Conall: The 93rd Highlanders, Book Two Read Free

moment to realize he wasn’t sure
what to do with her. She almost wept with frustration. God love
them both, he was the innocent here. She’d never felt her years
more.
    She licked his lips,
sliding her tongue between them, praying he’d understand. She was a
practical woman, but she wasn’t sure she was up to explaining the
facts of life to Conall Fletcher. To her utter relief he opened his
mouth and she licked into the heat of him. He was breathing heavy,
and even though she couldn’t feel him through their layers of
clothes she could tell he wanted her. She nearly shouted for joy.
He took control of the kiss almost immediately, a fast learner it
would seem. He tasted her like she was the finest wine and for once
Avril felt like it, like she was worth savoring. It had been so
long since she’d felt this way, like a woman and not a
drudge.
    It was over too soon.
Conall stiffened in her arms and pushed her away. “I can’t,” he
said, panting. He shook his head. “It isn’t right.”
    Avril had still been
pliant in his hands, but at his words she became as stiff as he.
“Let go,” she demanded harshly. He yanked his hands off her arms
and took a step back. “How no?” she asked, dreading his answer. Had
she been too forward? She didn’t like the weight that settled in
her stomach at the thought of showing the young lieutenant the
door. She’d liked him, she had.
    “ Because it’s
as Munro said,” he answered, surprising her. “I feel like I’m
taking advantage of you, Avril. A woman alone, a widow, no way to
protect yourself. You needn’t do this to have my protection. You
know that, don’t you?”
    She growled in
frustration and scooped her bonnet up off her measly, cold cot.
“Oh, yes, I know. And no good woman would want to bed you, is that
it?” She growled again and shook her fist at him. “You and the
captain. Well, I’ve had enough of casting my pearl before swine.
The two of you just go ahead and ‘protect’ me,” she said with a
sneer. “And while you’re doing that, don’t be minding me out there
looking for a man to warm my bed.”
    “ Avril,” he
said sharply, and she spun around to face him, stopping his
words.
    “ Don’t be
calling me that,” she snapped. “You don’t get that right now. You
just threw it away. It’ll be Mrs. Scott to you unless you come to
your senses. And if you do, you better hope it’s not too late.” She
held open the door. “Out with you. I’ll bring you something to eat
and you can freeze your arse off eating it out there.”
    “ Did you make
the same offer to Munro?” Conall asked angrily, ignoring her
dismissal.
    She sniffed regally. “And
if I did?”
    Conall stalked over and
took her by the arm, and even angry as he seemed, he didn’t hurt
her. “Don’t throw words at me,” he growled, his delicious burr
raising goose bumps on her skin. “Tell me true. Did
you?”
    “ Yes, she
did.” The captain ducked into her hut again. “Close the door,” he
ordered her. Without a thought to disobeying that tone, Avril did
as she was told. Munro looked between her and Conall, a scowl on
his usually unreadable face. “You’re making a spectacle of
yourselves,” he growled. “I’m not the only one who heard what was
going on in here.”
    Avril had a bit of
trouble breathing, surrounded by the two big Highlanders. One ruddy
and dark and tall, the other bright and big, and both angry. She’d
never seen two men who wore the kilt and scarlet jacket so well.
Conall still had a hand on her arm, and the captain grabbed the
other.
    “ Let her go,”
he ordered Conall. But Conall wasn’t as quick to obey as she’d
been.
    “ No,” he said
clearly. “It’s you who needs to be taking your hands
off.”
    The captain couldn’t have
looked more shocked if the queen had walked into the hut. “What did
you say, boy?”
    “ I’m not a
boy,” Conall growled. “Did you dishonor her?”
    “ What?” Avril
ground out. “I’m just after telling