Chapter 12

12

F inn’s mind raced as he rejoined the fight alongside Cillian.

She could have gotten hurt or even died in the chaos of the fight — He thought as he toppled one of James’s men.

Her sisters could have been taken — Another one of James’s men fell.

Nae thinking —

Careless —

He swiped one of his hands through his hair in frustration, and realized that the battle was nearly over. A quick glance toward Cillian, who nodded confidently, and Finn departed again back to where he left Thalia. They needed to discuss what happened, but he needed to set aside his anger. So, he took a longer than direct way back to her.

With an exhale, he eventually came upon her loudly and she stood to face him knowingly. He dodged around her and started pacing in a circle into the forest floor.

Aye, we need to talk, but the privacy of these trees would allow so much more than just words. Get your head right.

The adrenaline of a fight had never bested his reason before, but ever since Thalia entered his life, his emotions had not been very well managed.

Thalia sat on the stump roughly, which he watched out of the corner of his eye and then finally came to a stop to look at her. Her skirts had gathered along her thighs, and a flash of her calf nearly turned him primal with need. Tracing his gaze, she quickly lowered her skirts and folded her hands in her lap patiently.

Maybe the woods are nae the best idea…

Anger and frustration took over the nonsensical desire he had for her.

“Are ye hurt?” he finally choked out. His voice was rough, betraying the intensity of his concern. He scanned her quickly, his gaze moving over her arms, her shoulders, and her face. Thalia shook her head, her breath catching slightly, but Finn wasn’t convinced. He stepped closer and bent down over her, his hands resting on the tree behind her shoulders as he looked her over, his eyes narrowing as if he might find some hidden injury that she wasn’t aware of.

“I’m fine, Finn,” Thalia insisted, her voice soft.

His expression changed, and he offered her his hand. She took it wordlessly, and he pulled her to standing and spun her around to ascertain the answer for himself.

His concern had hardened into something darker, something fueled by the anger that he’d been holding back. As she twisted around to face him, he stepped even closer, his hands finally resting on her shoulders.

“What the hell were ye thinking, Thalia?” he growled, his accent thickening with his rising anger. “Ye could have gotten yourself killed back there! Do ye have any idea what that would have done to me?”

Thalia blinked, startled by the sudden shift in his tone. “I was just trying to protect my sister —”

“Protect her?” Finn cut her off, his voice rising. “How are ye supposed to protect anyone if ye are dead? Ye ran into a battle without thinking, without caring what it would mean for the rest of us! I told ye to stay in the carriage for a reason!”

Thalia’s own temper began to flare in response to his anger. “And what was I supposed to do, Finn? Just sit there and watch while Diana ran into danger?”

“Aye, that’s exactly what ye should have done!” Finn’s eyes blazed with fury. “I had it under control, but ye made it worse by putting yourself in the line of fire. Do ye think I can focus on protecting ye all if ye are running around like that? One is easy.”

The tension between them crackled like a live wire, and Thalia’s breathing quickened. It was clear that she wasn’t used to being yelled at, not like this. Finn tightened his core in an attempt to control his emotions.

“You can’t control everything, Finn!” Thalia shot back at him, her voice trembling with both anger and something else. “I’m not some delicate flower that needs constant protection! I can take care of myself!”

Finn’s eyes darkened, his jaw clenching as he took another step closer. His hands rested on either side of her head now, along the tree behind her, their bodies almost touching. “Ye are mine to protect,” he said, his voice low, dangerous, “and I’ll be damned if I let ye get yerself killed because ye are too damn stubborn to listen to reason.”

The words hung between them, heavy with meaning, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. Thalia’s chest heaved with the force of her emotions, and he saw something flicker in her eyes — something raw, something that made his skin crawl with desire.

Something snapped in him.

Before she could react or reply, before she could even fully process what was happening, Finn pressed his hips against hers so that her body leaned against the tree behind them. He could easily lift her and bring her leg around his waist, but the pain of her hip bones digging into a sensitive spot on his thighs was all too satisfying.

Her breathing stopped altogether, and he kissed her. The kiss was hard, desperate, a clash of emotions that neither of them could contain any longer.

Thalia gasped against his lips, her hands instinctively reaching up to grasp the front of his tunic, pulling him closer with a wild intensity. Her lips were warm and demanding, and the sheer force of her kiss sent a jolt of heat through his entire body.

His cock hardened against her stomach, and he pressed the length of it against her. Her whimper was enough to set his skin on fire.

Finn groaned against her lips, the sound vibrating through her as his hands slid from her face to wrap around her, pulling her flush against him. Thalia’s reaction to him was mouthwatering, and he wanted more. The feel of her, the taste of her, how easily her body fit against his. There was nothing gentle about the way he kissed her nor how she kissed him back. It was wild, born of raw need.

Her hands traced the lines of his abdomen, and he lifted his shirt for her to rest them on his bare skin as his tongue tangled expertly with hers. All thoughts of anger and fear were swept away, replaced by the searing heat of their kiss.

Finn’s hands slid down her back and over her backside, pressing her closer, as if he couldn’t get enough of her. Thalia responded in kind, her hands traveling up his torso, along every scar, and then back down again. She pressed against him, a silent plea him to take it further, and he clenched his muscles to stop her from pushing him back. Her answering sigh in his mouth was all he needed to know that his response was exactly what she wanted.

Finn stepped around her and rested against the tree, twisting her around so that she rested on him now. The warmth of her hands on his body made him think about her hand being wrapped around the length of him. He reached a hand up on her neck and gathered her hair, tugging back on it slightly just until her mouth broke from his. Her plump lips hung open, waiting for him, her breaths ragged with desire.

He watched her through hooded lids and thought about her warm, waiting mouth wrapped around him next. Her hands reached up, tangling in his hair, and he let her pull herself into his kiss once more. Thalia kissed him with equal madness. It was as if she too thought of him doing unseemly things to her, and the thought of her mind twisting through a passionate encounter drove him half crazy.

We need to stop this before I do something she will hate me for.

His kiss eased, and she followed his lead without argument. When they finally broke apart, both of them were breathing hard, their faces flushed with the aftermath of their passion. Finn’s gaze was intense, his dark eyes searching hers as if trying to find something in her that would make sense of what had just happened.

“Daenae ye ever do that again,” Finn said, his voice rough, almost pleading. “Daenae put yourself in danger like that. I cannae… I willnae lose ye.”

Thalia’s heart skipped a beat at the raw emotion in his voice, and for a moment, she felt like she might melt right there in his arms. The intensity of his feelings, the way he looked at her as if she were the most important thing in the world, made her want to forget everything else. She wanted to stay in this moment, to hold onto the connection they had just forged.

But then Finn’s expression shifted, and the words that followed shattered the fragile tenderness that had just begun to bloom between them.

“Ye still have to make good on your end of our bargain,” Finn said, his voice taking on a harder edge. “This doesnae change what we agreed upon.”

Thalia’s body went rigid, the warmth that had filled her chest turning to ice. She pushed him away, the movement sudden and forceful, breaking the spell that had bound them together. Her eyes flashed with anger as she took a step back, putting distance between them.

“Don’t worry, Laird Crawford,” she said coldly, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife. “I will fulfill my part of the bargain. You will have your heir.”

Finn’s eyes widened slightly, his expression shifting to something unreadable, but Thalia didn’t give him the chance to respond. She turned on her heel and marched back toward the carriage, her heart pounding in her chest for an entirely different reason now.

As she walked away, she could feel Finn’s gaze on her, burning into her back, but she refused to look at him. The sting of his words, the reminder of the deal that still hung over their heads, cut deeper than she wanted to admit. For a moment, she had allowed herself to believe that there could be something more between them, something real, but Finn’s reminder had brought her crashing back to reality.

She had agreed to marry him, to provide him with an heir, and that was all it was supposed to be. She couldn’t afford to let her emotions get in the way, no matter how much her heart yearned for something more. Finn was the Laird, and she was the woman who would give him what he needed —nothing more, nothing less.

As she reached her sisters’ carriage, Thalia took a deep breath, forcing herself to push the emotions back down, to lock them away where they couldn’t hurt her. Her sisters were waiting for her, their eyes wide with worry, and Thalia forced a smile as she climbed back inside.

“Everything’s fine,” she said, her voice steady though her heart was anything but. “We’ll be in Scotland soon.”

The twins nodded though they still looked unconvinced, and Diana dropped her head. Thalia settled herself on the bench, her mind racing as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.

“Hey?” She reached out a hand and placed it on Diana’s white knuckles.

Her sister looked up and met her gaze, her eyes were red and puffy. “I’m sorry I got you in trouble with that… that…” she trailed off and wrung her impossibly tight grip even tighter. “Anyway, I’m sorry… I just…”

“I know, darling. I know. Everything will be well; we will be in Scotland, and it will all be well.”

She had a sneaking feeling that Diana was still not convinced, but she had nodded her head and turned to stare out of the window, ending the conversation.

Thalia could still feel the heat of Finn’s kiss on her lips, the way his hands had held her as if she were something precious. But she couldn’t afford to dwell on it. Not now, not when there was still so much at stake.

Will it all be well?

As the carriage began to move again, Thalia stared out the window, her thoughts a tangled mess of emotions. Finn had kissed her, had held her like she was the most important thing in his world, and then he had reminded her of their bargain and of the cold reality of their situation.

The Laird needed an heir, and she was the one who would give it to him. That was all there was to it. He had fulfilled his side of the bargain that Thalia had let herself forget about. The fire in her veins when he touched her, kissed her, and looked at her was all something from her imagination.

It couldn’t be real.

She knew that she had to keep her focus. She had to remember why she had agreed to this in the first place. Her sisters.

But even as she told herself that, she couldn’t help but wonder — What if there was more? What if it is something deeper? Something real?

Thalia shook her head, pushing the thoughts away. It didn’t matter. She had made her choice, and she would see it through. No matter how much of a promise their kiss had held for her. No matter how warm or safe he made her feel. It was all part of the deal, and she needed to remember that.