“Where are you going, Tara?”

“Out!”

“I can see that, but where?”

She stopped and turned. “Far away from you.”

He almost collided with her. Before he could react, she was storming off again, as he shouted, “A lady is not safe out here by herself.”

She stopped. This time he didn’t stop in time and fell into her.

Hands at her sides, her chest thrust up next to his she gritted between her teeth. “A lady isn’t safe around you either.”

“Now, Tara.” He tried to pleading with her.

“Oh, don’t you even ‘now, Tara’ me.” She stepped to the side and started off, in a different direction. Stalking in circles.

He let her walk for several minutes before attempting to speak to her again, “I would be happy to escort you on a walk. But, we need to get you more properly dressed.” He knew the effect watching her walk in tight jeans was having on him, he could only imagine what his men must have thought when she stormed the court yard.

“You’re a bastard, you know that MacCoinnich?”

He wanted to counter what she said, but cautioned himself against it. “Still, we need you in more fitting clothes. If someone were to come along, questions would be raised which would be most difficult
to answer.”

“You should have thought of that before you brought me here.” She waved a hand in his general direction. “Right now, I don’t give a crap what questions you might have to answer.”

“I told you how necessary it is for secrecy.” He turned to the Keep and noticed some of the men watching, curious about what would happen. He needed to put a stop to this and soon.

“Bite me.”

A completely inappropriate image of him doing exactly that popped into his head. A slow lazy smile inched over his lips.

Unfortunately, for him, Tara read his thoughts. She didn’t find them nearly as entertaining as he did. “You ass…” She raised her hand to slap his face.

He caught her hand before it made contact. “I’ve had enough of this.”