He shouldn’t have invited her to the ceilidh. Thane was right. He’d sent the wrong message by doing so, and it was selfish of him. “I’m sorry, Leighanne. You deserve better.”
She shrugged. “You never made any promises. And it was fun while it lasted. That’s what I’ll take from it.”
“Then you’re a better person than I am.” He pressed a sweet kiss to her cheek. “Thank you.”
She patted his hand and stood. “Do you mind if the driver takes me back to the castle so I can collect my things?”
“Stay.” Lachlan stood too. “You can drive back in the morning.”
“No. I’d like to leave,” she said, chin set stubbornly. “I haven’t been drinking.”
He knew that. Leighanne was teetotal. She’d never said why, and he’d never asked. “Then at least let one of my men drive you back to Glasgow. It’ll make me feel better.”
“I’m a big girl, Lachlan. I can drive myself home.”
Sensing he wasn’t going to win the argument, he said, “I’m coming back with you to the castle.”
“No!” She winced and softened her tone. “I just want to be alone. Stay. Enjoy the rest of your night.”
He sighed. “Let me know when you get home safely.”
Leighanne smirked. “Okay, Dad.”
Seconds later, Lachlan watched from the hotel’s main entrance as his driver, Dave, pulled away with Leighanne in the back of the Range Rover. Upon removing his phone from his sporran, he dialed security at the castle. Explaining the situation, he offered overtime to one of his men to follow Leighanne back to Glasgow to make sure she arrived home safely. After hanging up, he stared out onto the empty Castle Street, lit only by the old-fashioned streetlamps and the moon above in a clear, starry sky.
Guilt was a feeling Lachlan hated. He suffered enough of it on a daily basis because of his brothers; he did not want to feel it over a woman. Especially when his words hadn’t chased off Leighanne.
Robyn’s had.
If left to their own devices, Lachlan could’ve had a nice evening with Leighanne and then let her down gently in the morning. Now she would drive all the way back to Glasgow during the bloody night just to get away from him.
The jealousy seething inside him mingled with anger and frustration toward Robyn.
Determined not to make a scene, to wait until morning to tell Robyn off for her interference, it was like the fates had other ideas. When Lachlan turned around and strode back into the hotel, Robyn strolled out of the dining room and collided with him.
He steadied her, the feel of her warm and supple in his arms.
And any thought of leaving this confrontation until morning fled his mind.
Robyn startled and opened her mouth to speak when her eyes widened ever so slightly at his expression.
“Come with me,” he demanded, guiding her toward Gordon’s office, down the narrow corridor by the reception desk to the end of the hall to the left.
“Where are we going? I can walk on my own, you know,” Robyn protested.
Lachlan didn’t reply. He wasn’t thinking straight. Instead, he reached Gordon’s office, prayed it was open, muttered a cursed thank-you as the door swung inward, and after quickly checking over Robyn’s shoulder to make sure no one was around, he pulled her inside and shut the door.
“Lachlan,” she said hoarsely as dark surrounded them.
He could feel her body heat, smell her perfume.
“Turn on the light, please,” she clipped out.
The edge in her voice had him reaching behind her for the light switch. She sucked in an audible breath as his body brushed against hers, and he couldn’t help his smirk of satisfaction.
Light flooded the room. Gordon’s office was small—just big enough for a desk and some filing cabinets.
Robyn blinked up at Lachlan and then looked around. She moved past him to stand near the desk. “Is this Gordon’s office?”
“Yes.” He turned to face her.
“We shouldn’t be in here.” She took a step toward the door, and Lachlan stood in her way. “Are you kidding me?”
“We need to talk.”
“About what?”
“About your obvious jealousy over Leighanne.” He was baiting her; he didn’t know how to stop himself.
Just as Lachlan knew she would, Robyn guffawed. “Oh, I don’t think so.”
“Did you or did you not tell her about our kiss?”
She scoffed, “Yes, but not for the reason you think.”
“Explain it to me, then.”
“I don’t have to explain anything to you.”
“Then I’ll stick to my jealousy theory.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Fine. I didn’t want Leighanne getting hurt, and it was obvious from our conversation that you two were on different pages.”
“What did she say?” he asked curiously.
“I’m not telling you that. It’s her business, and you don’t need to know it.”
“Well, she’s gone.”
“Because of a stupid kiss that didn’t mean anything?”
Agitation flared in his gut. “She thought we were heading somewhere we weren’t.”
Robyn nodded as if she already knew that. He assumed that’s what she meant regarding her conversation with Leighanne.
So it wasn’t jealousy?
Robyn glared. “You didn’t treat her very well. Are you like that with all your women?”
He took offense. “She knew the rules. I would never mislead a woman.”
“Whatever you say.” She began to walk by him to the door, and a sudden panic seized him.
And so Lachlan took hold of her upper arm.
Robyn flushed angrily and jerked away. “What are you doing?”
Let her go, let her go, let her go.
But Lachlan couldn’t think straight when she was this close, her lush mouth just a bend of his head away. Want. That’s all he could feel and think.
He kissed her.
His nostrils filled with the scent of her perfume, his tongue the taste of whisky. And Robyn.
Groaning, he released her arm to pull her into him, and it took him a moment to realize her hands were on his chest pressing him away, not toward him.
Fuck.
Lachlan released her, panting hard from just a kiss.
Robyn’s cheeks were flushed; her eyes, now a dark blue-gray beneath the harsh ceiling light in Gordon’s office, were bright with confusion. Her lips glistened as
