Page 14 of Claimed by the Obsessed Laird (Highland Bride Hunt #1)

Chapter Eleven

Isla smoothed out the riding ensemble as she stood at her window, peering down at the courtyard where the morning sun had just begun to warm the ground.

It was the day after her dinner with Camron, and she could not for the life of her forget the way that he had looked at her as though he could imagine nothing better than spending a night with her.

A far cry, it was fair to say, from the way he had treated her before, but a change she was entirely grateful for.

She had tried for so long to keep her distance from him, not to give in to the strange draw she felt towards him, but it seemed to have failed her, once and for all.

Whatever certainty she had been clinging to that she was the one in control here seemed to be spinning out of her grip faster than she could make sense of it.

She was determined to remedy that today, though.

She had woken early that morning, after what felt like hours of tossing and turning, to the sound of someone outside her door.

Thinking it might have been Camron, she’d sprung from her bed at once and rushed out to see who it was, only to find a maid dropping off her gift from the evening prior.

She had unwrapped it once more, laying it out on the bed before her, and admired it for a little longer.

The trousers and jacket were a perfect fit when she tried them on, and the ribbon at her throat seemed to mark her as entirely his, as though there was to be any debate on the matter at all.

She got the feeling he would not have taken kindly to anyone second-guessing their marriage, but this tartan served as a final reminder.

So she looped it around her collar and tightened it there.

She had spotted Camron emerging from the Keep early in the day, too, and she wondered if he had struggled to sleep as much as she had.

She had found her mind drifting to the feel of his lips against her cheek over and over again.

Even though he had teased her with far more passion when she had gone to him in his study, she couldn’t help but feel even more confused by how gentle he had been with her.

She had not imagined him capable of such sweetness, but the knowledge that he was, she found… exciting. Intriguing.

He seemed to have gathered a few of his men for training drills that morning, but she was determined to get his attention once more.

The evening before, he had shown such interest in her, and now she was unwilling to let it slip through her fingers.

She made her way downstairs, passing by the maid who had helped her fix her dress in the library, and offered her a quick smile of thanks.

Maybe there was reason to make an effort with the people here, after all…

Outside, Camron was in the midst of commanding his men in a practice session, and she watched for a moment from the doorway of the Keep as they thrust their swords out in unison.

His voice was strong and commanding as it cut through the air around her.

She felt the same tingle at the base of her spine that she had the night before when the two of them had been alone together.

She tossed her auburn hair over her shoulder and strode out before him. If he was really going to make an effort with her, then he should be glad to see her, should he not? And he had remarked that he was looking forward to seeing her in the outfit he had purchased for her.

Sure enough, as his gaze landed on her, it swept up and down her body, drinking in the sight of her for a moment as his men continued to swing their swords this way and that.

All of them had their backs to her, and, for a second, it was like they were the only two people out in that courtyard.

It seemed that Camron’s dark gaze upon her had a way of making her feel it was only just about them.

“Quiet,” Camron called to his men, lifting a hand to silence them as she drew closer. A few of them glanced over towards her, clearly confused by the sudden interruption, especially at this hour of the day.

“What can I help ye with, my Lady?” Camron asked.

His voice had once again slipped into that unreadable tone that he’d addressed her with before, and she could not make sense of whether or not he was glad to see her.

It was one thing for him to organize an evening that the two of them could spend together, yet quite another for her to invade his space the way she was.

“I’d like ye to teach me how to ride, my Laird” she replied, raising her eyebrows and lifting her chin.

It was quite a demand, especially when he was in the midst of something else, but she could not help herself. She needed to know if he would give her what she wanted, or if he’d be quick to shut her down and focus on the running of the Keep, instead.

He glanced at his assembled men, most of whom were catching their breath and clearly glad for the break. And then, to her surprise, he nodded.

“Aye, I have the time for it,” he replied, and he gestured to the stables, dismissing the men with a waving hand. “Come. Let’s find ye a mare who willnae cause you too much trouble.”

She stood there for a moment, shocked, and then, when she realized she was getting what she wanted, she hurried to catch up. He glanced over his shoulder at her, the whisper of a grin crossing his face.

“Ye look as beautiful as I thought ye would,” he remarked, his eyes tracing up and down her new outfit with obvious appreciation.

A blush rose to her cheeks, and she hoped that he did not notice it. It would have given him too much power to see that she was somewhat in his thrall, despite her best efforts to keep it to herself.

Dismissing the eager stable hands, he saddled up a gray mare himself and climbed into the saddle, helping her up so that she was planted in front of him. He took the reins, his arms sliding on either side of her body, and guided them into her grip.

“Here, take them,” he told her, and she hesitated.

“I’ve never…”

“I’ll be in control, dinnae fash,” he promised her, his breath tickling the back of her neck. “Ye’ve nothing to worry about. Now, come, take the reins.”

She finally did as she was told, locking her hands around the leather. He drove his feet into the side of the horse, and it began to walk towards the large archway that led to the wild hills beyond.

It was the first time she had set foot outside of the Keep since the wedding, and she had to admit, Glen Finnian was a rather beautiful place by the light of day.

She regretted that she hadn’t thought to explore it sooner.

As Camron instructed her calmly from the saddle behind her, she found her gaze drawn by the heather-studded hills, the flashes of purple and yellow and red where a few flowers had appeared amongst the grass, the sound of the burn trickling beside the road as they explored together.

“See, ye can take her to a trot now,” he murmured, his face close enough to her that he did not have to speak too loudly.

As she felt his warm breath on the back of her neck, she could not help but think of how far they were from anyone else; how easy it would have been to just sink back against him and allow him to take control.

“And how do I?”

“Use yer heels,” he remarked. “Dig into her sides a little, she’ll ken what ye mean.”

She did as she was told and let out a slight squeal as the horse picked up the pace. But she clung tight to the reins and allowed him to take the lead. The feel of the wind in her hair wiped any sense of panic from her system as she allowed the sense of freedom to rush through her.

It had been so long since she had felt this way, as though she were entirely undone from the stress of the days that had passed.

The skies seemed to stretch out in an endless blue above her, so enormous it made her a little dizzy, but the feel of his arms around her pulled her back down to earth once more.

He hooked his head over her shoulder slightly so he could get a better look at the path ahead of them, and she allowed her back to rest against his chest, where she could feel the thump of his heart through his shirt.

She wondered, for a moment, if he could feel the way her own pulse quickened when he was this close to her, as it had when they had danced on the day that they had met.

“This way,” he murmured to her as he guided the reins slightly and turned off the main path.

“Where are we going?”

“Ye’ll see.”

There was a tone of amusement in his voice, like he was keen to show her just how much more of this place there was, and she could do nothing but let him take the lead.

The horse slowed to a walk as he tugged on the reins once more, and soon, she found herself in a small valley, where the burn flowed out into a larger pool.

Moss climbed the rocks on either side, and a few flowers sprouted from the fallow earth at the horse’s feet as he drew them to a halt.

Once he had secured the reins to a nearby tree, he offered her a hand to help her down, and she took it, dropping to the earth below with a slight wobble.

Laughter bubbled from her lips as she caught herself, and he grinned.

She could have put her unsteadiness down to the riding, but she knew it was more than that.

No, his closeness was the thing that made it hard for her to think straight.

“Ye’re no’ bad, given that ye’re new to it.”

“I dinnae ken about that,” she replied, as she made her way to the edge of the pool and dipped her fingertips beneath the surface.