Page 14 of Highlander’s Escaped Prisoner (Highlands’ Partners in Crime #7)

T he room was spartan but spotlessly clean, and Nessa smiled when she saw it. “This is perfect,” she said happily. “We will be very comfortable here, Master...?” She raised her eyebrows inquiringly.

“Donaldson, mistress,” he replied. “Jack Donaldson.” He was a little in awe of her, she could see. Likely he did not hear upper-class accents like hers very often, but he softened as she smiled at him.

“Thank you, Jack,” Bryce agreed, smiling. “We will have two flagons of ale too, and please send them to our room.”

Donaldson had to tilt his head back to look at him and was obviously slightly awestruck. “Aye, sir,” he said, and hurried out.

Bryce sighed. “You see?” he said, shrugging. “Everyone is afraid of me.”

Nessa giggled. “I am not because I know your heart is as soft as butter,” she replied. She sat on the bed and bounced up and down on it. “I will take the floor,” she said decisively.

“You will not,” Bryce replied, putting his hands on his hips and spreading his legs. He looked like a colossus, but Nessa was unimpressed.

“Do not argue with me. You are injured,” she growled.

“And you are a woman,” he countered, glaring at her in mock fury.

“It is so kind of you to notice,” she drawled. She stood up again, but Bryce was too close to her. Trapped between his body and the bed, she overbalanced, but he caught her before she fell backward.

“ Nessa, you are enough to drive a man mad,” he said, laughing as he pulled her against him to stop her from falling down. “There is a perfectly good bed there, but you will not use it.”

He looked down into her determined, stormy blue-gray eyes and smiled.

She was adorable; her pointed, heart-shaped face was turned up to his, and her full cupid's-bow lips were just asking to be kissed.

He felt the soft mounds of her breasts pressing against his chest, and his manhood stiffened in response.

When her lips parted in an innocent invitation, he could resist her no longer.

His lips swooped down on hers, and he felt her freeze in surprise for a moment before she responded, her soft, untutored lips moving against his in a way that was entirely instinctive.

He felt her arms winding themselves around his neck, and then her hands plunged into his hair, her fingers teasing his scalp and adding another heavenly sensation to those he was already feeling.

Nessa thrust her body even closer to him until they were pressed together from breast to knee, and he cupped her bottom with one hand, while the other, on the small of her back, held her tightly against him.

He dragged his mouth away from hers for a moment to look at her again and saw that her eyes were dark with desire.

“We cannot do this, Nessa,” he said huskily, hearing the desperation in his voice. “We cannot go any further, or—”

Whatever he had been going to say was cut short by Nessa’s fingertips. She had placed them over his lips to stop him from saying any more.

“I want to,” she murmured, then she took his hand from around her waist and placed it on her breast.

“Nessa...you will be ruined for any other man if you do this,” Bryce protested, even though every male instinct he possessed was screaming for fulfillment.

He could feel the softness of the flesh under his palm and the hardness of her nipple under the fabric of her dress, and he wanted to devour her.

His arousal was becoming almost painful, and even though he knew it was foolish, he allowed her to pull his head down for another kiss.

“Teach me,” she said huskily. “I want to learn how to make love.”

Nessa heard his groan of pleasure as their lips met again, and this time, she gave a startled little moan as he thrust his tongue inside her mouth to stroke hers.

It was new, scary, absolutely heavenly, and she gave herself up to it without reservation, then began to imitate him and stroke his tongue with hers.

He began to play with her nipples through the fabric of her dress, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger, first on one side and then on the other, sending darts of pleasure straight to her core.

Nessa felt her knees begin to weaken, then she was lying on the bed without any clear knowledge of how she had got there, and Bryce was lying beside her, his hard shaft pressed into her belly.

She felt a sweet, aching pulse in her secret place and wetness that had never been there when Logan kissed her, but then she realized that Bryce knew how to kiss a woman properly.

He knew how to please her. He was obviously a master of the art.

“Bryce…” she whispered on a sigh. “Please…”

Then, suddenly, as he heard Nessa give a soft gasp and say his name, Bryce crashed back to Earth. He pulled away from her, then looked down at her, ashamed to see that in his lustful frenzy, he had begun to pull her dress up to her thighs. He turned away, breathing heavily.

“Bryce?” Nessa was confused and disappointed, wondering what she had done wrong.

She felt cold all of a sudden, missing the heat of his body on hers.

She could still feel his fingers on her breasts, his hand on her thigh.

She was sure that something even more delightful was about to happen, but obviously, she had done something to upset him, and now she would never find out.

Bryce ran his hand through his hair and kept his back to her until he had his body under control again. “Pull your skirt down, Nessa,” he said angrily.

Nessa stood and let the material fall to the floor, slowly coming to her senses. She felt no shame, only a sense of regret for what might have been.

Presently, Bryce turned back to her, but he avoided her eyes. “I am sorry, Nessa,” he murmured. “I should never have let that happen.”

Nessa wrapped her arms around herself to dispel the chill on her body, then took a step toward him, but he put up a hand to warn her not to come any closer.

“Have I made you angry?” she asked.

“No, but you do not understand that when a man is aroused, he can do you so much harm. Take the bed, Nessa.” His voice had an edge of grimness to it. “I will keep to the other side of the room because I cannot trust myself to be near you.”

She laughed, suddenly feeling embarrassed and a little foolish. “I had no idea I was so powerful.” She had meant to lighten the mood, but Bryce was not amused. She had no idea how close he had come to losing control. “Bryce, you are injured. Take the bed, please.”

She gazed up at him defiantly, and he was tempted to give in, but then one obvious flaw in her argument came to him. “Do you think that bed could stand my weight all night?” he asked. “I could hear it creaking loudly when we were lying on it.”

Nessa’s mouth dropped open as she looked at the rickety structure. “Probably not,” she conceded, somewhat annoyed at having been bested.

“Then the matter is settled.” His voice was decisive.

Just then, the tray with their food came, and they ate in silence. It was not a companionable silence, however, as it had been before. There was a tension between them now, an awkwardness that had never been there previously, and both of them felt it, although neither would acknowledge it.

When it was time to sleep, Bryce moved the mattress over to the other wall and lay down on it. He was only two yards further away, but at least he was not within touching distance. He hoped it would be far enough.

As soon as Logan saw Jo tethered outside the Black Sheep Inn, he knew he was in the right place.

He had slept in the woods since it was too far to ride back to Drumblane Castle, and he was tired and irritable.

He stormed inside and went straight to the first person he saw, who happened to be Sam Donaldson.

He was astonished; it was very early in the morning for new guests. “How can I help ye, sir?” he asked with a polite smile.

“I am looking for the owner of the horse outside,” Logan replied, his eyes darting around the inn. “The big black one. The lady’s name is Nessa. Is she here?”

“Aye, sir, she is,” he replied worriedly.

Logan was furiously angry, much bigger than Jack, and looked as though he could do some serious damage.

“Where is she?” he demanded. “Was anyone with her?”

Jack dithered for a moment, but he glanced quickly at the staircase to the rooms upstairs, and Logan followed his gaze. In an instant, he had dived toward the stairs and was sprinting upward, taking them two at a time.

Bryce woke early that morning, roused by the sound of men’s voices talking loudly in the main room of the inn below him. He was ready to go downstairs when suddenly he saw the face of Logan Crosbie. His heart leaped into his throat. He went back to the chamber.

“Damnation!” he growled. “How did he find us? Nessa!” he hissed, trying to wake her up. He shook her hard by the shoulder, but all she did was grumble and turn over in her sleep.

Bryce was beginning to panic as he heard footsteps thumping upstairs and Logan’s voice calling: “Nessa! Nessa, where are you?”

Bryce could hear the fury in his voice, and although he knew he could best Logan in a fair fight with any weapons or none at all, he decided to stay hidden until he could find out what intrigues had been going on at the Blair and Guthrie estates while he had been gone.

He needed information, and Logan was the best person to provide it.

As well as that, he had no wish to be recaptured if Logan had brought company with him.

However, if he threatened harm to Nessa, Bryce knew that he would not hesitate to tear him to pieces.

“Nessa! Nessa!” Logan was yelling outside and pounding on the door. “Let me in, or I will bust this door down!”

Nessa woke with a jerk and sat up, yawning. She felt drowsy and disoriented, and as she looked around herself, she vaguely wondered where she was. Then memory slammed into her. But where was Bryce? At the same moment, she recognized the voice outside. Logan! How had he found them?

She took a quick glance around, but Bryce was nowhere to be seen.

He must have found a way out, she thought, although she could see none.

At last, she took a deep breath and turned the handle.

As soon as she did, Logan Crosbie slammed the door open and, shoving her aside rudely, he burst into the room.