Highland Deception (Highland Pride) by Lori Ann Bailey Read Free Book Online

ye,” he warned as his mouth came crushing down on hers.
    Fire seared her. It was alarming but exciting at the same time. His tongue jutted out and delved into her mouth, and she gasped in surprise. It was totally unexpected and sent shivers down her spine. She tentatively reached out with her tongue and was instantly rewarded as he pulled her body in closer to his masculine frame. She was lost to the thrill of her first kiss.
    He pulled back and seared her with penetrating eyes, desire pulsating in his gaze. Without warning, his stare turned distant. What had she done? As if being near her made him uncomfortable, he moved away and spun around so quickly she almost lost her balance. He didn’t even try to get a view of her naked body.
    The loss of his heat made her shiver. His rejection stung, but that was all right, because she would never have let him into her heart. No man would ever take from her what her mother had given to her uncaring father.
    While he strode farther into the trees, Lachlan called over his shoulder, “Get dressed and return to camp. We need to be on our way.”
    As soon as he was out of sight, Maggie yanked on her clothes. The moldering smell of the dirty rags assailed her, but she had nothing else—these would have to do. Once she got to the convent, she would be trading them in for robes.
    Her fingers rose to trace her tingling, swollen lips. How would she manage in a confined place like that after Lachlan had awoken her to the enjoyment of a man’s touch? Her body still thrummed, and her knees were weak. His rebuff hurt more than she cared to admit.
    Aye, she’d been told her whole life she was a beauty, but mayhap all the men who asked for her hand were only interested in alliances and hadn’t been honest. She had hoped some of them might have seen her for herself as a woman, but now she doubted all their words.
    She plopped down to pull on her shoes.
    I amnae completely naive. Need had shown in Lachlan’s eyes, and for a motherent he’d lost himself in her, but he must have decided he had nothing to gain and had pulled back—she wouldn’t further his position, so she was useless. With a curse, she picked up a stone and threw it into the water.
    The corners of her mouth turned up as a thought bloomed. Why not lie with him while she still had an opportunity? Her body had never reacted so strongly to a man, and she wanted to experience the pleasure her mother had told her of before she gave her life to God. He would be perfect. He wanted nothing but to get rid of her, so didn’t that make him the best kind of bed partner? And if she slept with Lachlan, should Conall catch up to her, mayhap he wouldn’t want her, as she wouldn’t be pure. Another reason to invite Lachlan into her bed.
    But he’d pushed her away. Men seemed so fickle, with their affections and moods that changed as often as the weather.
    ’Twas better this way. She seemed to so easily lose her mind around Lachlan, which could get her into more trouble than she could handle. Her only goal should be getting to the convent as quickly as possible, although she needed him on her side to keep her safe from Conall.
    …
    Lachlan cursed himself as he stomped back to the camp. Maggie was a siren, and he had been trapped in her spell. Her beauty had bewitched him, and what was worse, he had allowed her seduction even knowing she was lying to him. Damn, it was Aileen all over, only more disastrous, as his body yearned for Maggie in a way it never had for Aileen. He had to stay away from her, because he couldn’t go through the pain and humiliation again. He didn’t even know who she was. Och, he was a fool.
    He readjusted his cock. It was still stiff as stone and ached with a throbbing need for release. If he’d not come to his senses, he might have taken her standing at the edge of the water. In fact, his cock begged him to go back and do so now, but his head disagreed. What was he going to do?
    If she stayed with his clan, he