Page 23 of Highlander’s Protector

But still, there was something exciting about knowing that all that would separate them would be just a few steps from the cave to the pool of water.

To keep something dry, she decided to wash her undertunic later when her dress was dry. It wasn’t as soiled as her dress, but her body needed to be washed.

She dragged her shift over her head and laid it on the ground. Goose bumps covered her bare skin, but she stood and breathed, absorbing the feel of crisp air on her flesh. With the cake of soap in her hand, she went into the water to her waist. It was cold, but not as cold as the sea at Islay, and the sharp coolness and the soft mud of the bottom were welcome against her aching body.

The last time she’d swum in the sea was seven years ago, the day she’d met her father. Busy with the education of a noble lady and terrified the sea would try to kill her again, she didn’t dare. But she was safe here—rock surrounded the pool on all sides and there was no strong current.

Pouring water over her shoulders and back felt divine. As she slid the cake of soap along her skin, the flower-scented lather washed the nightmares away together with the dirt and the grime. She cleaned her hair, pulling knots apart with her soapy fingers as best she could and scrubbing her scalp.

She could breathe again. Dipping into the water was like coming back home to her true self and putting back the broken pieces of her soul.

There was a sudden rustle of branches, and Anna yelped. Her head turned to the bushes and undergrowth that grew around the entrance to the pond, by the rocks.

In a moment, David ran out of the cave with his sword drawn.

From the bushes, a squirrel appeared and ran, crossing the open ground between the boulders like a furry lightning bolt.

David’s eyes fell on her. She was standing in the water, naked, her hair clinging to her like a second skin. The moon came out and water shimmered in her hair and on her breasts.

Eyes dark, mouth open, David stared at her like a wolf scenting a deer.

“You look like a sea goddess,” he murmured.

She should cover herself. She should tell him to stop staring and to go away. But she was not ashamed to be naked before him. In fact, she felt warmer and warmer, as though he’d set an oven ablaze within her. The pure lust and adoration in his eyes made her skin tingle. His sword was drawn for her, to protect her.

Her protector… Something melted deep within her, and an invisible force pulled her to him. She knew a proper lady should be ashamed. But she ached to be near him, skin to skin, breath to breath, heartbeat to heartbeat.

Not long ago, she’d felt her life was over before it had begun. Now there was a glorious warrior with a strange accent and muscles like stones. A warrior who had rescued her. And, based on a large bulge between his legs, he wanted her.

She was alive, and she could have him. She could give in to temptation and experience life before it ended.

She could tell him to remove his clothes and join her. She could glide her palms over his hard chest, over his corded arms that had held her so tightly and kept her safe.

A strong gust of wind rustled the bushes. She shivered, and the moment was swept away like a cloud of smoke.

David shook his head and turned around. “Get dressed.”

She didn’t move. “David…”

“Get dressed,” he barked. “My body may enjoy what I see, but I’d never be interested in you.”

Rejection stung. He’d never be interested in her? He was a fool. No, not him. She was a fool.

She marched through the water, splashes resounding. “Go to hell.”

She stepped onto the shore, shoved his damned soap and his damned toothbrush into his hand. She picked up her shift and forced it over her head. It clung to her wet skin and was still smelly, but she didn’t care.

“Ye’re delusional, David,” she whispered angrily. “’Tis me who will never be interested in ye. I’m engaged to an important man, while I dinna even ken who ye truly are.” She thrust her feet into her shoes and picked up her wet dress and her pair of hose. “Something is very odd about ye, and ’tis just a matter of time before I find out what ’tis.”

His eyes darkened with hurt. She didn’t care. His rejection still burned. He’d just called her a sea goddess and then he said he wasn’t interested? He was a fool. She pointed her finger at him. “Actually, I dinna even need ye to protect me. I ken how to fight, I’m a MacDonald. ’Tis one advantage of growing up as someone who isna important—ye can do anything ye want. I wanted to learn to fight like a lad.”

She marched into the cave and stretched her dress on a boulder next to the fire, then her stockings. As she did, she heard David come in and put his sword back into the sheath.

“My aunt Leitis was like a mother to me,” she said as she poured hot water into a bowl and sat by the fire with her hands curled around it. “My uncle Aulay, the laird, was like a father. They gave me as much love as they could, given I wasna theirs. But they also didna think I needed to be brought up as a lady. Nae as strictly as my cousin. So I had freedom. I ken how to swim, how to fight with swords and shoot an arrow.”

“Good. But that’s not enough to make it to Stirling alone,” said David.

“I ken many things, more than ye imagine. The only thing I dinna ken is the way to Stirling. And when Colum comes, I wilna need ye, anyway.”