into his arms. Not exactly.
“The girl, Miss Macleod. How did you know?”
Now, how could she explain it? “I saw them downstairs, too,” Caitrin lied smoothly. She’d been lying about her gift of clairvoyance for years. It came easily to her. “Somethin’ dinna seem right with them.”
His eyes narrowed as he appraised her face. “I can hear it when your heartbeat speeds up,” he said softly. “I can’t tell if you’re anxious because you’re telling me an untruth, or if it’s because you like me.” He grinned mischievously at her.
“I can assure ye it’s neither.” She sat up a bit straighter.
He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “Then what is it?”
Truth be told, just the look in his eyes made her heart beat faster. He had this way of making her feel naked, despite the fact that she was fully clothed. She squirmed in her seat.
He chuckled once more and sat back, a supreme example of a relaxed male. “That’s what I thought.”
Caitrin wanted nothing more than to rant and rave about his superior attitude. But her sleeping maid didn’t allow her to say what she wanted to say. Instead, she pushed her lips together in an effort to stay quiet.
***
The more Caitrin pursed her lips, the more Dash wanted to kiss them. Her very existence tortured him, though she seemed oblivious to his plight. If he could get her talking again, he could focus on her words to distract himself.
“Do you have any sisters or big, burly brothers?” Anyone he should worry himself about meeting when they reached Glasgow.
She shook her head. “Nay. I’m an only child, though I have a small group of friends I’m very close ta. Ye could say we’re like sisters in a lot of ways.”
Dash had a few friends but none so close that he’d consider them family. Of course, he could never trust anyone enough to divulge the dark secret he kept hidden. What he wouldn’t give to have been raised in a pack that accepted him.
“Ye look far away, my lord.” Her soft, lilting voice reached the recesses of his mind and brought him back to the present.
“Nothing of any importance, I assure you.”
“What about ye? Do ye have any siblings?”
“None that I’m aware of,” he admitted. Honestly, who knew how many children his real father had sired?
Caitrin’s tinkling laugh warmed his soul. “What is that supposed ta mean?”
He probably shouldn’t have said that. He wanted to marry the lass. Confessing to being a bastard wasn’t the best way to go about convincing her. “One never knows,” he answered vaguely.
She cocked her head to one side as though assessing him, and he didn’t welcome the scrutiny. What secrets would she uncover, simply by looking at him?
“My father wanted many sons, but he was only blessed with me. Something he’s lamented for years.” He wasn’t certain why he told her that. There was something about staring into her pretty blue eyes that made him want to confess all.
Caitrin bit her bottom lip, the sight of which made his trousers painfully tight. “Yer father’s no’ a Lycan?”
Dash nearly fell out of his seat. How could she possibly know that? He shook his head, stunned. Then he took a sidelong glance at the sleeping maid. “No. And that fact, according to Major Forster, means he’s probably not my father.” There, he’d said it. There was no use trying to hide it; her mere presence would pull it from him anyway.
Her pretty blue eyes rounded in surprise. “And yer mother?”
“Dead. She died in childbirth, taking the secret of my sire with her.”
“Oh. That must be difficult. A friend of mine never kent her father, and it pained her every day.”
Dash released a breath he didn’t know he held. “You’re very kind not to judge me.”
“Ye’re hardly responsible for yer own circumstances, my lord.”
He reached across the coach and grasped her hands in his. “Dashiel, or Dash, if you’d rather.”
She shook her head. “I doona think that would
“The girl, Miss Macleod. How did you know?”
Now, how could she explain it? “I saw them downstairs, too,” Caitrin lied smoothly. She’d been lying about her gift of clairvoyance for years. It came easily to her. “Somethin’ dinna seem right with them.”
His eyes narrowed as he appraised her face. “I can hear it when your heartbeat speeds up,” he said softly. “I can’t tell if you’re anxious because you’re telling me an untruth, or if it’s because you like me.” He grinned mischievously at her.
“I can assure ye it’s neither.” She sat up a bit straighter.
He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “Then what is it?”
Truth be told, just the look in his eyes made her heart beat faster. He had this way of making her feel naked, despite the fact that she was fully clothed. She squirmed in her seat.
He chuckled once more and sat back, a supreme example of a relaxed male. “That’s what I thought.”
Caitrin wanted nothing more than to rant and rave about his superior attitude. But her sleeping maid didn’t allow her to say what she wanted to say. Instead, she pushed her lips together in an effort to stay quiet.
***
The more Caitrin pursed her lips, the more Dash wanted to kiss them. Her very existence tortured him, though she seemed oblivious to his plight. If he could get her talking again, he could focus on her words to distract himself.
“Do you have any sisters or big, burly brothers?” Anyone he should worry himself about meeting when they reached Glasgow.
She shook her head. “Nay. I’m an only child, though I have a small group of friends I’m very close ta. Ye could say we’re like sisters in a lot of ways.”
Dash had a few friends but none so close that he’d consider them family. Of course, he could never trust anyone enough to divulge the dark secret he kept hidden. What he wouldn’t give to have been raised in a pack that accepted him.
“Ye look far away, my lord.” Her soft, lilting voice reached the recesses of his mind and brought him back to the present.
“Nothing of any importance, I assure you.”
“What about ye? Do ye have any siblings?”
“None that I’m aware of,” he admitted. Honestly, who knew how many children his real father had sired?
Caitrin’s tinkling laugh warmed his soul. “What is that supposed ta mean?”
He probably shouldn’t have said that. He wanted to marry the lass. Confessing to being a bastard wasn’t the best way to go about convincing her. “One never knows,” he answered vaguely.
She cocked her head to one side as though assessing him, and he didn’t welcome the scrutiny. What secrets would she uncover, simply by looking at him?
“My father wanted many sons, but he was only blessed with me. Something he’s lamented for years.” He wasn’t certain why he told her that. There was something about staring into her pretty blue eyes that made him want to confess all.
Caitrin bit her bottom lip, the sight of which made his trousers painfully tight. “Yer father’s no’ a Lycan?”
Dash nearly fell out of his seat. How could she possibly know that? He shook his head, stunned. Then he took a sidelong glance at the sleeping maid. “No. And that fact, according to Major Forster, means he’s probably not my father.” There, he’d said it. There was no use trying to hide it; her mere presence would pull it from him anyway.
Her pretty blue eyes rounded in surprise. “And yer mother?”
“Dead. She died in childbirth, taking the secret of my sire with her.”
“Oh. That must be difficult. A friend of mine never kent her father, and it pained her every day.”
Dash released a breath he didn’t know he held. “You’re very kind not to judge me.”
“Ye’re hardly responsible for yer own circumstances, my lord.”
He reached across the coach and grasped her hands in his. “Dashiel, or Dash, if you’d rather.”
She shook her head. “I doona think that would
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