Highland Destiny (Murray Brothers 1)
by Hannah Howell[ Romance ]
Bestselling Author Hannah Howell returns to the splendor of medieval Scotland in this first novel of her new trilogy--a saga of clan warfare, divided loyalties, and forbidden love. Here, in the Scottish highlands of the 15th century, a powerful knight meets his match in a mysterious beauty bent on revenge. When destiny brought Sir Balfour Murray and his wounded brother down the same road as Maldie Kirkaldy, she offered her services as a nurse even as she tried to deny the desire this dark-eyed knight had ignited at first sight. Soon they discover that they both share a mission of vengeance, but Maldie cannot tell him her true identity--to do so would brand her a spy. Sworn to avenge his family as chief of the Doncoill Clan, Balfour vows to destroy his greatest foe, with Maldie at his side. Yet Balfour knows that he can no more afford to trust her than he can ignore his lust for this sultry beauty. Now, he is not only determined to unearth her deepest secrets, but also to pursue his passion for her. And nothing will stand in his way.
HIGHLAND SURRENDER
What really troubled Maldie was that she was making no effort to thwart him in his seductive game. She should be inflicting pain upon the man, breaking free of his hold. Instead she remained still in his arms, thinking with some amusement that he was a handsome rogue.
"So, this is what ye plotted all along," she said, her palms flat against his broad chest in a weak, fraudulent show of resistance.
"Do ye accuse me of base trickery?" he asked, his voice pleasant, almost amused, as he brushed a kiss over her forehead.
"Aye, I do. Do ye deny it?" She shivered with ill-concealed delight as he kissed the hollow behind her ear.
"'Twas no plot or trickery, bonny Maldie. Merely a thought, something I considered." He grinned when she uttered a short, sharp sound of disgust. "Ye did need to get out of that room."
Just as Maldie opened her mouth to tell him succinctly that he was speaking utter nonsense, he touched his lips to hers. A little voice in her head told her that she was courting danger, but she easily ignored it. The warmth his slow, enticing kiss stirred within her melted away all common sense and resistance. He made her feel good, and, she ruefully admitted, she was too weak to refuse that.
As he deepened the kiss, she curled her arms around his neck and pressed closer to him. The tremor that went through him spread to her own body. It astounded and alarmed her that one simple kiss could so enflame them both.
His unsteady fingers brushed her skin as he unlaced her chemise. She found the strength to murmur a nay, but he kissed away her halfhearted protest. Maldie knew she lacked the strength to shove him away from her, that she was allowing him such freedom, because her skin ached for his touch...
