Free Highland Lover by Hannah Howell Page B

regain the
    strength the fever robbed ye of.”
    Even as he tucked the blanket around her, she was asleep. Gregor shook his head when the cat leapt
    up onto the bed and curled up against Alana’s back. Lucky cat, he thought. He would like to be
    there, his arms wrapped around her slender body and his own body sated and warm after a hearty
    bout of lovemaking.
    Time to go ahunting, he decided as his body tightened with a need that was nearly painful. He
    collected the hunting bow and arrows he had taken from the Gowans and left the cottage. Gregor
    did not particularly care if he actually caught anything, but he needed to get away from Alana and
    clear the fog of lust from his mind. It was time to make some hard decisions.
    Guilt wracked him as he fully accepted the fact that he could not marry Mavis despite the strong
    lure of her dowry. That had caused him to waver in his decision more than once, but no longer.
    Mavis was a good woman, and she deserved better than a husband who could never give her his
    whole heart. He was still not sure if Alana was his true mate, but he knew for certain that Mavis was not. The ferocity of the need he felt for Alana was proof of that. He had never felt anything like that for Mavis and doubted he ever would, no matter how many years he was married to her and how
    good a wife she was. As soon as he returned to Scarglas, he would send word to Mavis and her
    father that the betrothal would not go ahead. He would send Mavis a more personal missive
    explaining his reasons more gently and as honestly as he dared.
    That left him with the question of what to do about Alana. She was a free woman of two-and-
    twenty, a woman who had been ready to be courted for years now. Gregor did not feel confident of
    his courting skills, however. Even with Mavis, he had done little wooing except of her father, for he was the one who controlled the purse. Somehow Gregor did not think the few flirtatious games he
    had played with Mavis—and had played with other women—would impress Alana. He was going
    to have to come up with a whole new plan, and one that would help him decide if Alana was truly
    the mate he had been looking for but would not offer any false hopes of a future in case she proved
    to be the wrong one. And one very large part of that plan would be seduction, for he had no
    intention of getting all the way to Scarglas without at least once tasting Alana Murray. Preferably
    more than once.
    Chapter 6
    A small fist struck Gregor sharply in the nose, the pain making his eyes water. He cursed and
    quickly moved to restrain a thrashing, muttering Alana. For a moment he feared she had become
    feverish again, despite her steady improvement of the last three days. He felt none of that heat in the slim body pinned beneath his, however. The way their bodies were pressed together was certainly
    making him feel feverish, but she felt blessedly cool. Although he silently cursed himself for a
    lecherous swine, he enjoyed the way her lithe body was moving against his for a few minutes before
    he attempted to wake her from what he now realized was a nightmare.
    “Keira!” she cried as she tried to break free of his grasp.
    “Hush, lass. Hush,” he murmured. “’Tis but a dream.”
    “She is in trouble! She needs me!”
    “Nay, nay, ’tis but your worry for her now plaguing your dreams.”
    Whatever the dream was, it held Alana tightly in its grip. Gregor brushed light kisses over her face
    as he murmured soft, calming words against her skin. She tasted like more, her skin as sweet and
    smooth as cream. It was not until he brushed a kiss over her lips that he realized she had finally
    grown still. Gregor opened his eyes to find her staring at him, her expression one of shock. Beneath
    that shock, however, he felt sure he could see the glint of desire.
    Alana woke from a frightening dream about Keira to the warm touch of Gregor’s lips against hers.
    His hard body was sprawled on top of hers in a way that