How to Marry a Royal Highlander

by Vanessa Kelly

  She waited a few more minutes and then crept out. The darkened hallway was empty, so she took the last few yards at a dash. She paused for a moment outside Alec’s door, her nerve almost failing. But there was no point in standing around like a ninny, so she tapped once then opened the door and slipped into the room.

  The large room was drenched in shadows, the only light cast by the flickering flames of a fire. Edie blinked, waiting for her vision to adjust, then peered about to get her bearings. Hesitantly, she took a few steps forward.

  “I was wondering when you’d finally show up,” rumbled a masculine voice.

  She spun around. Alec strolled toward her, obviously coming from a connecting room, rubbing his damp head with a towel. He was naked from the waist up, and below he wore only his kilt. His big feet were bare and made not a sound on the carpeted floor. For such a large man, he had the disconcerting ability to move without making a sound.

  “Stop sneaking up on me like that,” she hissed, pressing her hand over her pounding heart.

  “I told you, I never sneak,” he said, looming close. A slow, sensual smile curled up the edges of his hard mouth.

  Edie gazed up at him and had to swallow twice before she could answer. “And I told you—”

  He cut her off by pulling her into his arms, lifting her right off her feet. She barely had time to let out a squawk before his mouth descended on hers in a kiss that felt like a branding. Heat flushed her body at the feel of his muscular, naked chest plastered against her. She clutched at his shoulders, helpless to do anything but let him kiss her into stupidity.

  After a minute or so, about the time one of his hands moved from her waist to clamp on her bottom, Edie’s brain started to function. Forcing herself to break free of his kiss, she pushed against his shoulders in a pathetic effort to inject some space between them. He let her move back a few inches, but her breasts still rubbed against him, sending sparks sizzling through her body. And those sparks erupted into fireworks when he let her slide slowly down to the floor, every inch of her dragging over him on the way down.

  His wicked grin told her how much he had enjoyed that slow slide to the floor.

  “Good God,” she managed to get out. “You are a menace, Alasdair Gilbride.”

  He laughed, a dark rumbling that she felt in those parts a lady never referred to in polite company—or any company, for that matter.

  “You’re the one who came barging in here. How else did you expect me to react?” he said.

  “Perhaps wishing me a good evening would have been more appropriate?”

  He settled his hands on her hips, keeping her close. “Isn’t that what I just did?”

  It was almost impossible to resist his smile, but she had to try—at least until they’d had a chance to talk.

  “I take it you were expecting me,” she said.

  He affected a large yawn. “Yes, but I almost gave up on you and went to bed.”

  She gave him a shove. “You are so irritating.”

  He laughed and dipped down to kiss her on the nose before letting her go. “I know, but you’ll put up with it because you love me.”

  The fizzy feeling inside her subsided.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “We need to talk.”

  He steered her toward a comfortable-looking sofa by the fireplace, but she pulled away and sat on a low chair instead, with her hands folded in her lap and feet tucked under her skirts. Sitting straight-backed, she tried to look as serious as possible.

  Alec planted his feet wide and crossed his arms over his brawny chest. She took a moment to take it in—the carved muscles, lovingly highlighted in the glow of the fire, the dark hair that dusted his chest and then arrowed down to the kilt slung low on his hips. She had the impulse to fan herself—or rip off her clothes and throw herself into his arms. But that was the impulse that had gotten them into this mess in the first place.

  His gaze traveled over her, then he shook his head. “You are the furthest thing from prim and proper I’ve ever seen, Eden Whitney, so don’t even try to adopt that particular persona.”

  She opened her eyes wide. “I find that hard to believe, given your history with women. Besides, I’m wearing a cap and a dressing gown that covers a great deal more than the average evening gown. And spectacles, in case you haven’t noticed. I must look a perfect antidote.”

  “Then perhaps you should take them off. Along with your dressing gown and everything underneath.”

  When he reached for the tie of her gown, she slapped his hands away. “You’re not touching anything until we talk.”

  He grinned at her again. “But I can touch after we talk. Splendid, then. Let’s get right to it.”

  She sighed. “Alec, I’m serious.”

  “All right, love, we’ll talk.”

  His casual, intimate endearment made her chest ache, and she had to repress the urge to rub right over her heart. Instead, she simply watched in silence while he built up the fire and then sat on the sofa across from her. He braced his forearms on his powerful thighs and raised an eyebrow.

  “What do you want to talk about?” he asked.

  She gaped at him. “You have to ask?”

  When he shrugged, the glorious movement of his shoulders distracted her.

  “I admit there’s quite a lot,” he said.

  She forced herself to focus on his face. “Let’s start with your grandfather.”

  That chased the last remnants of good humor from his face. “Must we?”

  “I take it he wasn’t very happy with the unexpected turn of events.”

  “That’s putting it mildly. For a few moments, I was afraid the old fellow would fall into an apoplectic fit.”

  Edie’s stomach cramped with guilt. “Alec, I’m so sorry. Is he all right?”

  “Sweetheart, he’s fine,” he said with a reassuring smile. “I must say that your mother handled him beautifully.”

  “What did she do?”

  “She made him sit down and put his head between his knees for a few minutes. Then she all but forced a snifter of brandy down his throat. That did the trick.”

  “Mamma can be very masterful,” Edie said, almost tempted to laugh.

  “And thank God for that. She explained exactly why it was a fool’s errand to try to force me to marry Donella, since it was obvious that my cousin didn’t want to marry me. Lady Reese then told my grandfather in no uncertain terms why you were the best candidate to fill the post.” He grinned at her. “If you ever doubted your mother’s affection, I can assure you that she holds you in the highest regard. According to your dear mamma, you are the greatest prize on the marriage mart, pursued by thousands, and I should bow down and kiss your feet with gratitude that you’ve deigned to consider my suit.”

  Edie shook her head. “How utterly mortifying. How did his lordship react?”

  “Believe it or not, it fired him up in my defense. He launched into a catalogue of my many attributes, and why you should be thanking your lucky stars that you have the opportunity to wed the next Laird of Riddick. All of which is true, of course,” he added with a sly grin.

  “It sounds rather like an auction at Tattersall’s,” she said. “Then what happened?”

  “They agreed it was in everyone’s best interest to proceed quickly and quietly before too much gossip could spread. My grandfather will speak to Fergus and Aunt Glenna tomorrow, and then to Angus Graham, the branch chief. Obviously, none of them will be happy, but since Donella was the one to break the engagement, there’s really nothing more to be said.”

  “And are you absolutely certain that your cousin doesn’t want to go through with your engagement?” Edie asked, anxiety burbling up. “Perhaps she was simply reacting to the moment. She might think differently once she calms down.”

  Alec leaned forward, intent. “Trust me when I tell you that Donella is happy for the out. It relieves her of any responsibility in the situation and effectively negates the need to feel guilt
y about breaking that ridiculous deathbed vow. Which only goes to show that my original plan was the right one all along.”

  Edie huffed at him. “I cannot believe you just said that.”

  His eyebrows lifted in a sardonic tilt. “Well, nothing else seemed to do the trick, did it?”

  Since she actually couldn’t refute his appalling logic, she decided to ignore it. “Alec, are you going to speak to Miss Haddon? Truly, we both owe her an apology.”

  “I’ll see her tomorrow and explain everything.”

  “Perhaps I should go with you.”

  “That’s not a good idea. Donella wouldn’t mind, but my aunt might try to murder us both.”

  Edie sighed and rubbed her temples. “What a mess. I am truly sorry about all of this, Alec. I’m afraid I’ve made things very difficult for you with your family.”

  “They’ll get over it,” he said, once more shrugging those magnificent shoulders. “I have no doubt that Lady Reese will continue to manage my grandfather into compliance, and my father mostly just wants me to be happy. As for the others, it’s not as if they actually have a choice.”

  Edie’s heart sank. Despite what he said, tonight’s events had caused a great deal of distress within his family and possibly even an irreparable breach. That breach would likely grow rather than heal, if she did marry Alec.

  She forced herself to say what needed to be said. “But you have a choice.”

  He sat up straight, a slight frown marking his brows. “I don’t follow.”

  “You don’t have to marry me. You’re free now. There’s absolutely no need to trap yourself in another commitment, especially not one that was forced upon you.”

  His dark gaze narrowed with irritation. “No one is forcing anything on me.”

  “Really? Circumstances suggest otherwise. But I will not be party to that, Alec. I will not force you to marry me, regardless of what my mother says. All you have to do is say the word, and I’ll simply maintain that I refused to marry you.”

  Even if it would kill her to do it.

  After a fraught silence, Alec slowly rose and took a step forward, his entire presence radiating masculine ire. “Edie, do you have any idea what it would do to your reputation if I let that happen? Christ, woman, it would be completely destroyed!”

  She lifted her chin to glare up at him. “It wouldn’t be the first time, and you needn’t try to intimidate me, either. It won’t work.”

  He shook his head. “Edie, we are getting married, and that’s the end of it.”

  His pigheaded, ridiculously male attitude drove her to her feet. “I will not allow you to be forced into marrying me, Alasdair Gilbride. You may think you owe it to me, but I assure you that you don’t.”

  His fierce glower suddenly lifted. “You sweet, daft girl. Do you really think I’m being forced into this?”

  “Well, aren’t you?” She firmly repressed the mad impulse to burst into tears.

  He made a scoffing noise, then reached out to pluck the spectacles from her nose. “And you call me the idiot,” he murmured as he set them on the mantelpiece.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her nerves jumping.

  “Showing you how much I want to marry you.”

  He swept her into his arms.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Edie’s heart did a little gallop as Alec swept her up, a natural response to both his strength and the feel of his naked torso against her. He was obviously taking her to his bed—an enormous, lavishly carved oak bedstead that looked decades old. From the smoldering look in his gaze, it seemed he was planning more than just a few chaste kisses.

  He carefully sat her on the edge of the mattress, and before Edie could even catch her breath, he’d stripped off her cap and tossed it over his shoulder. Then he went down on one knee to remove her slippers.

  She nervously cleared her throat. “You seem to be taking quite a lot for granted, Captain Gilbride.”

  When he paused to look up at her, one big hand wrapped around her ankle, Edie forced herself to lift an eyebrow. His response was a smile that managed to be both utterly charming and odiously smug.

  “Am I indeed, Miss Whitney?” he said. “I thought the opposite was true.”

  When he ran a hand up her calf to rest behind her knee, she couldn’t help but shiver. No man had ever touched her so intimately, and it felt . . . wonderful.

  “After all,” he added, “it was you who accosted me—in my own bedroom, no less.”

  “To talk, not to . . .” She windmilled an arm, not sure how to categorize what she thought was about to happen.

  “Make love?”

  “Yes, that,” she said, feeling like a naïve idiot.

  He studied her with a thoughtful air while he stroked her leg, as if to soothe her. Then he sat back on his heels and crossed his arms across his chest. “Edie, my love, what is it you want right now? In this moment?”

  She shrugged. “I suppose I wanted to know if you’re happy with the notion of marrying me.”

  “I believe I was in the process of answering that question. Or, rather, showing you.” He flashed her a rueful smile. “I’d very much like to get on with that, but I won’t force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

  “You have to admit that this isn’t what one would call an average courtship. We do seem to be rushing things, don’t you think?”

  He nodded. “I’ll grant that it’s been anything but normal, but trust me when I tell you that I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time.”

  “But that’s just it—we haven’t known each other for very long, have we?”

  “Sometimes it feels like we’ve known each other forever,” he said drily.

  Edie let out a reluctant laugh. “You brute, that’s my point. For weeks and weeks, we could barely stand to be in the same room together, and—” She broke off when both hands slipped under her nightgown, caressing their way up to the sensitive skin behind her knees.

  Alec came up on his knees, moving in close. His calloused fingertips drew light circles on her skin, teasing down her calf then drifting back up.

  “I don’t think that’s true.” His voice was a dark, thrilling rumble. “In fact, I think we were all too aware of each other and not quite sure how to respond.” His lips curled into a wicked grin. “Correction—I knew exactly how to respond.”

  She shook her head, although she couldn’t help but smile back at him. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “I know.” He leaned in and planted his arms on the mattress, caging her in. He ducked his head a bit, so he could look her directly in the eye. “I also know how much I want you, in my bed and my life. Be assured, love, I’ve known that for quite some time.”

  Her jumpy insides started to settle. She gently rested her hands on his shoulders, allowing herself to enjoy the feel of his warm, bare skin under her fingertips.

  “That’s . . . that’s nice,” she whispered. It was silly how shy she felt. She’d never been shy with him before, but, after all, they were sitting about half-naked. She supposed she might be forgiven a few maidenly blushes.

  “Of course, I wasn’t sure how you felt about me,” he said in a musing tone. “For some weeks I was convinced that you loathed me.”

  “Well, you did go out of your way to irritate me, so that’s really your fault.”

  He laughed. “I suppose that’s fair. I was an idiot, but I truly wasn’t sure how to deal with you, especially after all the nonsense with that bloody conspiracy and Evie and Wolf. I was afraid you’d never forgive me for deceiving you.”

  She began stroking his shoulders, much as he stroked the backs of her legs. “Actually, I forgave you right away,” she confessed. “I just couldn’t admit it.”

  “Why not?”

  “You knocked me completely off-balance. No one had ever done that before.”

  He gave her a quizzical smile. “You certainly hide it well. Why didn’t you give me a hint?”

  “Becaus
e you never gave me a hint that you were the slightest bit interested. In fact, you seemed to take a great deal of pleasure in teasing me and acting the opposite of what one expects from a suitor or beau.”

  “Well, there was that business with Donella and my blasted betrothal,” he said. “I must admit it cramped my style. Still, you gave me very little encouragement.”

  “You may have noticed that I rarely encouraged any of my suitors,” she said. “A girl does have her pride, after all. Or, at least, she should.”

  Alec leaned in even closer to nuzzle a delicious kiss across her lips. Edie’s brain started to go fuzzy around the edges.

  “Well, my proud, beautiful lass,” he said in a husky voice as he released her mouth, “now that we’ve ascertained that I do, in fact, wish to marry you, perhaps you can tell me how to proceed. Do you stay, or do you go? Or, as I asked before, what do you want right now?”

  Edie stared into his silvery-gray eyes, gleaming with tenderness. The potent desire she saw there, too, made her heart race and her muscles go weak with longing. But now that they’d hammered out the bare essentials, she should take herself off to her bedroom like a sane, respectable woman.

  But she didn’t feel very respectable, not while he looked at her like that.

  As for her sanity, she’d pitched that out the window some time ago, when she decided to get involved with him in the first place. Edie still had no idea if Alec loved her the way she loved him, but she knew he wanted her.

  He was right—it wasn’t the regular way of things. In fact, it was outrageous. Edie hadn’t been feeling very outrageous of late, dogged by unfamiliar anxiety and doubt about an uncertain future. Their situation was still not entirely settled, and the idea of taking this final step made her as nervous as a cat in a storm.

  But she also knew one thing beyond doubt.

  “I want to be with you,” she whispered, leaning forward to rest her forehead on his. “Now.”

  He blew out a relieved breath. “Good God, you don’t know how happy I am to hear that. If you had decided to go back to your room, I fear I would have been forced to immerse myself in a very cold tub of water. Or go outside and throw myself into the closest stream.”