To Bewitch a Highlander - PROMO
Blitz
By Lily
Baldwin
Historical
Romance
Date Published:
4/10/2013
She will protect her identity with
her very life if necessary. Who will protect her from herself?
Shoney's lightning speed with a bow
captures Ronan by surprise, and their chance meeting ends with him
lying unconscious at the bottom of a ravine.
When he awakens, he cannot rid his
mind of her startling beauty, her valor, or the secret fear he
glimpsed in her steel eyes.
He vows to find her, but as the
mysteries of her identity unfold, his courage and heart are tested as
never before.
Audio Book
Sample
EXCERPT
Shoney gripped a large rock with
one hand to keep from rising to the surface and was hurriedly
scooping handfuls of Dulse with the other, putting the slimy clusters
into the sack hanging about her neck. Dulse was her favorite seaweed.
Its translucent pink color was hard to spot, but it grew in bushels
at the bottom of her pool. If infused in a bath, it soothed sore
limbs, and its oil cleansed the skin, clearing away unsightly dry
patches. Satisfied she had gathered enough, she released the stone
and swooshed her arms, swirling in a circle. Her hair fanned out,
covering her face and wrapping around her waist.
The sting from the icy water
subsided so that she could truly enjoy the feel of being submersed.
The bottom of the deep pool gleamed with smooth white rocks, which
seemed to light the murky water. She was enclosed inside rocks
directly below her home where she knew none of the clansfolk would
ever dare to venture, allowing her to leave behind the Witch’s
cloak and every other stitch of clothing for that matter. Nothing
delighted her more than to feel the rush of cold water over her bare
limbs. Nothing made her feel more alive, but she was running out of
breath and knew she had to surface.
Her feet touched down on the
bottom, and she bent her knees, pushing against the white stones to
hasten her swim to the surface, but she did not surge through the
water as expected. Large hands grabbed her from above, blocking her
momentum. She seized with panic as she flailed against her captor’s
grip. The water churned, bubbling from her efforts, but she was
powerless against the strong arms that wrapped around her from behind
and pulled her against the unyielding hardness of a man’s chest.
Every corded ridge of muscle pressing against her naked back shifted
as he pushed off the bottom, propelling them both toward the
surface.
They emerged from the depths, and
he pulled them to the edge of the pool. Shoney sucked air into her
lungs. Too long had she been submersed and now felt dizzy. Despite
her reeling head, she lunged to escape the hands still grasping her
shoulders, but his hold only tightened. Then, for the first time, she
tilted her head back to look upon her captor.
“You”, she exclaimed. “What
are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” he
said. “This is my island. What are you doing here?”
“Taking a bath”, she
gritted.
She could not believe the giant,
the one called Ronan, was in her pool. How dare he invade her
rightful territory. Fury consumed her but also terror. Not only was
she unarmed, but he was even larger than she first
realized.
“I am finished now”, she said.
“So release your grip, and I will be on my way.”
“A bath she says.”
He turned her around in his arms so
she faced him. Then he wrenched the sack from around her neck and
threw it into the water. Shoney watched as it sunk beneath the
surface. “I have been searching the whole island for you for a
fortnight only to find you nigh drowning, leaving me no choice but to
dive in to save you.”
“Save me? Is that what you
thought? That I was drowning.” She could not help laughing, but
stopped when his hand slid down the curve of back.
Shoney was suddenly very aware of
her state of undress. Her curves were concealed from his eyes by the
water, but what he could not see surely he could feel as his arms
pressed her close. She gasped as she felt the contours of his muscles
shift against her skin. The heat of his body provided warmth against
the frigid water, and his arms seemed to touch more than just her
waist. They reached beyond her physical form, satisfying a craving
for contact, which solitude had entrenched deep within her heart. He
was powerful and intoxicating, and her response to him was shocking.
She never imagined a man would feel so good, so strong, but she knew
it had to be wrong. Shouldn’t she be outraged? She had to escape
his hold. Her hands pressed against his wide chest as she thrust away
from him, but he wouldn’t budge.
“Let me go, this is indecent”,
she snapped.
“No more indecent than leaving me
to die, lass. I was only trying to save you.”
“The only saving I need is from
you”, she hissed through gritted teeth. “Release me. You have no
claim over me or my body as I am neither your wife nor your whore.”
She renewed her struggles and shrieked, “Let go of
me.”
His grip loosened slightly, and she
felt the warmth of his breath as his head dipped close to hers. His
hand swept the length of her torso and then gently caressed her
cheek.
“I know I need to let go of you,”
he whispered. “I know that I am disgracing you as well as myself,
but I cannot bring myself to do so.”
She met his smoldering gaze. His
lips were but a whisper away from hers. Try as she might, she could
not take a deep breath. Her quick, shallow breathing was unnerving.
And then as he pressed her body into his, her breathing was forgotten
completely as was the cold water that encircled them, the crash of
the waves, and the call of the birds. All she was aware of was his
eyes, the closeness of his mouth, and the racing of her heart. He
slowly lowered his lips, taking possession of the soft skin just
below her ear. She closed her eyes, feeling a strange heat at the
place where his lips had been. His hot kisses trailed down the length
of her neck. The heat spread like languid fire throughout her
body.
She had never felt the strength of
a man’s hands on her skin. Nor had she ever known the tenderness of
a kiss. Her breathing quickened. Her body felt like it was swelling,
preparing to burst, and she liked it. She pressed herself closer and
felt the crushing strength of his muscles as her fingers explored his
form. Her hands swept down his powerful arms, sliding over muscled
ridges. And then they traveled down past his lean waist to stroke the
length of his hard thigh, but instead of smooth, wet skin, her
fingers touched something cold and sharp.
Her eyes snapped open, and her
senses returned with a strength that would have knocked her over had
it not been for the water and the support of his caressing
hands.
Mother of all, what spell was
this?
He was even more dangerous than she
first imagined, for he could control her thoughts and her body. She
had to break away from his embrace. Her hand returned to his thigh,
only this time she had no intention of stroking his skin. She seized
his dirk from its sheath and with a practiced hand she thrust the
pointed end of the blade beneath his chin. She smiled ruefully at the
small droplet of blood that appeared beneath the dagger’s
point.
“You keep your blade sharp. I
thank you for this kindness.”
Lily Baldwin
Writing historical romance has been
Lily's lifelong dream. She lives a quiet life in New England,
surrounded by family.
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