The Hawk: A Highland Guard Novel by Monica Mccarty Read Free Book Online

he was real. The Norseman could rival her brothers and sisters for striking beauty. His dark blond hair was cut close to his head, just long enough to come to his ears, except for a long lock that fell across his forehead. Unlike most of the other men he wore no beard, revealing the clean, hard lines of his perfectly sculpted face. A wide, smooth brow, sharply angled cheeks, a square jaw, and a proud nose that shockingly—given his profession—appeared reasonably straight. It was too dark to see the color of his eyes, but she knew they’d be blue. Vivid blue. Ocean blue. Soul-piercing blue.
    She looked sharply away before he could catch her staring at him. Goodness! She thought men like that existed only in myths.
    He might be gorgeous, but he was also undoubtedly a pirate—and a tall, incredibly muscular one at that. A man built to conquer, pillage, and do God-knew-whatever-it-was that Vikings did, leaving a trail of destruction in his terrifying wake. He could crush her in one huge iron fist.
    The reptilian man spoke again. “We can’t risk her betraying us to Ulster.”
    Her heart dropped at the sound of her father’s name. Whatever it was that they were doing, they didn’t want her father to know about it. Clearly, telling them her identity wasn’t going to solve her problems. Indeed, it just might make them worse.
    What was she going to do? Her hands twisted in her damp chemise. This would have to win the prize for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She had to explain, but the cold had numbed her brain.
    Forcing her teeth to stop clacking together, she said, “Please, this is all a mistake. I was swimming and stumbled upon you by accident.” She struggled to her feet and tried to appear calm. Rational. Confident. Not scared out of her mind. Think . Act like you know what you are doing . Speak with authority . “My friends will be wondering where I am. They’ll be looking for me …” She started to walk determinedly away, but her path was blocked by a wall of rough-looking Irishmen. Her smile shook, but she forced her voice to sound brisk and confident. “Let me pass and you can finish your business—”
    The bald man ignored her and spoke to the Norseman. “We’ll have to kill her.”
    Any blood that she had left in her body slid to her feet. Her breath caught in a sharp gasp. She tried to tell herself he couldn’t mean it, but one look at the soldier’s cruel face and she knew he did.
        Erik swore. This wasn’t going to turn out well. His straightforward mission had just taken an ugly turn.
    He hoped the lass didn’t faint, but the poor thing looked terrified. Not that he blamed her. What was she doing in the cave? Had she actually swum from the beach? At this time of year it was hard to believe, but she seemed to be in earnest.
    Still, he didn’t suppose it mattered. Whoever she was, and whatever she was doing, she’d just stumbled into a very bad situation.
    Unfortunately, Fergal had a point. If she’d heard anything, it could put his mission in danger. Nothing—and no one—could interfere with securing these mercenaries. They couldn’t let her walk out of here.
    But kill her? Every bone in his body rebelled at the thought of harming a lass.
    Erik loved women. All women. He loved the way they smelled. The softness of their skin. The way their long, silky hair spilled across his chest when they curled up next to him—or on top of him. He loved the tinkle of their laughter, their playfulness, and listening to them talk.
    He loved everything about them, but most of all he loved their lush femininity. Big, ripe breasts that he could weigh in his hands and bury his face between, curvy hips and round bottoms that he could hold under him, and soft thighs that wrapped around his waist as he slid slowly inside the most feminine place of all.
    He sighed. Aye, lasses were beautiful creatures. Every one of them. You only had to look hard enough.
    But, he had to admit, even with the