Everlastin' Book 1 by Mickee Madden

her. She spun around and
pressed her back to the door as his palms flattened to the recessed
panels on each side of her shoulders, blocking any chance of her
escaping him. Her hands braced at his chest, she looked up at him
through a mist of tears.
    “Ye're no' threatened by
me,” he said. “Only yer ignorance of wha' is true atween
us.”
    “Leave me alone!”
    Despite her effort to push
him away, he lowered his head and captured her lips. Beth wanted to
scream out her anger at him for having the physical strength to
overpower her. Her clenched fists were trapped between their bodies
as his arms masterfully embraced her. His kiss deepened,
threatening to overpower her will, as well. Liquid warmth
unexpectedly coursed through her. At once, the fight went out of
her. In place of her fears was an ache within her, but one of
absolute bliss. The rightness of being in his arms, of his fingers
in her hair, of the slow, seductive movements of his mouth against
hers, was incontestable.
    Lachlan ended the kiss but
brushed a cheek against hers before lifting his head and staring
into her glazed eyes. “You and I share the ability to experience
one anither's emotions. Tis wha' you reacted to in the dinin'
room.”
    “No!”
    “I permitted ma rage wi’ the
Ingliss to spill over on you. You know tis true, Beth. Since yer
arrival, twas no' the first time you felt an emotion no' yer
own.”
    Bewildered, she peered into
the enigmatic depths of his eyes. “Lachlan, please!”
    He gave an adamant shake of
his head. “Listen, lass.” Resting his hands on her shoulders, he
absently caressed her earlobes with his thumbs. “The night o’ yer
mother's funeral, you were sittin' at the window, starin' ou' into
the darkness o’ yer backyard. Remember? Remember weepin', Beth?
Remember the pain squeezin' yer heart as you thought abou' the bed
o’ flowers you'd planted tha' yer mither wouldna see?”
    The color drained from her
face. “How could you know about that?” She attempted to move away
from him but his hands slid down her arms, keeping her rooted in
place.
    “In a way I canna explain, I
was there wi' you. Yer despair was so great, darlin', it damn near
broke ma heart. I made some inane remark abou' life bein' no bed o’
roses. It made you smile. Remember?”
    Beth did remember, and it
frightened her more than she could ever admit. “You're saying
you're some kind of psychic?”
    “I'm somethin', all right.
I'll grant you tha'.”
    Planting a brief kiss on her
lips, he straightened with a pained expression. “This house
intensifies our emotions, love, and our senses. Unless you unburden
yerself o’wha's been eatin' at you, you’ll remain vulnerable to ma
hatred o’ the Inglisses.”
    Beth rapidly shook her head.
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
    “Yer mither.”
    “Shut up! Let her rest in
peace!”
    “She is. Tis you I'm worried
abou', lass.”
    Tears streamed down Beth's
face as she struck his chest with an open palm. “I hate
you!”
    “Tis past time to set yer
spirit free! Dammit, Beth, you're sufferin' needlessly!”
    “You're a cruel man,” she
accused, weeping hard. “Leave me alone, damn you!”
    Lachlan's features twisted
with inner pain. “Ma heart was stone till it touched yers. Damn me,
Beth? You hold every fiber o’ ma bein' in yer wee palm.”
    Numb, thoughts swirling in
her head, Beth stepped away from him, not even aware that he had
finally released her.
    “I need time to think,” she
said, turning toward the door.
    “Abou' us?” he asked sadly.
“In tha', I have no doubts. As for yer conscience, I know the
consequences o’ harborin' somethin' dark and festerin'.”
    Silence stretched between
them for a time. Beth stared at the door, while Lachlan's
despondent gaze remained fixed on the back of her head.
    “You push too hard,” she
said, her voice breaking with emotion. “I don't know you well
enough to bare my soul to you. I don't know if I want to know you
at