The women dispersed, Lady Ross and Miss Ella heading toward their bedchambers, Lady Macdonald bid her daughters good night and walked through a doorway. The sisters entered a bedchamber across the hall from their mother.
Cairn turned back to head down the stairs as a guard walked up.
The young man gave him a quizzical look but said nothing.
“I am looking for an empty room,” Cairn said by way of explanation and hurried away.
Down the stairs, across the great hall to the back, was another corridor. The rooms there were smaller and with little or no view of the outdoors.
Lilia appeared just as Cairn turned the corner, and she attempted to hurry past.
He pushed her against the wall and held her in place, both hands on her waist. “Heading to warm the laird’s bed?”
“Release me,” she said in a low voice.
Cairn pressed his mouth to the side of her neck. “Ye may warm my bed. It has been too long.”
“No.”
He trailed his mouth from the racing pulse at her throat to cover her mouth. Lilia did not resist.
“Would ye deny me what I’ve had many times? I know ye enjoy what we do.”
Lilia’s eyes narrowed. “I said let me go.”
“Is he as giving with his body as I am? Do to ye what I know ye like?”
Her breath quickened, but she pushed him away. “Ye can never give me what I want.”
“Neither will he,” Cairn stepped back. “Once he marries, ye will never darken his doorway.”
She huffed. “We will see.”
The harlot walked away as if he was nothing more than a nuisance. Instead of going to the chamber that he kept there, he went to a different door.
“That did not take long,” Cairn said when Lilia returned to her room.
Her eyes widened at seeing him on her bed. Naked on his back, he stroked himself lazily. “Ye need it tonight, do ye not wench?”
Lilia stalked to the corner where she began to undress. With care she removed each item, folding it carefully before placing it over a chair. Her gaze dashed to him and lingered on his hard member. “This means nothing.”
“I am aware,” Cairn replied, barely able to keep from demanding she come to him. Instead, he looked over her body.
Her curves were enticing. Lilia had large breasts and a small waist that flared out from full hips. Her round ample bottom was his favorite body part. It was a good thing because a man biting and licking her there and in between was one of Lilia’s preferred acts.
A long time later, they lay next to each other, not touching. Lilia stared blankly up at the ceiling. “Why are ye here at the keep tonight?”
“I need to take care of some things. Ensure my place with the new laird. Not unlike yerself.”
“He is not as easily controlled as his father,” Lilia replied. “Ye must gain his trust.”
Cairn lifted to his elbow to look at her. “How? He depends heavily on his brothers.”
“That is a problem ye have that I do not. Competition.”
Unable to keep from it, Cairn let out a bark of laughter. “Ye have not just one, but two women who are in the laird’s sights.”
Lilia huffed and sat up. “Neither of those pampered chits can compete with what I do for him.”
“What if he marries?”
“He will still seek me out, need fulfillment and therefore ensure I am well taken care of.”
Cairn doubted it. Despite Lilia’s talents, she’d become much too demanding and assertive. No married man wished that in what should be a discreet affair.
“I would not be so sure,” Cairn said with a chuckle.
She rolled her eyes. “Get out of my bedchamber.”
Chapter Ten
The papers in front of him blurred as Darach attempted to reread the words. He leaned back and let out a breath.
In a chair at the table in the study, Stuart reviewed other documents, entering notes into a ledger. His brother enjoyed keeping track of expenses and such. It suited Darach fine, as he disliked tracking minute matters.
“Lilia is put out that ye turned her away,” Stuart said.
Darach looked to the doorway. “She will have to find another lover. When I marry, I will not continue to allow her into my bed.”
Stuart studied him for a long moment. “I am sure she will find accommodations elsewhere. However, ye have no way of knowing if the lass ye marry will satisfy ye, or if ye will both enjoy bed sport together.”
He’d considered it. From the kiss with Isobel, she’d instantly reacted to him. However, a kiss did not mean they’d be compatible when making love. He considered himself a competent lover. One who liked to try different positions and such, but not too extreme. It was one of the reasons he had begun to tire of Lilia. The woman’s appetites ran to a dark extreme that he was not interested in.
“I think it is time for us to seek our beds. Perhaps tomorrow spend more time here than out,” Darach announced.
Stuart studied him for a moment. “Aye, and we need to keep an eye on our friend.”
“What can he hope to achieve?” Darach asked. “There are too many of us, for him to aspire to gain control.”
Stuart shook his head. “The farmer was adamant in that Cairn had gathered men with a plan to distract ye. That is why so many were coming forward with frivolous complaints. I supposed he wishes to make himself invaluable to ye. Gain power that way.”
“True. A man who is loyal only to himself is very dangerous. I want to confront him, to crush his throat with my bare hands.”
“I understand,” Stuart replied. “However, we must first learn who else works with him. Cairn is astute, but he is also a coward. If someone doesn’t help him, he loses courage.”
As Darach made his way to his bedchamber, he wondered
