Samhain Publishing

Alaina’s Promise
By, Meg Allison

When Alaina Ryan promised to take her father home to die, she never dreamed he wished her to marry a stranger.

After surviving the War Between the States and a violent attack, she’s unable to stand the thought of a man’s touch. But her betrothed awakens new feelings and Alaina finds herself trusting him despite her fears.

Torin O’Brien regrets his misspent youth and the death of his first love. Unwilling to burden another with the shadow cast over his life, he refuses to consider marriage. Then Alaina’s beauty and sweet nature tempt him beyond measure, and his resolve is sorely tested.

But what kind of life can they share if no one trusts a man accused of murder?

EXCERPT:

He watched as they glided across the floor in a seemingly effortless waltz. Alaina gazed up at Sean, her eyes dancing as she laughed at some comment he’d made. Hot white jealousy ripped through Torin’s heart. How could she be so at ease with his friend and still uncomfortable with him? Maybe she didn’t trust him after all. Patrick had said she’d explain things herself, but how could he stand by and wait for that? He felt as though he stood on pins and needles—each doubt pricked deeper than the last.

He cringed in self-disgust. Why should she trust him? With the way he had held her and kissed her so many long, lonely nights ago? The way he had displayed himself, even unintentionally, before her innocent eyes?

Of course she still feared him. He might not be a murderer, but he could not be trusted all the same. Not with something as precious as her sweet virtue.

God how he wanted her—even now.

Torin headed to the table where bottles of poteen stood in a row. Guilt and anger clawed at him like a vicious beast. He grasped one by the neck and sunk back against the wall to watch the dance.

She was so beautiful with her eyes sparkling, cheeks flushed from exertion. He took a deep pull from the bottle and let the liquid burn a path down his throat as his eyes watered.

The music changed to a jig and he thought for a moment that she would beg off. But somehow Sean convinced her to stay. Torin ground his teeth together before taking another long drag on the bottle. The liquor slid down his throat. He watched her, taking in the way the light sparked off her dark hair, piled high against the crown of her head. The tresses seemed to long to escape their confines with each step of the dance.

Her hair would feel like silk in his hands, he knew. It would encase them both in a cocoon of fire as she straddled him. Torin shook his head and made a half-hearted attempt to shove the erotic image from his mind. But it hovered there at the fringes of his imagination.

The tempo increased almost measure by measure. Sean laughed as many of the other dancers gave up and moved aside. Alaina kept up with him though, her breasts rising and falling as her breath quickened.

Torin stared as his mind reeled. Those sweet, tempting breasts would fill his hands to overflowing. He pressed his back to the wall and took another drag of poteen. He didn’t even taste the brew.

His head spun with the music and images of Alaina, naked and wanton as she hovered over him. Surrounding him. Letting him fill her. He tried to stop the fantasy, but to no avail. It had been so long…so very long since he’d last held a woman in his arms. Even longer since a woman had meant anything to him beyond a quick release.

And so he watched, and wanted, and dreamed. His body grew warm and heavy as the music came to a frenzied peak. Then with a final chord, it ended. Sean grabbed Alaina in his arms and swung her around in the air, much to the delight of the cheering crowd.

Torin longed to punch the bastard flat.

Alaina turned then, as if searching for something or someone.
When their gazes locked, her smile wavered and faded. He saw the frown pass over her pretty face—the confusion. And he couldn’t stand it for another second. With his back to her, he left the party, shoved his way past the drunken revelers and stalked into the cool, crisp night until he reached the lake.

“Torin?”

Dear God, she’d followed him.

“Don’t.”

Her soft footsteps stopped a short distance behind. “Don’t, what?”

“Come near me—not now.”

“Why?” she asked, her voice confused and hurt. “What have I done? Are you ill?”

“Nay, not the way you’re thinking.” He took a deep breath of cool air, but it brought with it the faint odor of flowers emanating from her skin. “You know you can’t be trusting me.”

~~~~~

Read another excerpt AND buy the book:

http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/alainas-promise