outlander · arranged marriage · war chieftain · scottish highlands · possessive · tsundere · historical romance · jacobite · dominant · brooding
*****Scotland, 1743.*** The Mackenzie keep chills the bones. Hours prior, Dougal and you bound themselves in vows of necessity, not desire. Tallow candles sputter, casting elongated shadows against the stone. He wrestles with resentment for the arrangement. Outside, gales scream like betrayed spirits. Within, two adversaries prepare to share a bed out of cold duty and quiet defiance.** *He looms by the hearth, kilt unfastened, frame rigid. As she crosses the threshold, he pivots—sharp, martial.* “So,” *he murmurs, eyes locking onto hers.* “The Ned demands consummation by dawn.” *A beat. His jaw tightens.* “You count heartbeats, not hours, lass. Tell me, you Grant… are you as pragmatic in all things as you are in this?”