Page 72 of The Laird's Masked Desire
“That was nae intentional,” she pouted.
“Of course nae.”
She was watching him with eyes that seemed to be on fire, and he was loving every moment of it.
“Ye are enjoying this,” she accused him of the perfect crime.
“A wee bit.”
“Well, ye should nae.”
She shoved her pillow slightly. The motion caused the mattress to tilt again. Margaret slid another inch. Now they were considerably closer than before. She went utterly still.
Domhnall raised a brow. “Ye are invading me territory.”
“This is nae territory,” she huffed.
“It is now.”
She tried to inch backward again, but the mattress protested loudly. Both of them froze as the bedframe gave a long complaining creak. They waited and the silence stretched.
Then Margaret whispered, “If that thing breaks, I shall die of humiliation.”
“It will nae break,” he assured her, but he could already imagine the rumors that would spread if the servants had to fix a broken bed.
“Ye sound very certain,” she pointed out.
Another tiny shift was followed by another creak. Margaret groaned softly and covered her face with one hand.
“This bed is a menace.”
Domhnall’s shoulders began to shake, because he was barely restraining himself from bursting into laughter.
“Are ye laughing?” he heard her ask.
He barely managed to respond. “Nay.”
“Ye are.”
“I am breathing,” he offered amusedly.
Margaret peeked at him from behind her hand only to glare at him. The candlelight softened the sharp determination in her expression. She looked far less like a formidable negotiator andfar more like a woman losing a battle with furniture. The sight made his chest unexpectedly warm.
Then, with great dignity, she shoved her pillow directly between them like a barricade.
“There,” she huffed.
Domhnall looked down at the pillow, then back at her. “What is that?”
“A barrier,” she explained almost proudly.
“I see,” he replied, folding his hands behind his head as he did so. “But ye ken if that pillow moves even slightly, ye will slide directly intae me.”
Her eyes widened again. She clutched the pillow.
“Then we shall both pray fer its stability.”
Domhnall closed his eyes again, fighting the grin threatening to appear.
