Page 43 of A Highland Bride Disciplined

“Yes, ye are.”

She lifted her chin. “And what if I am? Am I nae allowed that?”

“That’s nae what I meant.”

“Then whatdidye mean?”

Kian took a breath, like he was choosing his next words very carefully. “Ye’re actin’ like I’m here to take her from ye.”

“Are ye nae?”

“I want answers. I want clarity. But if they’re unfit, truly unfit, then that’s somethin’ else. But I willnae make a decision blind.”

Scarlett stood furiously, “Do ye think I cannae raise her?”

He blinked.

“I’ve done everything but feed her meself. Every nappie. I’ve managed her cries, her coos, her sleep, her gas, her every shiver and need. I’ve kept her alive. Andlovedher.” Her voice cracked on that last word, and she hated it.

Still, she pressed on. “So, tell me true, Kian. Do ye think I’m naegoodenough?”

He looked furious now, but not at her. At the question.

“What are ye on about? What is this insecurity? Ye’re in over yer head, Scarlett. Ye said yerself ye arenae thinkin’ clearly where the bairn is involved,” he growled.

Scarlett’s hand curled into a fist. “Elise! Her name is Elise!”

She choked on the words. Her eyes burned.

Kian stepped forward.

She didn’t move.

His voice was low, like gravel and thunder. “I never doubtedye. Nae once. Ye took that child and made her safe. Anyone, even I, can see that. I’m nae blind. But I’ve spent years makin’ decisions with other men’s lives in me hands. I cannae andwillnaeraise that child unless I’m sure it truly is the right thing to do.”

She could barely breathe.

Their whiskey-lined anger twisted in the silence.

And then the space between them cracked like a dam giving way.

He lunged forward and grabbed her.

She grabbed him back.

Their mouths collided with all the fury they had both pent up. It was wild, reckless, and inevitable. She barely registered the thud of the stone wall behind her as the pressed her against it.

Kian’s hands were everywhere at once. Gripping her face, her waist, the curve of her hip. It was as though the eight months apart had made him forget how he had left her, and now he was desperate to learn every inch.

She kissed him out of spite, teeth scraping his lip.

He kissed her like a man unraveling. But still, he didn’t stop.

His lips moved against hers in a fevered rhythm, and she let him.

Her fingers fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer until his body pinned hers fully to the wall. His thigh pressed between hers and she felt herself melt into him.

They were both caught between need and fury.