A nervous laugh slipped past her lips. “That is nae true.”
“Daenae lie to me, Lily,” he said flatly. “I am nae blind. I ken what ye are doing, and I let ye because perhaps what happened in the cave was too much for ye. Perhaps ye needed time to think. But then I find ye watching me train, yer eyes fixed on me as though ye couldnae look away. And now, here ye are again, storming into me study.”
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
“Ye say ye want nothing to do with me,” Alasdair continued, his voice low and steady, “yet ye cannae rid yerself of me, can ye? Ye tell me ye daenae want to be near me, yet ye flirt, ye catch me attention, and ye make sure I cannae look away.”
The silence between them burned hotter than fire.
Alasdair turned to fully face her, his chest heaving. “So tell me, Lily. What do ye want?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” His eyes bored into hers. “Can ye honestly tell me ye have stopped thinking about that evening in the cave? Because I havenae.”
Color bloomed across her cheeks. Her lips parted as though she wanted to protest, but no words came out.
He stepped closer, so close that he could hear her ragged breathing. “Tell me ye arenae thinking of me, and I will stop,” he said, his voice dropping to a whisper.
“Alasdair—” she breathed.
“Say it,” he murmured. “Say it, and I will stop.”
Before she could, the sound of a throat clearing broke the spell.
They both whipped their heads toward the door. Nathan stood there, his eyes lowered politely. “Forgive me. I was looking for Lady MacRay.”
Lily’s cheeks flamed red. “Me?”
“Aye, me Lady. Yer sister has arrived. She is in the dining hall.”
Lily gasped. “Brigid is here?”
Nathan nodded.
Her face lit up, and without another word, she swept past both men and out the door.
Nathan stepped further into the study. “Me Laird.”
Alasdair’s jaw clenched. “What would me braither have done in this situation?”
Nathan hesitated. “The former Laird would have canceled the cèilidh.”
Alasdair nodded grimly. “That is Jeremiah. He never liked taking risks.”
“Aye,” Nathan agreed. “He was… conscious of safety.”
Alasdair turned back to the maps, his fists clenched at his sides. “Well, I am nae Jeremiah, and I willnae cower. Lily’s sister is here now, and I willnae send her away. I am already on thin ice as it is.”
Nathan cocked his head, his brow furrowed in mild confusion. “Me Laird, what are ye?—”
“We will post more guards at the entrances,” Alasdair continued, cutting him off. “We will search every guest for weapons if need be. But the cèilidh will take place, and that is final.”
“Me Laird?—”
“I would rather ye daenae fight me on this, Nathan.”
Nathan hesitated, then bowed his head. “As ye like, me Laird.”
