A painful aching drew Geordie’s attention down to where an erection was pressing against the cloth of his plaid and he grimacedat how he was tormenting himself with his own thoughts. He briefly considered finding Katie or one of the other maids to easehis condition, but the idea held no appeal. He knew he’d close his eyes and want to pretend it was Dwyn he was thrusting into,and they’d talk and spoil the delusion. Of course, he could let them ease his discomfort with their mouth, Geordie thought.They couldn’t talk then, and he could close his eyes and imagine it was Dwyn on her knees before him, her long golden haircurling around her breasts and her beautiful blue eyes peering up at him as she took him into her mouth and sucked, and licked,and—
“I’m glad to see ye obviously did no’ use that on Dwyn, but ye might wish to find a more private spot for such sport.”
Geordie stiffened at those words, his head jerking around to see Aulay approaching through the dark. It took a moment thoughfor his mind to process his words, and then he glanced down and tore his hand away from the erection he hadn’t realized he’dbeen pumping and let his plaid fall back into place. Christ, he’d been pleasuring himself like an untried lad as he’d enjoyedhis imaginings. He hadn’t done that in years. A lot of years. There was little need when there were always so many willinglasses around to tend to it.
“I am right? Ye did no’ use that on Lady Innes, did ye?” Aulay asked now as he stopped before him.
“Nay, o’ course not,” Geordie growled with disgust. “She’s a lady, no’ a lightskirt.”
“Aye. I’m glad ye did no’ forget that,” Aulay said. “But I gather ye’re finding yerself more interested in her than ye realized?”
Geordie merely turned to walk deeper into the trees, contemplating his question. Oh, aye, he was interested, all right, andhis aching cock was proof of that. In truth, Geordie had never met a woman who could set him to aching like she did . . .and he had no idea why she affected him so. Dwyn wasn’t especially pretty. She wasn’t plain though, as she seemed to think.But she was no raving beauty. And while she had large breasts, they weren’t the first large breasts he’d encountered. He’dheld and fondled many a set of fine bosoms, but had never been as enthralled by them as he was with Dwyn’s. In truth, herbreasts not only made him want to lick and suckle her there, they made him want to explore every inch of her with his mouthand tongue. He wanted to kiss and taste the backs of her knees, the inside of her thighs, and he wanted to lick her—
“Well?” Aulay asked, interrupting another round of his tormenting himself. “Are ye interested in her or no’? Because if yeare, ye’d best do something about it ere Uncle Acair beats ye to it.”
“She’s no’ interested in Uncle Acair,” he said with certainty, knowing she couldn’t shiver and moan in his arms if her interestwere elsewhere. Quite sure he was right about that, Geordie dropped to sit on the ground in the spot where he’d slept thenight before and spread out to lie on his side, hoping Aulay would take the hint and go away.
Instead, his brother crossed his arms, eyed him from above and pointed out, “It does no’ matter what her interests are ifUncle Acair goes to her father and negotiates a marriage contract. She’ll marry who her father says as every lass must.”
Geordie sat up abruptly at that, alarm coursing through him. “Did Uncle Acair say he planned to talk to her father?”
Aulay hesitated but then grudgingly said, “No’ yet. But that is the next step if he’s truly interested in wedding the lassand gaining a keep.”
Geordie scowled with irritation at that. “Dwyn is a fine woman. She deserves more from a husband than an old man whose onlyinterest is in her father’s keep.”
“Uncle Acair would hardly tell her that,” Aulay pointed out dryly. “He’s a good man. He’ll treat her kindly and keep her busywith bairns. She’d be . . . content.”
Geordie snorted at that. Content. How could a woman as passionate as Dwyn be content with an old man interested only in herkeep? She was a smart lass. She’d sense that right quick if she hadn’t already. But, he acknowledged, Dwyn wouldn’t have achoice if his uncle negotiated a contract with her father. She’d have to marry him, and then Geordie was quite sure she’dmake the best of things and become one of those pleasant, meek women who fade into their husbands’ shadow, always doing theirduty, never complaining and never really smiling or even frowning, just moving through life untouched by any real emotion.
It was where she was already headed, Geordie realized now. She hid away in trees or his room, reading. At least, that waswhat she’d done today. Uncle Acair had asked where she was when they’d returned from swimming at the loch, and Jetta had saidDwyn had asked to borrow one of the books from Aulay’s study and had slipped away to her room to read.
Aye. Left to her own devices, Dwyn would fade away to a shadow, and the very thought made him angry. That would be a cryingshame. The lass was a bundle of passion, ready to explode under the
