Page 22 of Never Marry a Highlander (Highland Rules #1)

22

“ Y e are safe with me…Ye are all right,” Archer tried to console her as she sobbed and fought in his arms. “Maeve,” he cooed, pulling her close, soothing her with words and a gentle touch till she finally stopped struggling and sank into his arms.

She broke into a loud sob, and her slender body vibrated violently in his arms. Archer could only watch and try to wipe her tears as he held her close to his aching heart. Slowly, his resolve to protect her built.

It took a long time before she finally calmed. Maeve opened her teary eyes, sniffed, then tried to smile at him.

“Ye are safe,” Archer whispered as he stroked her chin and brushed of the strands of hair sticking against her sweaty forehead. “Nae one is goin’ to hurt ye. Nae while I am alive.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead then kissed her lips again.

When she whimpered, he deepened the kiss and allowed the pain slicing through him slowly fade.

He wanted Maeve to confide in him and tell him all about all that happened to her in England. Archer wanted to comfort her, and most importantly, he wanted to find Lord Hampton and rip him to shreds for hurting Maeve.

“I am all right,” she whispered after some time and nodded. “I feel better.”

When she sniffed again and dabbed at her eyes furiously, Archer took her hand in his and linked their fingers. He had seen her scars while he pleasured her earlier, and his insides riled up tight.

“I will find Lord Hampton one day when all of this is over, and I will kill him for what he did to ye.”

Maeve shook her head immediately. “No, he is not worth it,” she whispered to him. “Do not ruin everything you are working hard to achieve for your clan because of him.”

Her advice made sense, but he still knew he would one day enact that revenge. Archer promised her that even in his silence.

By the break of dawn, Maeve left his chamber, and he did not see her again until later that afternoon after his meeting with his clansmen.

She laughed hard with her sisters and mother when he walked into the garden, and he paused to admire her from a distance while enjoying the lightness in his heart.

Archer was still watching them speak when Jensen walked into the garden and called his attention.

“Thank the heavens I found ye, Me Laird,” Jensen said in a breathless voice that made Archer turn to him. His man-at-arms panted as he handed Archer the letter. “This just arrived from Clan MacGuire. I hope it is good news.”

Archer did not want to get his hopes up just yet, but as he opened the letter, a part of him hoped this was the change he wished for.

Archer read Laird MacGuire’s words quickly then looked up at Jensen as he burst into a loud laugh. “He is invitin’ me to his daughter’s wedding in MacGuire a fortnight from now.”

Archer handed over the letter to Jensen, and Jensen read the words quickly before he laughed to. “This is great news, isnae it?”

“It is” Archer did not think of anything else as he turned and saw Maeve still grinning wide to her sisters. His pulse picked up its pace, and the thunderous rush of excitement that drizzled through him knew no bounds.

He forgot everything else in that moment as he strode towards her.

“Maeve,” he called. Archer swept her off her feet and into his arms before she could respond to him. She chuckled loudly as he swirled her around, his arms holding her steady against his body as he moved in a circle.

Maeve was still laughing when he finally set her on her feet again and framed her cheeks in his hands. “What is it? What has happened?”

“I got an invitation,” Archer announced, aware that everyone was watching him. He did not want to celebrate this with anyone else. In five years, no Scottish clan had dared to invite him to any feats or celebration that they held.

This really was the start of new beginnings. His clan's fortune was about to change, he could sense it, and Maeve’s presence in his life made that possible.

“Laird MacGuire wants me to attend his daughter’s weddin’,” Archer continued as her right hand flew to her cheek, and she gasped with wide, dancing eyes.

“This is great news.”

“Indeed it is.” Lost in the loving moment, Archer leaned forward and smacked a kiss over her lips. Her breath hitched audibly in her throat as his lips slid over hers, and she froze.

Archer allowed himself only a taste of her lips before he pulled back and kissed her forehead next. “I shall see ye at supper. I must meet with me council advisers and begin preparations for our journey. Yer me wife, and ye will accompany me to MacGuire. I will take my time to show ye all ye have missed about the Highlands durin’ our travelers.”

“All right,” she agreed in a heartbeat, and he stole another quick kiss before hurrying away from her.

Jensen followed him into his study now, and Archer began discussing every plan he needed to make and business proposals he had in mind to suggest to the Lairds he would meet at this wedding feast.

“Ye seem happy,” Jensen said to him as they worked over the details and preparations together. Archer practically hummed to himself because his heart was too overjoyed to stay still. “This is about Lady Maeve, is it nae? Ye two have finally—”

“We dinnae.” Archer stopped Jensen because he knew what he was going to say. “I couldnae bring myself to…” he trailed off as he recalled her kisses, her soft body in his arms, her scent. Archer combed his fingers through his hair. Everything in him wanted to take her last night, but he had wanted to give her pleasure first.

I want to teach her things, show her what it is like to experience passion.

There was a lot he could do to her, and lots more he still thought of doing, but he had to take it slow because when he finally made love to Maeve completely, he wanted her to remember the moment forever.

Because I will.

“Well, ye, me friend, are in high spirits, and I like that more than anythin’ else.”

Archer released a freed laugh at his friends comment and shook his head. “Get back to work right now,” he ordered as a joke, and they buried their attention on planning again.

Late that night after Jensen dozed off in Archer’s study, Archer rubbed his groggy eyes and released a deep breath. He thought of Maeve briefly and how she smiled at him during supper earlier.

Archer planned to go to her chamber once he was done with the tax reports laid out on his table, and he figured he could finish all of it before the lights in his fireplace went out for the night.

He already anticipated sliding into her bed and dragging her warm body against his. She fit right against him, and her legs would part just as her hungry lips would meet his kiss, and he would allow himself the pleasure of pleasing her with his hands only tonight.

Archer shivered as his need spiked higher. Soon, he could no longer focus on work, so he got up, roused Jensen from his sleep, and sent him on his way.

Archer closed his study door and headed down the hallway get to the stairway. He had almost made it out when he heard the loud shriek and the heavy thuds of something tumbling that followed.

“What in the hea…” His loud gasp ended when he reached the stairs and found Maeve rolling down each one, her body landing hard on each stair till she finally reached the ground.

He forgot to breathe for a millisecond then screamed her name on top of his lungs. Archer had never felt anything like the cold terror slicing through his guts when he saw blood pool around the ground beneath her.