Page 14 of Kiss Me, Macrae
Her father had believed Lucas over her. Why? Because he was a man?
Or perhaps, more accurately—because she was a woman and so couldn’t possibly have accomplished what she claimed. Her father had brushed aside her assertions as desperate falsehoods made by a scorned woman.
Ridiculous.
Infuriating!
But Lucas had played his part well and her father hadn’t had enough faith in her.
She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, breathing in the frigid highland air, soaking up the freedom of it and the rugged purity. But after a while, anger no longer burned through her veins. Her breath lengthened and eased. And her thoughts slid from memories of the recent past to thoughts of the future and what it meant for her now.
She’d left New York City with the intention of forging a life of her own. Away from a father who didn’t believe in her. She still had every intention of doing so…maybe here?
In a very short time, she’d come to love Scotland. The mountains and lochs and glens had even inspired her to start sketching again. The idea of leaving after the Christmas holiday already filled her with a quiet sense of dread and loss.
But could she create a real future here?
“All right, lassie?”
The rich baritone slid smoothly through the dim room, igniting sparks across her nerves while a specific kind of warmth pooled in her core.
How could he affect her so intensely with a simple, low-murmured question?
Allegra turned to watch as Baird Macrae slowly approached. When he reached her side, he leaned his shoulder against the window frame, allowing his forearm to rest along the sill. The tips of his fingers extended to within a breath of her arm. If she turned just so, the bare skin above the edge of her glove would brush against his thumb.
She didn’t turn just so.
She wanted to—inexplicably—but she didn’t.
Sliding her gaze over his brawny form, she noted how his rugged masculinity was in no way diminished by the elegant lines of his evening wear. The warmth he inspired simply by his proximity expanded into a rolling fire within her. And when she finally met his gaze, she didn’t miss the answering flames in their green depths.
The indignant fury she’d felt over the injustice in her past barely seemed worth a moment of concern when she looked into Macrae’s eyes. Instead, the desire that was never far from the surface came swiftly back to life as they stood there in the dark and silence.
As though feeling the same, he issued a low growling sound from deep in his chest. It was quiet, but the rich, emotional tone went straight to her softening core.
Lifting his hand, he brushed the backs of his knuckles along her cheek. His voice was a gravelly whisper. “Ye’ll catch chill standing here.”
“I’m not cold. However, I am starting to believe it’s you who are drawn to me, rather than the other way around.” Her voice sounded unexpectedly low and intimate—practically sultry.
His smile formed slowly. “I admit tae the attraction freely, Miss Smithson. How long do ye intend tae deny it goes both ways?”
Would she keep denying it? This compelling urge to press herself against him whenever he was near. The craving to see his smile and feel it against her lips. The near-physical hunger for his gaze, his voice…his hands.
She should look away—say something cold and firm to end the discussion.
But his green eyes saw too deeply into her. He’d know she was lying. So, she decided to be honest instead. “I won’t deny it.” His gaze flashed with triumph. “But nothing shall come of it.”
He tilted his head at her declaration. His focus drifted over her features, pausing briefly at her mouth before returning to her steady gaze. “I can see ye believe it, but I intend tae convince ye otherwise.”
Though his words caused a rush of tingling anticipation in her blood, Allegra arched a brow. “You will not find me easy to manipulate.”
A heavy frown tugged his brows down over his eyes as his smile slipped from his lips. “No manipulation, lass. I simply wish tae show ye how good we’d be together.”
His words brought to mind the wonderful feel of his mouth, the heady taste of him, the warmth and strength of his embrace.
The tone of his voice lowered even more as his head dipped close to hers. The rich, decadent sound twirled through her insides like the silky drift of smoke. “I can see ye’re thinkin’ of it. The way we fit together. The way we move. The fire that burns between us.”
Allegra couldn’t hold back the heavy sigh that slid from her lips any more than she could have stopped her heart from racing or the flood of desire from gathering deep inside.