“But when I said the Innes lasses slept in yer room last night, ye mentioned Dwyn,” he pointed out with confusion.
“Nay. I do no’ ken her,” he assured him firmly.
“Ah, Dwyn,” Acair sighed from Geordie’s other side as he removed his own plaid. “Now there’s a good wee lass with a fine pairo’ bosoms to keep a man warm at night.”
Geordie scowled at his uncle, but his words had brought up those bosoms in his mind. Dear God, when he’d looked down afterher sisters had left the area, and seen her beautiful breasts pushing out of her gown above his arm . . . He swallowed ashe recalled the sight. His mouth filling now with saliva as it had then, and his tongue tingling at the thought of raspingover the sweet nubs of her dusky nipples and sucking them into his mouth. Geordie still wasn’t sure how he’d stopped himselffrom simply closing his hands over each full globe and kneading her sweet flesh. But he had.
Nothing could have stopped him from kissing her though, and damned if Dwyn hadn’t kissed him back. The lass had been awkwardat first, obviously unskilled, but she’d learned quickly, and the soft mewls and moans of pleasure she’d given him from justkissing had nearly pushed him into doing much more. When Geordie had started thinking about how to get her out of that treewithout having to stop their kissing, so that he could tear her gown away, lay her in the grass and drive himself into herwelcoming heat, he’d known it was time to put an end to things and get the hell away from her. He’d done that so abruptly . . .He hadn’t even stayed to help her down from the tree, he realized with a frown.
“Well, ye say ye do no’ ken her, but ’tis looking like ye want to,” Aulay said dryly.
Geordie glanced at him with confusion, and then followed his gaze down to his groin where his cock was up, and waving aroundwith excitement at the thoughts that had just been running through his mind. Cursing, he turned and strode into the icy waterof the loch, then dove under the surface. Dwyn wasn’t someone he could sow his oats with . . . but he wished she was.
“Well, now,” Acair drawled as they watched Geordie swim away from shore. “Despite his claiming he’s no’ ready to marry yet,I’m thinking our boyo might be interested in wee Dwyn.”
“Aye,” Aulay agreed dryly. “So ye might want to refrain from commenting on her fine bosoms again. He did no’ look pleasedwhen ye mentioned them.”
“That, or mayhap I should woo the lass meself,” Acair said with a slow smile.
“What?” Aulay turned on him with surprise.
“Well, I’m a Buchanan too, lad. And unmarried as well as without a keep. I’ve a decade or two o’ good years left in me andcould muster up enough energy to plant a bairn or two in a woman’s belly.” Grinning suddenly, he added, “At least, that’llbe me story to convince Geordie he has competition. ’Tis always good to make a lad think he’s no’ the only option a womanhas. Makes him appreciate her more. Think on how it was with Dougall when the boys were all hankering to save Murine throughmarriage.”
“Aye,” Aulay said thoughtfully, and then shook his head. “So long as ye explain the way o’ things to Mavis. Else the womanmight kill ye both in her jealousy.”
Acair stiffened. “Ye ken about Mavis and me?”
“O’ course.”
Acair frowned over that and glanced to Geordie. “Do ye think Geordie kens?”
“I doubt it,” Aulay said after a moment, and then admitted, “I only ken because Jetta sorted it out and told me. I do no’think she’s mentioned it to him. She’d protect yer privacy.”
“Good,” he said with satisfaction. “Then I’ll pretend to woo the lass.”
“What about Mavis?” Aulay asked. “Will ye explain things to her so she’s no’ jealous?”
Acair considered that briefly, and then shook his head. “Nay, ’tis best no’ to tell her. Just in case Geordie does ken abouther. He’ll expect her to be jealous and me Mavis canno’ lie to save her soul. Besides,” he added dryly, “she’s been a mitetesty with me o’ late, and I’m thinking it canno’ hurt to remind her that I have other options too.”
Aulay raised both eyebrows at this and shook his head. “Ye’ll do as ye like, but it’s me experience that there’s nothing makesa woman more bitter or dangerous than being scorned by a lover. So I’d watch meself around her if ye do pretend to woo Dwyn.”
Shrugging carelessly, Acair stripped off his shirt and followed Geordie into the water.
“There you are!”
Dwyn didn’t bother to glance up from the book she’d been reading when her sisters burst into the bedchamber. But she gaspedin surprise when Aileen snatched the book from her hand. Sitting up abruptly, she cried, “Do no’ lose my page!”
“Oh, I willna,” Aileen said with exasperation, slipping the bit of linen Dwyn kept as a place marker out of the front of thebook, and laying it between the pages.
“Honestly, Dwyn,” Una muttered, grabbing her hand and dragging her off the bed. “We’ve traveled days to get here and win yea husband, and what do you do? Ye hide in the bedchamber and lie about reading books all day.”
“’Tis crusading poems by Gille Brighde Albanach,” Dwyn explained, watching worriedly until Aileen set it carefully on thetable. “We do no’ have that at Innes.”
“We do no’ have men there either. At least, no’ the kind ye could marry, and that’s what ye’re here for,” Una said firmly.“Now let me look at ye.”
Sighing, Dwyn stood still under her sisters’ inspection, unsurprised when they both began to frown.
“What are ye doing wearing that gown?” Una snapped.
“’Tis the only gown that I can breathe in without me bosoms popping out,” Dwyn growled unhappily.
“Well, that is too bad. ’Tis what ye wore to travel here and is filthy. You canno’ wear that to the evening meal,” Una saidfirmly. “Aileen, fetch her
