Touching her elbow lightly, Alex guided her back toward home. “I have been meaning to ask something of ye. Before he died, Father wrote a letter that spoke of keeping some kind of stone safe within the walls of the Rock of the Raven. Do ye know of it?”
He sensed a slight hesitation, and then Aunt Iseabail’s gaze lowered in confusion. He had been afraid that might happen. She had her good days and bad. Perhaps he would try again when she wasn’t so burdened by grief.
“I must confess my mind sometimes fails me,” said Aunt Iseabail with regret.
“’Tis all right. Why donna ye take some time to think upon it?”
After seeing to his aunt and barely muddling through the day, Alex sought the solace of his father’s study. He closed the heavy wooden door and secured the latch, pausing a moment to welcome the blessed silence. He grabbed a tankard from the shelf and opened the bottom desk drawer. Pulling out MacGregor’s ale, compliments of his cousin, he poured himself a healthy dram.
Without thought, he walked around the edge of the desk and then caught himself. What the hell was he doing? Backing up, he pulled out his sire’s chair and sat down. He kicked back a long, burning mouthful and welcomed the numbness the fiery liquid brought. With a shiver of vivid recollection, he was flooded by memories of his father and realized he hadn’t nearly had enough to drink. He would keep the bottle of ale on the desk. Hell, maybe he’d even down the whole damn thing.
Alex continued to stare at the walls that encased him until he heard a soft tapping at the door. He rubbed his hands over his eyes. Perhaps if he ignored the sound, it would go away. When another rap repeated even louder, Alex grunted. He pushed himself to his feet, walked over, and reluctantly lifted the latch. He swung open the door, and what he saw was certainly not what he had expected.
“Doireann.” He was too tired to notice the woman’s slim waist that flared into rounded hips or her hair, which was a rich auburn. He’d taken the lass so many times he knew every curve by memory.
“Alex.” She raised her hand to touch his arm in a gesture of sympathy. “I thought you might need comfort. And since my father’s service to your sire has come to an end, we will be taking our leave on the morrow to join my mother’s kin. Unless, of course, there is a reason ye would want me to remain…”
When he did not immediately respond, she closed the distance between them. She smoothed his hair with her hand and offered something else with her eyes. “We have been together for years, Alexander. I know ye as well as I know myself. I think ye should find an opportunity to speak with my father and discuss our future. If ye so desire.”
Alex sighed heavily. “Doireann, ye know I’m fond of ye, but we’ve discussed this before. We cannae have a future together, and ye always knew that. I am laird now.”
A playful smile curved her lips. “I thought as much, but ye cannae blame a lass for trying.” She fingered the edge of her gown above the swell of her ripe bosom. “But still, I offer ye comfort. For old times, if naught else. Do ye want me one last time?”
He studied her thoughtfully for a moment, and then his eyes sent her a private message. He traced his finger across her lip and then his hand slid down. There was no time for words. All of the pent-up energy he had been feeling for days rose in one heated moment. He needed a welcome distraction and she was more than willing. Before sanity crept back in, he tossed her skirts and lifted her to the wall. If Doireann was shocked by his urgency, she did not say so.
Right now, Alex was not the laird of Glengarry. He was only a man with a single purpose. He looked her over seductively and tugged down her dress over her shoulder. When he exposed her breast, he lowered his head and his lips touched her nipple. She let out mewling sounds, and one of his hands slid down her taut stomach to the swell of her hips, between her legs.
Leave it to the skillful Doireann—she was ready for him.
He lifted his kilt and his body imprisoned hers. She was so wet and welcomed him into her body. With thrust after blessed thrust, he yielded to the burning sweetness. She pulled him closer, riding him harder, deeper, burying her hands in his thick hair.
Her soft curves molded into the contours of his lean body. She was panting, her chest heaving. He took her like an animal, and the degree to which she responded stunned him. She rose to meet him in a moment of uncontrolled passion.
When she moaned aloud, she roused him to the peak of desire. She gasped in sweet agony, and with one last heavy thrust, he spilled his seed.
“Alex, ye are going to kill me,” she said, panting.
He grunted in response. That may not have been one of his most prolonged performances, but it had sated his needs nonetheless. He gently lowered her to the ground and supported her until her legs stopped wobbling. She brushed down her skirts and adjusted her bodice, casting him a wry smile.
“Are ye dead?” he asked, the huskiness lingering in his tone.
She stepped around him, and her eyes grew openly amused. “I donna think so. I suppose there is naught much else to say except I will sorely miss that and
A sad smile played on his lips. The carefree moment ended as he suddenly felt burdened by a heavy weight on his shoulders. “Be well, Doireann.”
She walked to the door and turned around. “Ye and John be sure to stay out of trouble…and harm’s way, Alex.”
He nodded as she took her leave and then he smirked, realizing the irony. Doireann had walked out of his life and closed the door just like the last chapter of a book. Just as well. All that mattered now was the future. He was laird. He had responsibility, and Alex was bound and determined to make his father proud.
Lady Sybella MacKenzie huffed. “I donna know why ’tis so important I learn to do this. Why is it expected that women must learn to sew and stitch? ’Tis truly ridiculous and has nay value whatsoever. I feel as though I’m losing my mind.”
“Nay wonder, Sybella. Ye arenae concentrating. Look at your stitching. What a mess.” A smile played on her cousin-by-marriage’s lips as Mary tucked her nut-brown hair behind her ear. She was petite and fragile, everything Angus would favor in a woman. “When ye wed, do ye want your husband to have tattered clothing? He would look like a fool.”
Sybella giggled. “It doesnae matter if his clothes are tattered. Men always look like fools.”
“Angus takes pride in his appearance,” Mary added.
“And my cousin takes ye for granted. Why do ye want to sit here bored to tears when we could be out in the open air?”
Mary promptly ignored her, resuming her latest project, while Sybella glanced around the ladies’ solar. She shook her head at the womanly touches. Dainty pictures of the fairer sex wearing delicate gowns hung on the walls. There were flowers and all of the feminine furnishings someone would expect to be placed in a room where the ladies were presumed to congregate.
How very original. Who made those rules? She would love to hang the bow that had landed her four rabbits in one single hunt. She wondered what the ladies would say about that. The women of propriety would surely shudder, including Mary. At least the bow might turn conversation to something other than the usual acceptable, boring subjects.
Sybella sprang to her feet, dropping the embroidery to the floor. “’Tis a beautiful day and ye are clearly wasting it. I dare ye to stop what ye are doing and come out and enjoy the sun.” When Mary hesitated, Sybella knew she was going to relent.
Sybella headed toward the door and turned her head over her shoulder. “Grab your cloak and I will meet ye in the bailey.”
“Ye know? One of these days ye’re going to meet your match. I wish to be there when ye do.”
