Free Seduced by the Highlander by Julianne MacLean

hers had done the same, when confronted with all those lovely, rippling muscles.
    But none of that mattered now, she told herself, pushing the image from her mind. What mattered was how she was going to manage her anxieties through the remainder of this storm, with a naked and powerfully built Highlander lying in the bed she’d assumed was meant for her.
    He drew the covers up to his waist, let out a lazy sigh, and tossed an arm up under his head.
    Catherine noticed the gash across his ribs. It was covered in dried blood, but he seemed oblivious to any discomfort.
    “How pleasing it is,” he casually purred, “to be warm and dry. Do you not agree, lassie?”
    He turned his head on the feather pillow to look up at her directly, waiting for an answer.
    Catherine cleared her throat.
    “Is there a problem?” He asked the question with a glimmer of satisfaction in his eye, as if he knew exactly how he affected her and was amused by it.
    A wave of excitement flooded through her treacherous body.
    “Yes,” she haughtily replied. “There is only one bed, and if you were a gentleman, you would let me have it.”
    He stared with casual indifference at the ceiling. “First of all, I’m not that sort of gentleman. I am a different sort altogether. And if you think I’ll try to seduce you…” He paused. “ Ach, bluidy hell, Raonaid. Just take off your gown, hang it to dry, and get in the bed.”
    She lifted her chin. “No, I most certainly will not get in that bed with you.”
    He leaned up on an elbow and glared at her, all amusement gone now as his eyebrows pulled together in a frown.
    Clearly they were at an impasse.
    Catherine glanced at her wet skirts and knew he was right about hanging everything to dry, but there was no way on God’s green earth she was going to disrobe in front of him, then join him under the covers. He was naked!
    She moved closer to the fire and plopped down into the wooden chair. She would sit there all night if she had to, if he insisted on behaving like a brute.
    Savage, indeed.
    “What are you waiting for?” he asked, rolling over onto his stomach and resting his chin on a hand.
    She glanced over at him.
    “You’re keeping me awake, lass,” he added, “and we both need our rest. We’ll be heading into some rugged country in the morning.”
    He had already explained that Kinloch was nestled deep in the Scottish Highlands, beyond the Great Glen. It would take at least five days to reach it, perhaps longer if the weather was foul. Once they reached Fort William, the English garrison, there would be few opportunities for hot cooked meals delivered on trays. They would be forced to sleep under the stars and eat around an open fire. She only hoped the rain would hold off after tonight; otherwise, it would be a long and arduous journey, to be sure.
    “Ah, come now,” he said, his voice teasing again. “Show me how brave you are. Slide in next to me, and see if you can resist any improper urges you might experience.” He regarded her with challenge as he lifted the covers.
    Catherine lowered her eyes to the braided rug on the floor and wondered how difficult it would be to sleep on such a hard surface. Would he even offer her a blanket or pillow?
    Lachlan sat up, and his long, damp hair fell forward across his bare shoulder. “Now you’re being ridiculous, lass. I’m only teasing. Think about it. Whether you are in the bed or on the floor makes no difference to me. If I grow tempted to unleash my pent-up desires on you tonight—and I haven’t completely ruled that out—I will do it, here or there.”
    Catherine spoke sternly. “You gave me your word of honor that you would not touch me.”
    He gazed at her in silence for the longest time, and she could not mistake the quiet, simmering desire in those beautiful onyx eyes. He wanted to do things to her—wicked, unspeakable things. She could see it in the brooding intensity of his stare. He wanted to slake his caged-up lust on her. To