Page 9

Chapter

Nine

N iall had avoided her all morn. Not because he’d wanted to, but because her brother had and his man had been glaring at him since they broke their fast, and Niall had no wish to altercate with either of them.

Convincing the pair they must investigate the errant cattle to avoid a war with his father would be difficult enough without this added complication.

There was no doubt, Avelina was a complication.

He should not have gone to her last eve. But her change in demeanor had bothered him enough that he had not been able to resist despite his brother’s admonitions. Both last eve and now.

“You court trouble, Niall,” Kieran said as they slowed their mounts. Having ridden since sunrise, it was time for a brief respite for the horses. And for Avelina. Surely she was not accustomed to riding for so many hours?

“Indeed,” he agreed.

“Why do it?” Kieran asked, correctly surmising that Niall was about to seek her out now that Lina was separated from her men.

She sat on a rock by the riverbank, peering into its depths.

He understood the draw as Niall, too, loved the water.

Castle MacKinlay had the advantage of being directly positioned on the sea, so Lina must crave it more than most.

“I cannae answer that completely,” Niall said as he approached her, leaving Kieran to his sounds of exasperation.

Avelina wore a different gown than she had the day before, this one a deep blue that complimented her well—though he suspected any color would do as much.

Niall was surprised by the rapid beating of his heart as she turned.

This was no battle he was about to enter that he should feel such. . . unease.

Or perhaps it was. One without swords and bloodshed, with the wounds they would create deep inside hurting nearly as much. He’d been in love once and did not recommend the state. His wife, when he found a woman suitable for the role, would care for him, aye. As he would her. But love? Nay.

“Have you changed your mind?” he asked, approaching. “Or will you still speak with me today?”

She turned.

Dammit, the woman was beautiful. A MacKinlay. The MacKinlay’s sister. Of all the women he should wish to speak with, she was not the one he’d have chosen.

“’Tis you who have avoided me,” she said, her assessment correct.

“The daggers in your brother’s eyes prevented me from seeking you out sooner.”

She glanced in her brother’s direction, though he seemed to be remaining in place near the horses. At least, for now.

“You do not strike me as a man to let such a thing deter him,” she said as he sat on the other end of her rock.

“I am not,” he admitted. “But if your brother is deterred for any reason from learning why his cattle graze on our land, I fear naught I can say will prevent the beginnings of a renewed feud.”

“I fear this”—she waved her hand between them—“could do such a thing.”

“Aye,” Niall agreed, “it could.”

“So it was likely a good enough idea that you should avoid me, and I, in turn, should do the same.”

“It was.”

“And yet, here we are.”

“Indeed.”

Niall had never been a man to be anything but direct. “I enjoy speaking with you, Lina,” he said. “’Tis why I am here.”

“I enjoy speaking with you,” she said immediately, leaving no doubt that her words were true. “Though I should not.”

“A fact we’ve well established.”

“Look,” she exclaimed as a fish leaped from the water and dove back into the river. “I’ve not seen such a thing in all my life.”

“Nay? Keep watching and ’tis likely you will see it again. They are quite common here.”

She did but nothing emerged. If Niall could have reached into the water and forced the fish to leap above it simply to see that expression of wonder again, he’d have done it.

“You are a beautiful woman, Lina.” The words spilled from his lips without warning. “Though I’m certain you’ve been told so many, many times.”

“None by a man who. . .” She stopped abruptly. Lina looked down to her lap, where her hands were suddenly clasped. ’Twas a gesture from her that Niall did not expect. Her boldness seemed to have entirely disappeared.

“Who?” he prompted. Though perhaps ’twas not gentlemanly to do so, he wanted to know her response.

When Lina glanced back to her brother, who had still not moved to remove Niall from her presence, he knew the direction of her thoughts, ones he had previously only suspected.

“I cannae.”

“Aye, lass, you can.”

Her eyes met his. Niall willed her to continue.

“’Tis not appropriate for me to say.”

“Good.”

She startled. “Pardon me?”

He repeated himself. “Good. I look forward to it even more now. A man who…”

Her chin rose. A flash of the woman who insisted to her brother she would be making this journey was all he needed to pull her out even further. So, it seemed the woman was bold, except for this one topic. Because she had little experience with men? Seemed likely given her station.

“Say it, Lina.” He did not ask but demanded.

“Not by a man who made my stomach twist and turn and not in a bad way. Rather a pleasant one, as if there were butterflies in there that came down from my chest to invade every part of me. ’Tis the oddest feeling and not one to which I’m accustomed.

And that, Niall, is what I had been prepared to say when I stopped. Do you now see why I’ve done so?”

“Because you had your first rousing of true desire, directed toward me? I see only what I wish to see, Lina. And that is the admission you just gave me.”

“What will you do with it?”

Though Niall could not believe a woman as beautiful as she had not been courted by many men, that she’d desired none of them was the even more surprising revelation. Nearly as much as the admission. . . she desired him.

The feeling was mutual.

“What do you wish I could do with the knowledge?”

Her eyes went to his lips. Ahh, so a kiss, then. That was easily done and innocent enough.

“I. . .” She seemed reluctant to admit it.

He did not wish to see her tortured. “If I had the opportunity, there is naught I’d wish for more than to kiss you, Lina. Of course, ’twould be highly inappropriate, especially given our status—”

“As enemies.”

“Aye, as enemies.” He smiled. “Or at least, the clan’s status as enemies. And yet. . .” He looked at her lips, full and extremely kissable. “I will do so despite the impropriety of it.”

When she realized the full import of his words, Lina’s eyes widened.

She swallowed, and by all that was holy, Lina’s tongue actually peeked out as she ever so briefly licked her top lip.

Probably not even realizing she’d done it, Lina let her gaze drop to Niall’s lips.

There was no question what she was thinking now.

Incredibly, at the mere thought of her lips on his, Niall found himself needing to shift his position. A kiss. What an innocent thing. And yet, something about the idea of kissing her. . .

’Tis because she is forbidden. The sister of your greatest enemy.

Perhaps. Or perhaps there was something more. Certainly, there was more to Lina than simply being the MacKinlay chief’s sister. Even now, her eyes blazed with defiance, though he was uncertain who she defied.

“Avelina,” an annoyed voice called.

He should have noticed her brother approaching, but Niall had been too intent on staring at Lina’s lips.

Her sigh of annoyance made him smile. But for this, he would not allow her to suffer. Jumping from the rock, Niall approached his enemy.

“She sat here alone when I joined her. If you will be displeased with someone, be so with me, MacKinlay.”

“You’ve not to ask me such a thing when you know I’m displeased with you, and your clan, already. But talking with my sister—”

“Is it a worse offense than being the son of the man who killed your father?”

As expected, MacKinlay rushed to Niall. His fist would have connected with Niall’s cheek had he not stepped away quickly enough. MacKinlay did manage to grab his waist, however, but it was Avelina’s voice Niall heard as the two men were knocked to the ground.

She dinnae call to her brother but to Niall. Her voice penetrated at the same time as his brother’s and another man’s, Fergus, obviously. He allowed himself to be easily pulled from MacKinlay, who was somewhat more reluctant to quit the fight.

Niall would dearly love to land one square punch to the man’s face, but doing so would not endear himself to Lina.

And, like it or nay, he wanted to endear himself to her.

For that reason, he allowed himself to be led away by his brother.

Or began to, at least, until he heard him tell Lina that the matter “dinnae concern” her.

“How could it not concern her?” he asked as his brother attempted to pull him back. “If Avelina hadn’t spoken with me—”

“Keep my sister’s name from your filthy mouth, whoreson,” MacKinlay spat.

“Perhaps ask your sister if I should keep her name from my mouth. Or do her thoughts on the matter mean so little to you?”

“That’s enough, Niall,” Kieran tried to warn him.

“You dare lecture my chief about his sister?” Fergus was as angry as Niall had ever seen him, including when they were near-attacked on the road.

“I lecture no one,” Niall said. “I simply—”

“Shall we not be on the road?” Lina cut in. “To get to the cattle by sundown? Or do we relish finding shelter together again for the evening?”

Such a prospect was not one he relished at all. Her brother mumbled something as he and Fergus seemed to agree, for now, not to attack Niall. Once again, Avelina was the one to see them through the disagreement.

“Aye,” Kieran said. “We shall.”

Reluctantly agreeing with Lina, Niall turned away one final time and stalked toward the horses. He did not look back until well and truly mounted, with he and his brother riding ahead of the others.

So rarely riled the way he just had been, Niall was further convinced there was something special about Lina. His only regret over the incident?

He’d not been able to kiss her.