“She’s beautiful, isna she?” Gabriel asked.
Gavin narrowed his eyes. “Just who are ye talking about?”
“Meghan of course,” Gabriel said, looking to Gavin. “Andie is yers, despite yer denials and rejections.”
“She isna mine, Gabriel.”
“No? Then why are ye constantly watching her? Why do ye clench yer jaw when another mon speaks to her or accidentally touches her?”
“Doona be such a fool, Gabriel,” Gavin whispered hotly. Gavin got up and walked over to Andie, leaving Gabriel smiling behind him.
“Do ye wish Gina to come lead Meghan to her room?” he asked irritably.
“Nay. I know the one next to me is empty. I’ll show Meghan.”
Gavin gave a curt nod of his head and marched outside.
“He’s scary,” Meghan whispered.
“Nay he’s not. His growl is worse than his bite.”
“How can ye say that? He looked positively murderous. Who’s the other one? He gave me a sour look when I came in, and he’s looking at me much the same way now.”
“That’s Gabriel, Gavin’s brother.”
“Wait, ye said Gavin? As in Gavin Maitland, the Dark Wolf?”
Andie nodded her head.
“Andie, ye canna be serious! He’s dangerous! How can ye say he’s nay bad? Remember the stories we used to hear?”
“He’s nay evil, Meghan. He’s loving, tender…” Andie’s voice trailed off as she sighed, lost in thought.
“Andie! I’ve never heard ye speak of a mon this way!”
Andie turned her head back to Meghan and gave her a long meaningful look.
“Ye didna! But Andie, that was meant for yer husband!”
Andie looked at her friend through a veil of thin tears and heated rosy cheeks. “Meghan, ye doona understand. I love him.”
“Does he love ye?”
Andie shook her head. “He was sick with fever and in his delirium he said he did, but I’m nay sure now. I think his fever spoke for him,” Andie said, looking away.
“I’m sorry, Andie, I didna mean to pass judgment, ‘tis that ye always spoke of wedding the mon ye loved and he being yer first and only,” Meghan said, reaching out for Andie’s hand and squeezing it.
“I had, but it hasna happened in that order. I love him and we’ve made love, but I fear that marriage will never be.”
“Oh, Andie,” Meghan said, rubbing her hand.
Riley came running in.
“Andie, are ye nay going to bed now?” Riley asked standing near Andie, but remaining paces away from Meghan. He gave Meghan shy side glances. It was apparent to them that he was nervous around her. Andie stood up to place her arm around his small shoulders. He deftly hid behind her skirt, peering out from the side of her waist.
“Nay need to be anxious, Riley. This is my best friend in the whole world, Meghan. She’s verra nice.”
Riley grabbed Andie’s hand, still looking doubtful.
Gavin had returned from a brisk walk and stood watching from the threshold. He looked over to Gabriel, who had his gaze locked on Meghan. Curious, Gavin stayed back watching his son.
Meghan rose from the chair and walked slowly to Andie. She stood before them and daintily squatted down, looking at Riley.
“I’m Meghan,” she said, “And I’ve known Andie since we were bairns.”
“Really? She’s nay that much bigger now than she was then, is she?” he asked tentatively, and Andie held back a laugh.
Meghan smiled and said, “Nay, yer right, she isna much bigger now.”
“Did ye think she had a mon’s name then?” he asked innocently.
Meghan laughed, which brought a smile to Riley’s face.
“She has a special name, like yers.”
“Mine is special?” he asked, hopeful.
“It sure is. I doona know anyone named Riley, and no one as cute as ye.”
“Really?” Riley asked, his eyebrows shooting upwards.
“Aye.”
“Well, I think we are all tired. We should all go up together. Riley is a great guide and he makes me feel safe, Meghan. He keeps me from being afraid and walks me upstairs every night.”
“Is that so?” Meghan asked, now standing.
“Yes, but the last fortnight, Andie hasna been down here for me to walk up. Papa was ill with fever.”
“Well, I’m happy he fairs better,” Meghan said gently, looking at Andie with a raised brow.
“Aye, ‘tis all thanks to Andie.”
“Let us go upstairs now,” Andie said and Riley held tightly onto her hand. The chatter could be heard from downstairs. Riley had found a new friend in Meghan.
“Andie, doona tire yerself! I’ll sleep here, regardless!”
“Nay, I willna have ye sleeping on old sheets, Meghan. Greida, the poor soul, is sleeping and I’d hate to wake her. There’ve been a lot of births as of late.”
“Then doona. I am nay a princess, Andie. I doona need to be tended to like this.”
“Ye will sleep here, in my room, and I will sleep with Riley. Ye doona mind, do ye, Riley?”
“Nay! Can I hear a little more of Erik, can I, Andie?”
Andie gave Meghan a smile. “Aye, ye shall. Ye must promise me, though, that ye willna tell anyone that I gave ye more of the story.”
“I promise,” he said, straight-faced, and dropped down to one knee.
“Why are ye kneeling, Riley?” Meghan asked.
“Because the men always kneel when giving a pledge, and I shall do the same.”
Meghan and Andie hid their amusement from him.
“Well, ‘tis decided then, Meghan. Stay here, and I shall share with Riley until tomorrow. I left ye a shift and a dress until we can sew ye some.”
“Ye are so stubborn, Andie.”
“Doona feign as if ye just discovered that,” Andie said laughing, as she ushered Riley out of the room.
“So tell me, Andie! What did the tree say to Erik?”
She laughed lightly, and proceeded to walk to Riley’s room with Riley hanging on her every word.
Gavin punched the stone next to his door. It was the middle of the night and he was raging.
Not from fever.
Not from lack of sleep.
Not from lack of being tired.
Not from anything.
But for someone.
For Andie.
He clenched his fists. How long had it been since last he tasted her? Two weeks? Since before his fever?
Aye, it had been that long, since before he was ill.
He couldn’t explain his dreams. They seemed real. Every night he was tormented with images of them making love- fiercely, wildly, and some were tender and loving.
He wanted her now! He clenched his fists at his sides again. His breathing grew labored. He could taste her lips, her kisses. He could hear her moans and cries. He could feel her soft, silky skin.
In his dreams he had taken her so many times in so many different ways. He had been behind her, with her on her hands and knees. Her backside taught and plump, he nearly spilled on himself recalling the dream. He groaned, remembering.
Then she had been on top, riding him. So tight and hot, he punched the stone wall another time.
He grew hard thinking of her.
Gavin threw his head back and another memory of a dream assailed him. He was thrusting deeply into her, head thrown back in passion.
He shook himself out of the memories. Dear Lord, she was driving him mad! He kept having dreams of her telling him that she loved him. He told her that he loved her.
Instead of repulsing him it made his shaft harder, like steel. The fierce possessiveness that thrived in his veins nearly made him stop breathing. Everything in him roared out for her as if his soul’s completion were dependent upon her. He was nearly shaking and sweating with wanting her.
She was his!
His.
And he would take her.
Now.
�
�Andie,” he whispered, barely recognizing his own voice.
She lay huddled in the bed, apparently cold. He could see that much, even though the light in the room was sparse.
That’s odd, he thought.
Andie usually slept with the skins pulled back from the window. She didn’t like leaving candles lit while she slept, but enjoyed the light that the moon often provided. The skins, though, were still over the window. She must be tired if she didn’t pull them back. The odd thing was that the night wasn’t any cooler than usual.
Well, he would just have to warm her up.
He walked slowly over to the bed, thinking to wake her with kisses. He brought the covers back and slid in.
She screamed.
It was an ear-piercing scream that reverberated in his eardrums and shook his brain. Lord above, could she scream!
He covered her mouth before she had a chance to wake the castle.
“Andie, doona scream, ‘tis merely me!” he whispered.
She was breathing harshly, as if she had just run. She turned her head slightly, and though the light was minimal, he saw her face and stopped cold.
The door opened with a rush then, and at the threshold stood Andie and Riley, panting.
“Papa?”
“Gavin?” Andie asked at the same time Riley had.
Gavin looked down at the woman whose mouth he held and let go. Meghan was breathing harshly from the fright she experienced, but slowly her breath grew normal.
“Papa, what are ye doing here in Andie’s room, in bed with Meghan?”
How was he to get out of this mess? How could he explain to anyone how badly he needed to bed Andie so that his shaft would soften and his veins wouldn’t pump so fiercely? How would he apologize to Meghan? She was a maid, more likely than not. Had Andie told her best friend about their intimate relationship?
“Ye caught me, Riley, and I confess,” Gavin began, finding an excuse to grab onto.
Andie covered his ears.
“Laird, I believe that isna appropriate for yer son’s young ears to hear!” Andie whispered scathingly.
Riley shook his head and managed to loosen Andie’s hold.
“Caught ye doing what, Papa?” Riley asked innocently, throwing Andie a questioning look.
“Well, I couldna wait for the next part of Erik’s story, ye see. ‘Tis shamed, I am, but I am too intrigued,” Gavin said, getting out of the bed. Could he feel anymore ridiculous?
Riley jumped. “Papa! Papa!” he said excitedly, “Andie already told me!” Riley ran forward and took his father by his hand and walked with him out of the room. Riley’s chatter could be heard in his own room, as he excitedly recalled the next segment of Erik’s story, forgetting his earlier vow to Andie.
“He promised he wouldna tell anyone that I told him,” Andie said, shaking her head in amusement.
“Lord, Andie! He is huge!” Meghan whispered.
“Aye, he is that,” Andie said and both erupted in giggles.
“Does he nay make ye nervous?”
“Nay, not at all.”
“Does he usually come to ye?”
“Aye and nay. A couple of times before he was ill with fever, but we have nay made love since he had recovered.”
“He made love to ye during his illness?” Meghan asked, a little shocked.
“Aye. It was spectacular, Meghan, so like I dreamed it would be as a young girl. I love him, I do.”
“What if ye got with child the first time he bed ye?”
Andie shook her head. “Nay, he doesna want anymore bairns,” Andie sighed, sadly.
She went over to sit on the bed and told Meghan about his family’s history of mothers dying during childbirth and of his and Sarah’s history.
“He doesna finish in ye?” Andie shook her head. “This situation with his family is sad. Nay wonder he’s so serious.”
“He’s nay always serious. At times, he is so playful, Meghan.” Andie sighed. “I shouldna be telling ye anything of the sort, for ye are still a maid!”
Meghan groaned. “Oh, doona be so rigid! Ye know we were both told of what transpires between a mon and woman. Although I am a maid, I am nay an innocent who knows nothing.”
Andie laughed. “Good, because I enjoy having ye to confide in. Who else would I confide in without ye? He’s just so amazing, Meghan. At first he seems intimidating and rigid and rude, but nay, he’s tender and loving…” she said, ending with a sigh.
“Ye are verra in love with him, arena ye? Be careful, Andie, nothing will come of this but a broken heart!” Meghan said, reaching for Andie’s hand.
“Ahh, Meghan, ‘tis too late, I’m afraid. He doesna love me and never will, I know. I canna help but love him. ‘Tis God’s will and I am powerless against it. It’s nay as if he’s callous with me. He made his feelings known to me, and it is my choice to remain and take what I can for as long as I can. When my clan is rid of Alistair, I will leave here and be warmed with the memories. I’ve never been conventional, Meghan, ye know that! Sword fighting instead of sewing, practicing with bows and arrows instead of baking bread.” Meghan joined in Andie’s laughter. “Why should I be conventional now?”
Meghan looked up. Andie turned around to see what had startled her friend and saw the fine physique of Gavin. He wore nothing but his plaid, she saw. No wonder Meghan had been even more alarmed- he was half naked!
“I put Riley to bed, Andie. Ye should have had a maidservant place fresh linens on the bed in the room next door.”
“I didna want to wake them and Greida has been tired. Many bairns have been born in the last fortnight and she has brought them into life.”
He eyes seared her on the spot and then he nodded.
“Meghan, I apologize for the, ah, misunderstanding. I, ah…” Gavin fumbled his way through and stopped before he did more damage. How much did she know about he and Andie?
Apparently a lot, he decided, from the sparkle that came into her eyes and the response that rolled off her tongue.
“I understand, laird. Next time, I shall pull the skins back so that the moon’s light illuminates. And if by chance I forget, I shall be sure to have the next portion of Erik’s story ready,” she said, and chuckled as Andie laughed.
Gavin stared for a second, taken aback that the young maid should tease him. Not many dared to tease him. For once, it felt as if a heavy weight had been taken off of his heart as he heard their joyous giggles. It felt good. He grinned, but not just any grin, Andie noticed.
It was a disarmingly, handsome, heart-melting, heart-throbbing grin.
Andie’s smile vanished, replaced by a heated look that shook him and made his shaft flounce with anticipation. Meghan on the other hand, was oblivious to the sexual tension.
“I think I’ll stay in here tonight, so that I doona disturb Riley. Good night to ye, Gavin.”
Meghan turned back and sucked in a breath in fright.
“What’s the matter?” Gabriel asked.
“Ye startled, me, ‘tis all,” she replied, not meeting his gaze. She had been sitting in the great room, waiting for Andie to come back with tea.
Gabriel was looking at her intently again. She snuck a peek up at him and grew angry. “Why do ye do that?” she finally asked irritably. She stood up facing him.
“Do what?” he asked, his voice deep. He looked at her blankly, but still with an intensity.
“Stare at me as if I’ve two heads!”
He blinked a couple of times and chuckled. “‘Tis obvious, Meghan.”
His voice was so deep and full of warmth, she felt herself shiver. He gave her a knowing smile.
“What is?” she asked, almost breathless.
“I stare at ye because ye are the most beautiful lass I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing.”
She blinked at him and her mouth gaped open.
“Doona be surprised,” he said, moving closer to her. She barely reached his breastbone. Her neck hurt from craning it back to see his face. He br
ought his hand up to her neck and his thumb caressed her chin.
“Wha…but…umm…” she said, but couldn’t grasp onto a thought.
“I have the tea, Meghan. Did ye get the cloth to begin the dresses?” Andie said, walking in and stopped.
She stared at Gabriel and Meghan. Obviously they hadn’t heard her come in.
“Will ye be eating down here for the evening meal?” he asked, his voice deep and low.
“Aye, will ye?” she asked, her voice soft and airy. Her soft brown eyes sparkled.
“Aye, and I shall see ye then,” he said, smiling, and leaned down to give her a kiss on her cheek. He turned around and headed outdoors. Meghan inhaled and smiled.
“Do ye have something to tell me, Meghan?” Andie asked, amused.
Meghan turned abruptly. “When did ye come in?”
“Oh, about the time that he asked whether ye’d eat down here this eve and about the time yer eyes were sparkling with falling stars, dangling on Gabriel’s every word.”
“I did nay such thing, Andie,” Meghan laughed nervously.
“Then why are yer cheeks flaming?”
“They arena!” Meghan said, bringing her hands up to her face.
Andie chuckled. “I see ye now understand what I’ve been feeling.” Andie laughed as she set down the tray.
“So, ye’ve a thing for Meghan?” Gavin asked, leaning against the stone wall, as Gabriel walked outside.
Gabriel looked over to Gavin and smiled.
“She will be mine. Unlike ye, though, I’m nay afraid to admit it.”
Gavin let out a frustrated sigh. “Doona start.”
“I hadn’t thought I had. Actually, I thought ye had.”
Gavin sighed and began descending the steps. “I simply asked whether ye have an interest in Meghan.”
“Aye, about as much of an interest as ye have in Andie.”
Gavin stopped abruptly and faced Gabriel. In an even tone, he said, “Then ye must nay feel a thing for her save for lust. I suggest ye exorcise it out of ye, afore it muddles yer head.”
“And treat her like a whore?”
To Have and to Trust (Heart of a Highlander Collection Book 1) Page 15