My Heart's in the Highlands by Angeline Fortin (best english novels for beginners .TXT) 📗

“Well?” he bellowed. “Why haven’t you done ityet?”

Hero was hard pressed to repress a smile asshe accompanied her father back down the stairs. What would she dowithout him? Somehow, he always managed to turn the darkest momentsto light.

Chapter Twenty-Six

For the second night in a row, Ian wasawakened in the dead of night. Not to a hand over his mouth thistime but to the subtle twist of the doorknob. Lying perfectlystill, he watched the small crack widen and a body slip insidebefore the door closed softly. In the near darkness, the shadowapproached, nearing the bed, and Ian prepared to pounce. Preparedto outwit and possible identify his would-be murderer—a murdererwho had thrice attempted to take his life that day.

An arm extended from the shadow, reaching outtoward him, and Ian tensed, prepared to strike.

“Ian?” a soft voice whispered, and Iandeflated in surprise.

“Hero?” he said, sitting up in the bed. “Whatare you doing in here?” He froze then, wondering if his assumptionthat Hero would be safe at Cuilean even with protection had beenerroneous after all. “Are you all right?”

Did someone try to hurt you? Are youinjured? Ian bit back the more provocative queries that wouldonly lead to more of the same from Hero, though his eyes examinedher futilely in the shadowy night for visible injury. If he asked,she would want to know what he meant by his questions, and if shelatched on to even a hint of the truth, he knew Hero would neverlet the subject go until she had the whole of it. In truth, Ianfelt lucky that she hadn’t caught on to his worries already. He’dworked hard to keep them from her, but the incident with thesaddles yesterday had nearly sent him over the top.

“I’m fine,” Hero said, shifting hesitantlyfrom side to side before making a more decisive move to sit on theedge of the bed. “I heard you finally come home and merely wantedto determine for myself that you were as well. Where have youbeen?”

With a sigh of relief, Ian took her hand andkissed it before brushing his lips back and forth across it. “Myapologies for worrying you, love. In truth, I had no intentions ofbeing gone so long.”

“I didn’t know you intended to be gone atall,” she chided lightly, clearly inviting an explanation, but Ianknew he could not speak to the true reason he had been gone. If sheworried over his unexplained absence, how would she fret if sheknew a killer had targeted him?

“I had thought to deliver you a surprise wellbefore dinner,” he said, catching a lock of her loose, wavy hairand twisting it around his finger. A diversionary tactic would bebest to keep her from prodding tenaciously for the truth, andthankfully he did have that one to present.

“Surprise?” She asked again, “Where were you?Yesterday? Today?”

Her impatience was evident and even charming,but he had no intentions of explaining it all. Ian bit back a grin,tucking an arm behind his head as he lay back against the pillows.“Don’t you like surprises?”

“Only when I am part of the delivery.”

Reaching out, Ian ran a palm up her thigh,feeling her muscles clench. “Did you come in here to deliver me asurprise then?”

“What? No, of course, not!” she denied. Shedidn’t remove her knee from the bed however, and Ian’s pulsequickened.

“No?” He trailed his hand back down to herknee, parting the opening of her dressing gown. It wasn’t the bluesilk gown she had worn the other night. It was too dark todetermine the color, but this one was brocade, with a high collarand belled sleeves. The deep V in the front showed she wasn’twearing the high-necked nightgown he’d seen hint of before, either.The smooth skin below her collarbones shone in the moonlight thatonly just lightened the room. It was enough light for him to seeher eyes widen and lock with his.

“You’re trying to distract me,” she saidsternly, though he could feel her leg quiver slightly as he handslid upward. “You cannot keep secrets from me if we’re to wed,Ian.”

No, but he would do just about anything toprotect her, and he had gone to do just that. In the morning asolution would be presented and a diversion introduced. The problemwould disappear, and he could begin leading the life he wanted withHero at his side. For the rest of the night, he had only to stayalive, and that shouldn’t be difficult with only a few hoursremaining until dawn. Though his continued existence would havebeen better guaranteed with a locked door, Ian had been curious tosee if the villain in his house would dare to try such a directapproach once again.

After the events of the past two days, Ianfound he was ready for a confrontation. But if a fight wasn’t goingto present itself at his door, Ian was keen on taking what did.

“And you shouldn’t have come into mybedchamber before we wed. Certainly not if you expectedconversation,” he whispered huskily as he ran his hand up theinside of her thigh once more. Her muscles tensed and her breathingwas suddenly ragged. Up his hand went until he could feel the heatat her core, and he brushed against her lightly through the barrierof her nightgown. Chuckling as she pressed her thighs together, Ianremoved his hand and instead took hers, guiding it to his barechest. Her fingers curled as if she meant to draw away but thenthey spread hesitantly over his skin and moved in the slightestcaress. It was Ian’s turn to tense as arousal seized andthickened.

Her gaze moved to his chest then back to hiseyes, and Ian swore he could see a flicker of excitement there.“You don’t have on a nightshirt,” she said unnecessarily. Herfingers drifted across his chest, brushing over one flat nipplebefore they trailed down the ridges of his stomach to the pointwhere the sheet covered him. Her fingers lingered there, followingthe edge of the linen from side to side, and Ian’s body clenched atthe light contact, his arousal stirring beneath the sheet.

“I don’t own one,” he confessed, and hereyes, which