William did not know what had set off the hounds, but as a lad, he’d had his own hunting hound, Dithorn. He had trained Dithorn himself and loved him dearly. It had been years since he’d thought of his dog, who had disappeared on a hunt not long after his mother had left them. Ever since, he hadn’t taken his own hound hunting with him, preferring to simply rely on himself. But he kneeled now to show the hounds not to be afraid of him and to meet them at their level as he’d once done with Dithorn. A memory stirred of the happiness Dithorn had brought him, but sharp upon the memory was another and his chest tightened with the pain of Dithorn’s loss. Abandonment was more apt.
“Get up, man! Are ye mad?” one of the men called from behind him.
As the hounds grew nearer, their razor-sharp teeth glistened and their deep growls seemed to vibrate the very air. They did not even slow as they closed the remaining distance to him, and before he could react, both beasts launched themselves at him. Their paws connected with his chest and propelled him backward to the dirt with a thud.
For a beat, all he could see was white fur and teeth, but then a slobbery tongue licked him on one of his cheeks and a cold nose nudged him on the other. He groaned. “Get off me, ye great big beasties,” he ordered, but the two hounds did not listen to him any better than they did their mistress.
Just as he gave one a gentle shove off and was about to do the same to the other, he heard Ada command, “Hella, down, girl,” and the weight of the beast lifted off him. Ada appeared in his line of vision, and then she leaned over so that he had an enticing glimpse of the tops of her lovely, ample breasts. Blood surged to every part of his body, stirring his lust and making him all too aware that she was a woman made for a man’s tender touch.
“I kinnae believe it,” she said, her warm, husky voice snatching his attention to her face. A look of utter shock greeted him there. “Hella and Freya like ye.” Her tone underscored the same skepticism her face held.
As if Hella knew she was being discussed, she flopped down beside him and laid her chin upon his chest. She almost appeared to be smiling at him.Clot-heid, he chided himself, even as he reached out to pat her head. Her tail began to thump, and she panted her happiness.
“Why would she nae like me?” he asked, giving Hella a gentle nudge off as he found his feet and stood up, coming face-to-face with Ada. He inhaled a sharp breath, air catching in his chest and the scent of wildflowers filling his senses. Ada MacQuerrie was not only so bonny it made him ache but she smelled like an invitation to tumble naked in soft grass under a blue sky, then laze away the day entangled in her arms. He frowned at his thoughts. The tumbling was not an unwelcome one, but there’d be no lazing away with her—ever. Theirs would be a marriage of convenience and nothing more.
Ada tilted her head to the side and back just slightly, her inquisitive silver-flecked gray gaze meeting his. “Neither of my hounds has ever liked any man besides my father.”
“I used to have a hound,” he said, forcing himself to respond, though he was utterly distracted by her eyes. A man could get lost in them.
“Used to?” she inquired.
He nodded, still staring at her eyes, and she met his stare unabashedly, the brazen lass. “He disappeared,” he replied. He’d never seen eyes like hers. They were like mysterious clouds that appeared in the sky and commanded every bit of one’s attention because one could not be certain if they were harbingers of a storm or simply an overcast day. Eyes like hers could cause a man to forget himself, and for a moment, William leaned toward her, tugged by something strong and invisible but undoubtedly, impossibly there.
Mesmerizing.That’s what she was with those sooty lashes and the smattering of freckles that told him this lass was no simpering miss who spent her days hidden away in the castle with womanly pastimes. Ada had seen the sun enough to make her bonny freckles come out. He felt a stirring of gladness that he’d not be wed to a woman who preferred a drafty, dark castle to the bright outdoors. They could—
He killed the thought with a mental dagger through its nonexistent heart. They couldnothing. Doing things with her was not part of his plan.
“And ye have nae ever gotten another hound again?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I dunnae care for the beasts.”
Ada frowned and then whispered, “Yer actions dunnae match yer words, my lord. Either yer behavior is a ruse or ye are lying about how ye feel.”
“Ada, come!” Brothwell boomed from across the courtyard. “Leave the men to train for tomorrow’s tourney. I wish to speak to ye before supper.”
A determined look flitted across Ada’s face as she stared at William. “So are ye a liar or are ye hiding yer true self?”
He had no desire to lay himself open for this woman to examine, yet his gut told him there was much to be lost in this moment, that if he answered incorrectly Ada would not choose him as her husband. “I liked hounds,” he said in a tight, low voice, “but then mine disappeared.” He shrugged, discomfort settling over him. “I dunnae have time for that which I kinnae rely upon.”
“Is there a great deal on that list?” she asked, genuine interest in her eyes.
Now was the time to lie, yet he wagered the truth would hold more weight. “Dogs. Most people.”
She nodded, surprising him. “I dunnae agree with the hound bit”—she motioned to hers, which were now standing on either side of her—“but as to people, I heartily agree. Most of them will disappoint ye. I suppose Icancount upon seeing ye at supper since ye wish to wed me because of the gifts the fae gave me.” Her arched brows rose higher, challenging him, and she plunked her hands upon her hips. Her pink tongue darted out to lick her lips.
This lass was likely to be bold in bed, and the notion conjured up an image in his head of her naked, her slender arms and legs wrapped around his midriff. He hardened with distracting awareness of her.
“Aye,” he said, his voice husky with his lust, “ye can be certain ye will see me tonight. I did win the wager, after all. However, it is yer loveliness that lures me to yer side. Of that ye can rely upon.”
It was not a lie in this moment. He wanted to strip her naked and worship her, but the hope that painted her lovely features suddenly gave him pause.
“Do ye expect me to believe ye are interested in me simply for me?” she demanded.
He stiffened at the question. He detested liars, and now he would become the worst sort of one. Except it was not entirely a lie. He was undeniably attracted to her as he had never been to another, yet it was the gifts within her that would make him wed her. “I may have come lured by the gifts within ye,” he said, forcing himself to speak, “but ye have beguiled me with yer compassion and yer boldness.” It was the truth, though it did not change the circumstances of what must be done, nor how their marriage would be.
Her eyes widened and then she gave her head a little shake. “I am well aware I’m nae so enticing, my lord. There is nae a need to be deceitful.”
It angered him that she did not seem to know her own appeal. Impulsively, he raised her hand to his lips, turned her hand wrist up, and pressed a kiss to the delicate skin. A sharp gasp escaped her, and desire nearly made him groan. Her skin was like the finest silk. “Ye are nae aware of yerself at all if ye dunnae ken that ye are dangerously alluring.”
