Her Highness and the Highlander: A Princess Brides Romance by Tracy Anne Warren Read Free Book Online

back into her muscles and
     bones as the last of her night terrors began to fade.
    Sleepy and warm.
    She was so delightfully sleepy and warm.
    And safe.
    Safe with Daniel MacKinnon.
    Nothing could harm her when she was with him, not even her dreams.
    She smiled to herself, drowsy and on the verge of sleep.
    Dimly, she felt him ease her backward onto the bed and settle her head against her
     pillow.
    He started to move away, but she reached out to stop him.
    “Don’t go,” she whispered, so sleepy she wondered if she was already dreaming again.
    “I’ll only be a few feet away,” he told her.
    “It’s too far. Stay with me.”
    She sensed the sudden tension in his body and heard the long silence.
    “Stay,” she murmured again. “You’ll be more comfortable in the bed.”
    A wry, silvery chuckle filled the air. “You’ve the right of that, lass. Even so—”
    “I don’t want to be afraid anymore,” she whispered. “You’ll keep me from being afraid.
     Don’t go.”
    Another long silence followed before she heard him sigh. “All right, Your Highness,
     but don’t blame me come morning.”
    Blame him for what?
she wondered drowsily.
    The bed dipped beneath his weight as he stretched out next to her. He pulled the covers
     over them both, then settled back, leaving a narrow width of space between their bodies.
    Rolling onto her side, she snuggled against him, her head pillowed on the broad expanse
     of his shoulder. His chest moved up and down in silent laughter as he curved an arm
     over her back and drew her close.
    “Just don’t forget whose idea this was,” he remarked.
    She’d fought the increasing lure of sleep too long for his words to make sense. Relaxing
     fully for the first time since her entire world had been turned upside down so many
     terrifying hours ago, she tumbled into a deep, dreamless oblivion.
    Daniel stared into the darkness, far too aware of the young woman slumbering so trustingly
     in his arms.
    Too trustingly.
    It was reckless of her to put so much faith in a stranger, yet here she was, lying
     beside him as though she had known him all her life. Once again, he thought about
     the way another man might have taken advantage of the situation. After all, she was
     beautiful and much too conveniently close at hand. How easy it would be to lean over
     and kiss her. An unscrupulous rogue would have done that and a great deal more, whether
     she desired his attentions or not. But he supposed her instincts had led her in the
     right direction, since he was an honorable man at his core.
    He also supposed he ought to have refused her and gone back to his own bed, but how
     could he when she’d gazed at him with such open entreaty in her melting dark eyes?
     Usually he wasn’t so easily swayed by a pretty face, but there was something about
     her that reached down deep and found the compassion he had learned to bury long ago.
    If only his reaction to her went no further than compassion, then it would be an easy
     matter to sleep here at her side. But honorable or not, he couldn’t ignore the fact
     that she was a very desirable female—a female he did not dare have.
    One night,
he thought.
I can lie with her for a single night with no harm done to either of us.
    When morning arrived, he would continue on his way home, while she continued on to
     hers, wherever it might be. He frowned at the thought, wondering how she would fare
     on her journey. But his compassion could be expected to extend only so far. He didn’t
     have either the time or the inclination to nursemaid some lost, frightened girl for
     days on end. Instead,he would give her a bit of money to see her on her way, then say his good-byes. It
     was the right thing to do, for them both.
    Telling himself he was satisfied with his decision, he closed his eyes and willed
     himself to sleep. But try as he might, many long minutes passed before slumber finally
     claimed him.

Chapter 5
    M ercedes awakened to a flood of early