Chapter 24

24

Lana scowled in Daniel's study, restless and angry she was being forced to remain in his company. She had spent the day in quiet corners of whatever room Daniel occupied, being left out of all conversations. She had watched him speak in hushed tones with his councilmen while they glanced over at her. And now she sat in his study while he sipped whiskey and penned letters to the landowners nearby.

Throughout it all he glared and glowered at her, still unable to forgive her for nearly losing Skye. But she couldn't shake the feeling that Daniel was overreacting. After all, they had found Skye safe and unharmed. She couldn't understand why Daniel acted like they had narrowly avoided disaster.

Desperate to make something happen in this dark, stuffy room, Lana threw herself into a chair. She let out a loud sigh, and she was pleased when Daniel looked up from his desk. He looked at her as if he had forgotten she was there.

"I suppose it's time to turn in," he said.

"Very well," she agreed, nearly tripping over her feet in her haste to be out of his study. "Goodnight."

"Where are ye going?" he asked, and she froze in place.

"To bed," she answered. But even as she said it, reality crashed over her. She should have known better…

"When I said I willnae let ye out of me sight, I wasnae joking," he said. "Ye will sleep with me tonight."

Her cheeks flushed with warmth, though she knew Daniel didn't have amorous intentions when he said the words. Even so, her body grew hot as she imagined his bed and the last time he laid her on it. She looked down at her feet, taking her bottom lip between her teeth, and she heard him let out a low grunt.

"That isnae what I meant, lass."

She looked up at him from below her eyelashes and saw him striding toward her. Her breaths came faster, and her skin burned as his hand wrapped around her wrist. Slowly, he led her toward his bedchamber. His presence was solid and strong beside her, speaking of safety and protection that was comforting after how cold he had been to her today.

It would feel good to be held after such a day.

"Wait here," he said as he dropped her into the room.

Then he stepped out and closed the door behind him, and she heard the decisive click of the lock.

"I thought ye wouldnae let me out of yer sight," Lana mumbled as she began to pace in frustration.

She had shocked herself with the longing she felt for Daniel as they walked toward his chambers. Now she chastised her imagination for falling into fantasies.

And so she waited, outraged that he had dropped her here and locked the door. It was one thing to be watched by Daniel all day, it was entirely another to be locked up in his room like a prisoner.

She stepped onto the balcony, needing to breathe in the fresh air and feel the breeze on her skin. The sky was nearly dark, and she could see stars peeking through the wispy clouds illuminated by the moonlight. It was a peaceful moment in an uncomfortable day.

The cool night air calmed her heated skin, and she breathed deeply, forcing herself to relax. Could it only be yesterday that she got married? How quickly her world could turn on its head. But this was what being married to a laird was like.

Lana looked out beyond the castle walls and wondered if Laird MacDougal really posed a threat to them. Could Skye's grandfather really be angry enough to attack?

"Ye shouldnae be outside."

She started, as Daniel was suddenly behind her. The broad expanse of his chest was only inches away from her, and his breath was against her ear. She stayed where she was, staring out into the darkness.

"Ye are the one who left," she mumbled. "I thought ye couldnae let me out of yer sight."

Daniel let out a low chuckle. "So ye are angry with me for breaking my rules?"

Lana thought back to the first days of their relationship. So much talk of rules and when to follow them. They were starting to feel childish and outdated in this complicated world.

"Nay," she sighed. "I am tired of them. Ye keep adding more."

To her surprise, Daniel closed the gap between them, pressing his chest to her back and snaking his arm around her stomach. He pulled her tight against him, so she felt the shape of his hips and the muscles of his chest. His chin rested on the crown of her head, and then his mouth dipped down to her neck.

"Does that mean ye are ready to forget these rules?" he asked. "If ye must stay here tonight, perhaps we can make the most of it."

Lana leaned back so she could relax against him, knowing he would easily hold her up. She closed her eyes as his lips trailed closer to her ear, and she arched her back as his hand brushed against her chest, teasing her.

Lana turned around in his arms and tilted her head up. "Arenae ye angry with me?" she asked, even as longing coursed through her.

How quickly their annoyance with one another could turn into desire.

Daniel made a deep and dismissive sound in the back of his throat. "Skye is alright," he said. "I should probably be thanking ye. Ye made me realize how close danger could be."

"Ye really think there is a threat?" Lana asked. "Must we be so careful?"

"Aye," Daniel replied. He lifted his hand to her cheek. "We must be careful. I willnae let anyone take what is mine."

The words felt pointed, a claim on her that surprised her and caused a pull deep in her stomach.

Daniel bent down and pressed his lips to hers, lowering both hands to squeeze her hips. Lana opened her mouth wider, and then the soft pressure of his tongue was against her own. She sighed into his mouth, closing her eyes as he brought his hand to the small of her back. He pulled her hips closer to his, gently rocking against her as he deepened their kiss.

His hand then came up to cup the side of her face, and then it slipped down to her neck. Lana felt his hand drop lower until his fingers were tracing the neckline of her dress. She gasped as his fingers pulled at the fabric, and suddenly he was teasing the perfect roundness of her breasts. Shocks of pleasure rushed through her each time he teased her hardening nipples.

"Daenae think I am forgetting me rules," Lana gasped, but the longing in her voice contradicted her words.

Daniel smiled against her lips.

"If I can relax me rules," he murmured as he pulled her dress lower, eager to touch more of her, "perhaps ye can do the same."

He reached down to swirl his finger around a hardening bud, and Lana nearly collapsed from the pleasure of it. Her knees buckled, and it was only Daniel's strong arm around her back that kept her standing.

"Yer rules?" she gasped.

"Aye. I will forgive ye for breaking one."

Daniel pulled up her skirts, and then his fingers were on the bare skin of her knee. Lana was desperate for more, dreaming of all the things those fingers could do to her. But his words kept echoing in her mind.

She pulled back, jolted out of this pleasant moment by his words.

"What rule did I break, Me Laird?"

She couldn't keep the annoyance out of her voice, and she saw Daniel start, confused by the turn this had taken. He looked back at her as if the answer were obvious.

"I told ye nae to make decisions for me child," he reminded her. "Ye broke a rule and put her in danger."

"By letting her play?" Lana asked. "She was right outside the door."

"It was poor judgment," Daniel countered. "But I told ye I've forgiven it."

"Well, that's kind of ye," Lana scoffed, pushing past him.

She stormed into his bedchamber and noticed a few items neatly folded on the bed. She caught sight of her nightdress sitting on top. Had he gone to collect her things when he left her in the room?

The kind gesture didn't do anything to lessen Lana's annoyance. It only made her more frustrated. She spun around to face him.

"If I am such trouble to ye, then perhaps ye should send me home, Me Laird. Do ye really think I pose such a danger to yer child?"

"That wasnae what I said," Daniel answered as he followed her inside. He smirked at her, and she recognized his teasing expression. "Though I must say, ever since we were wed, there has been quite a bit of trouble here."

She knew he was trying to joke with her, but his judgment was like a slice of a knife. She was guilty enough about what happened with Skye today, and she didn't need Daniel to remind her of what she had done wrong. And then there was Laird MacDougal, crashing their wedding because she was replacing his daughter. She couldn't help thinking this had all been a mistake.

"It's all gone wrong," Lana mumbled, wrapping her arms around her stomach as she shook her head. "Laird MacDougal is angry that ye have married me and forgotten his daughter. And he's furious enough to attack ye for it. Plus, ye brought me here to take care of Skye, but I'm only bringing more danger to her."

She stared down at the floor, full of guilt and helplessness. Daniel's entire castle was on edge, preparing for attacks or kidnappings, and she couldn't shake the feeling that it was all her fault.

Daniel approached, but she wouldn't look at him.

"Lana," he murmured gently.

She knew he was trying to coax her to look him in the eye, but she couldn't bear to see his scowls or, even worse, a look of pity.

"Ye havenae brought this danger," he said.

She shivered as he put his hand on her arm and ran it down the side of her arm before taking her hand.

"Perhaps I should leave," she muttered, trying to hold back the tears as she thought of leaving Skye and her new family. "It would be safer for ye and Skye."

"Nay," Daniel declared, fast and decisive. She was surprised by the forcefulness of his tone. "Ye willnae leave."

"So ye will hold me prisoner?" Lana asked, suddenly frustrated with him. She had spent the day doing what he told her to, and she was losing patience with him. "Did ye nae say I am free to do as I wish? As long as it doesnae cause me harm?"

"Enough of these rules!" Daniel bellowed. The volume shocked her into looking at him.

"They are yer rules!" she cried out. "If I stay here, I am only bringing harm to meself and Skye. Let me protect her."

"Ye daenae ken what is right for me daughter. Have I nae told ye willnae make decisions for her? Ye barely ken the child!"

The words stung more than anything Daniel could throw at her. Lana had taken great pains to connect with his daughter. Anyone with eyes could see the pair had already formed an unbreakable bond.

"Ye can still say this?" Lana asked, feeling anger boil in her veins. "Do ye truly believe that I daenae have Skye's best interests at heart?"

"Ye arenae her maither!" Daniel argued.

"Aye," Lana spat. "Ye have made that perfectly clear."

She stormed toward the door, unwilling to stay in the room for another second. She didn't care what danger might await her if she stayed in her own room tonight. She simply needed to be away from Daniel.

But Daniel caught on to her actions, and he followed after her, taking two steps for every one she took. Just as she turned the knob and opened the door, he put his hand on the wood and pushed it closed.

Lana was now trapped between the door and his body, and she could do nothing but turn around, shooting daggers at him with her eyes.

But his proximity was intoxicating, and the anger radiating off each of them was far too close to desire. One glance at Daniel's lips and he ravaged her, taking her bottom lip between his teeth. She moaned into the kiss, pulling at his clothes and tugging his shirt from his breeches. She didn't know what she did, only that she wanted to feel his bare skin against her own.

Daniel pulled his shirt over his head, revealing the taut muscles of his chest. Lana timidly placed both her hands on his bare skin, coaxing a mischievous smile from him. He stepped closer and took her lips in a searing kiss again before he wrapped an arm around her waist and spun them both around, so he could walk her backwards.

Lana realized he was walking her to the bed.

"Enough!" she said, using her hands to push him away. "I daenae love ye."

"Then what are ye feeling?" Daniel asked, still looking at her with hunger in her eyes.

He kept walking her backward until the back of her knees bumped into the bed.

Lana could give in. She knew she could kiss him and let him coax pleasure from every nook and cranny of her body. But she wouldn't allow it.

"I am nae sure, Me Laird," she said, clenching her jaw. "But right now, I would say I feel something like hate."

Daniel seemed surprised by her words, but his expression quickly turned into a scowl. His looming frame was pushing her onto the bed. But in a breath, he turned on his heel and stormed toward the door. She watched the taut muscles of his back as he opened the door with a grunt.

"Me Laird!" A guard was standing outside, surprised by Daniel's sudden appearance in the hallway.

"Daenae leave yer post. Daenae move away from this door."

Lana saw the guard nod and stand taller, eager to please.

Satisfied, Daniel reached back and slammed the door shut, but not before glancing back at her for a second, his eye blazing.