Unwilling (Highland Historical #2)

and
magical.  She’d never been destined for anything like that. 
    Her eyes flicked to Connor before
she could stop them.  He was watching her, not bothering with discretion.  The
firelight cast shade in the deep groves of his muscle which cut an imposing
figure melded from light and shadow.  Those compelling green eyes of his
glittered across the entire dance floor, pinning her where she stood.  The
music retreated and people blurred into a cheerful mélange of faceless color. 
For a single moment, her world consisted of the unrequited desire she read in
his relentless gaze and she was transported back to the dark carriage where
he’d found her.  The things he’d done to her.  Not just to her body, but to her
soul.  Lindsay found herself inexorably altered by his skillful touch.  She’d
spent the past nights in sleepless dishevelment, tossing restlessly with
fevered need.  When she closed her eyes, the blackness reminded her of his
stark, possessive eyes as she’d shattered beneath him. 
    How had he played her so easily? 
How had he turned fear into desire and then intense pleasure?  She was so
ashamed.  Not only because of what she’d allowed him to do, but because of what
she yearned for him to do again.
    Overwhelmed by the thought, she
broke their connection with a prolonged blink and focused her gaze on the
distant lake, hating herself.  Hating him.
    “Can I take ye round the floor,
lass?” 
    Stunned, Lindsay turned toward the
masculine voice.  It belonged to a light-haired, stocky young lad she
recognized as one of the castle men-at-arms.  “Oh, I—”
    “Of course ye can, Jamie, I’ve been
making eyes at ye all day.”  A hand snaked from behind her and clasped Jamie’s. 
Smiling, the man pulled a young maid, who’d been standing behind Lindsay,
toward the dance floor.
    Embarrassed, Lindsay shook her head
and tried to focus on the merriment around her.  She avoided Connor’s eyes,
they held too many of her secrets to acknowledge right now. 
    As the night wore on, ale and
whisky flowed freely, causing men to become bold and wend their way to claim a
dance from a willing lass, and more if they were lucky.  Time and time again,
Lindsay watched with a desperate hope that one of them would offer her the
kindness of his hand.  As it stood, she was fair certain she was the only woman
under four score who’d yet to take a turn.  It was as though each of the men
went out of their way to avoid her eyes, nay, her very vicinity.  In fact,
other women had seemed to realize as much, and inched away from her to increase
their chances of acquiring a partner.  Heart pounding, Lindsay watched the
steadily increasing berth around her person widen.  What was this about?   Had
she offended the highland Lachlan’s in some way she couldn’t have foreseen?  In
ballrooms from London to Glasgow she’d always been a highly sought-after dance
companion.  What was wrong with these people? 
    Balancing on tiptoes, she scanned
the crowd, hoping to find the safety of Evelyn’s company.  But, the woman was
nowhere to be seen.  After several rounds of frolicking, she seemed to have
disappeared.  Roderick’s broad form was likewise missing.
    “Och, newlyweds.”  The familiar
graveled baritone caressed her ear and sent shivers of aroused awareness
coursing through her entire frame.  Hot breath teased at her ear causing her to
want to arch like a cat seeking a fond stroke.
    Connor . 
    Hadn’t he just been across the way? 
How did a man so large move with such stealth? 
    “It’s rude to sneak up on someone,”
she scolded, turning to face him.  “Especially in the dark,” she told his
chest.  “Aren’t you supposed to be over there lording over all you see?”
    “I didna sneak.”  He sounded amused
again.  Damn his eyes.  “Ye would have noticed me if ye werena trying so hard
not to.  Everyone else did.”  A furtive glance about verified that the
assemblage seemed either very interested in what was going on with them, or
trying equally hard not to appear so.
    Lindsay had to step back from him;
the proximity was making her light-headed.  The tension coiled in his muscles
caused an irrational fear that he might just throw her over his shoulder, carry
her into the castle and spend the night ravishing her.
    She risked a glance at his face and
her mouth went dry.  Judging from the storm in his eyes, they might not even
make it to the castle before the ravishment