Highland Heat by Jennifer Haymore Read Free Book Online

midday.
    As the minutes passed, the street grew brighter as the travelers lit lanterns to guide their way. Duncan glanced at the major’s window. He hoped the man would be able to rest in this racket.
    Duncan stood sentry, his body quiet but his mind alert as he watched the traffic of the departing army. It would take some time for this little town to resume its usual sleepy life.
    When he heard the creak of the door behind him, he turned, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
    Grace stood in the doorway, gazing at him. Her narrow frame was wrapped in a dark cloak, a stark contrast against her pale, creamy skin and light blond hair. She wore no bonnet, and Duncan fought not to stare at her lovely hair—shining gold and spun sugar catching the light of the lanterns from the street. To touch those tresses—to run his fingers through them, to press kisses into them, to slide his tongue along her hairline and nip the back of her neck—
    His body grew hard before he could check himself.
    Her lips curled, and Duncan shook free of the forbidden thoughts gripping him and bowed. “Milady. Can I be of service?” He might have been altered by brandy and laudanum earlier, but now he was aware that people surrounded them, and that the major—her
brother-in-law
—was mere feet away.
    He couldn’t regret that kiss, though. The spirits hadn’t taken his memories away, and thank God for that. That kiss had been worth the risk.
    “I’m surprised to see you again, Sergeant Mackenzie.” There was a smile in her voice. “But I’m happy you’re here. Are you our assigned guard for the evening?”
    “That I am.”
    “Then your arm must be much better.”
    “I canna feel a twinge of pain.” That was almost the truth. He didn’t want her to be unsure of his ability to protect them.
    “I am so glad to hear it.” Her gaze lingered on his lips, and even in the dim light, he could see the pink of a flush spreading across her cheeks. It was just that her light-complexioned skin was prone to blushing, he was sure, but still he found it utterly erotic.
    She stepped closer to him but maintained a respectable distance. Even without looking at her, he could sense her proximity—the warmth of her flesh, her fresh lilac smell.
    “What do you think of this town?” she asked him.
    That shook him out of his focus on her—Christ, if anyone saw the way he was looking at her, he’d probably be called out. If the major saw it, he’d probably have him beaten to a pulp.
    He needed to be more careful.
    “Er…”
    He wasn’t one to look at villages for their aesthetic appeal or for their architectural details or for their prospects of the countryside. This was just another village to him. One of many they’d passed through on this particular march, and one of hundreds he’d marched through in the last several years.
    For the first time, he studied his surroundings, trying to ignore the motley traffic of the street. “It reminds me of an English town, perhaps one not too far from London.”
    “Does it?” Her gaze scanned the houses up and down the street. “It seems so foreign to me.”
    “Aye, well, have ye been to Spain? Africa? India? Those places will be foreign. Here we’re not to far from home, after all.”
    “But still…a different country, a different language…”
    “Have ye never left England before, lass?”
    She shook her head. “No. This is the first time.”
    “Then it’s a pity ye had to see it like this.”
    “In the aftermath of battle?”
    “Aye.” He leaned a hair closer to her. “Ye’ve never been to Scotland, then.”
    “No, I haven’t.” Her eyes slid toward him. “I’ve heard it is very beautiful, though.”
    “Oh, it is that.” He paused. “I should like to show it to you someday.”
    The words hovered in the air, but Duncan didn’t know why. It was an offhand comment—something both of them knew would never come to pass. But they hung there anyhow, heavy with meaning.
    “I would