts.
She eagerly let the words go, consumed by the searing heat of his kiss and the way her own body flamed in response to his demanding mastery. The peculiar pulsing at the juncture of her thighs and the tightening of her insides, which felt much like the string of her bow when she pulled it taut, made her moan and wiggle closer to him. A low growl emanated from him before his hand delved into her hair and he tugged her nearer. His tongue traced her upper and lower lips, then slipped between the two to explore her mouth. She welcomed him, tasting his saltiness and the slick slide of his tongue against hers.
He retreated slightly, and she groaned in disappointment only to be silenced by his lips once again taking hers with a savage intensity that made her blood roar in her ears, sing through her body, and pound in her head. Aching, unrelenting need consumed her as she moved her hands up the hard planes of his chest to cling to his shoulders. Her wounded hand pained her a bit, but she ignored it. Under her fingertips, his muscles bunched and twitched, as if her touch filled him with as much yearning as his did her.
Feeling emboldened, she pressed her chest against his, and the contact of his hard body to her soft one yanked a hiss from her and a guttural cry from him. Her eyes flew open as he shoved her away, panting. They didn’t speak but stood unmoving in the shadows, their short, sharp breaths filling the silence between them. After a time, Lachlan gave her a probing look. “Do ye think ye’ll forget the other kiss now?”
She stared at the rugged yet gentle warrior. The concern swimming in his eyes made her body tremble. The only thing she’d remember about this day was him and the way he had just made her feel, yet she could not say that. The man surely already knew too well how he affected women.
She tossed her hair over her shoulder as she started to walk back to the castle. “Aye, yer kiss was pleasing enough that I’ll nae remember the other. What about ye? Was my kiss pleasing enough that ye’ll forget the thousands that came before mine?” Her heartbeat stilled as she waited for his response.
His gaze met hers and held her prisoner. “Aye,” he said, his voice breaking with huskiness. “But Bridgette—”
“Nay,” she said, not wanting him to ruin the moment. “I ken what ye’re going to say.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Do ye now? Ye’re a seer, then, are ye?”
“Of course I’m nae a seer,” she grumbled, though she firmly believed in them and their powers. “I dunnae need to be a seer to ken that ye all think of me as a young girl with odd ideas.”
He frowned. “That’s nae what I was thinking. I was recalling how yer brother intends to wed ye to the Campbell laird’s son when ye reach eighteen years.”
She pursed her lips. “He’ll nae proceed with it when the time comes. He vowed to our mother on her deathbed to let me choose my husband.”
“Three years is a long time,” he replied before reaching out and surprising her by tucking a few strands of her loose hair behind her ear. She stilled as he trailed his fingers to her cheek and brushed them across her skin. An almost wistful expression came to his face. Her breath caught in her chest. Was he going to ask her to consider him in the future?
“Make sure when the time comes ye choose yer husband wisely,” he said, his tone impassive.
Disappointment sliced through her, making her feel foolish. She knew that up until the kiss of moments before, Lachlan had thought of her as no more than Alex’s bothersome sister. Perhaps he still thought of her that way. And in truth, before he’d kissed her, she had not really thought of him since her brief infatuation long ago had faded. Well, shehadnoticed he was handsome since then. And shehadthought he was honorable, albeit slightly dangerous. Now sheknewhe was both of those things, but he also had a caring heart and he seemed to understand her in a way no one else ever had. That last bit of newfound knowledge drew her to him. Well, that and the extraordinary kiss. She didn’t think any kiss from any other man would ever compare to his. But as Lachlan had said, three years was a long time. Still…
“What sort of man would ye say I’d need to pick?”
“One who will always put ye first,” he said, matter-of-fact, before clamping a hand on her shoulder and pushing her to the ground.
“What are ye doing?” she demanded.
His answer was to cut his gaze to her while withdrawing his bow and arrow. “Killing the wild boar to win the hunt.”
Bridgette sucked in a sharp breath. “That’s what I had intended to do. I came to the woods to kill the boar and finally prove to my brother that women can be equal to men.”
She expected him to scoff at her. Instead, he used his bow to motion to hers before quickly aiming at the boar again. “Then be quick about it.”
Her jaw dropped open at his invitation. “Ye’re going to let me take the shot?”
He chuckled as he stole a quick glance at her. “Nae if ye dunnae hurry.”
She quickly withdrew her bow and arrow, readied the shot, and fired. Her arrow whistled through the air before piercing the boar in the head. He went down with a thud. Grinning, she turned to Lachlan, who had already stood and held out his hand to help her up. She set her hand in his, the contact making her stomach clench. He pulled her to a stand and then released her. When he started to walk toward the boar, she grabbed his arm. He turned to her, eyebrows raised in question.
“Why did ye let me have yer shot? she asked. “Ye’ll lose the contest now.” The winner received a nice purse of coin, but more importantly, the victor would receive great respect.
He unsheathed his dagger and then looked at her. “Do ye happen to have rope? I used all of mine on Hugh.”
She nodded. “I’m always ready.”
