Kyle rounded on her, more furious than Devin had ever seen him. “How do you know she loved Duncan? Maybe he forced her.”
Devin gulped. It was now or never she realized. “The words she wrote were of love, not fear.”
“You had this the whole time and never told me?” His rage was thunderous, as Devin tried not to flinch from his booming voice and ferocious temper.
“I know it was wrong to keep it from you, but I wanted to read it first and see if there were any clues as to how to help you pass on, to leave this place and time.”
“I must leave you now.” Kyle turned from her and left the room.
“Kyle?” Devin reached out her hand to stop his retreat.
He shook his head. “Later, milady.”
Devin slowly scanned the room. He was gone. An emptiness filled her very being. Nothing would ever be the same again.
She could hear his grumblings as he moved about the castle, until he was out of hearing range. Devin slumped down on the sofa, put her head in her hands and let the tears flow. This was terrible. She knew he wasn’t going to be pleased or happy or anything of the sort. It was going to be hell living with the Laird from this point on.
The next morning, Devin opted to eat all her meals in the kitchen instead of the dining room. The silence was getting to her. Since she had given the Laird the diary, she had seen nothing of him. He was definitely making his presence well known and that of his anger, too. The castle creaked and groaned; crashes could be heard from unused rooms, but when the staff went to investigate, nothing was a miss. Devin knew she was the cause of his misery. If only she hadn’t given him the diary, things might have been different.
Maybe it should have remained a secret. Then none of this would be happening. No, he needed to know the truth. To see the truth that while Elsbeth did love him in her own way, she had chosen another to spend her life with. She wasn’t kidnapped, she hadn’t met an untimely death and more so, everything she had done, she had done of her own free will.
“The Laird certainly is in a state today. Got himself all fired up, that he has.” Mrs. Goode bustled about the kitchen, clearing the lunch dishes from the table.
Devin said nothing. She kept her gaze focused on the table before her.
“Would it be you know something about the Laird’s mood, Lady Noone? You’ve been awfully quiet today yourself. Not that I’m prying or anything, that is.”
“I’m fine, just tired, I guess.” Devin toyed with the edge of the tablecloth, her fingers twisting the cloth one way, then the other.
“Begging your pardon, your Ladyship, but if you keep that up, I won’t have a tablecloth left to use for supper tonight.” She tugged Devin’s fingers loose and held them in her own. “If I’m not speaking out of turn, why don’t you go upstairs, run yourself a nice hot bath and let your troubles soak away for awhile. I’ll send one of the girls up with a pot of tea in a bit for you. Oh, and here’s the mail for you. There’s some of your fancy American magazines in here, as well. Why not read one of those while you soak?”
“Thank you, I think I will do just that.” She accepted the parcel of mail and smiled at Mrs. Goode before heading for her bedroom.
****
Devin turned the faucet off and lay back in the tub, sinking into the bubbly warm water up to her neck and letting it soothe her frazzled nerves. She closed her eyes and absorbed the quiet. She could smell the lavender from the sachets on the armoire, so refreshing and delicate. Later, when she was out of the tub, she’d read a magazine, but not now. This was too nice, too…
“You were right and I was wrong.” Kyle paced the room from end to end.
She started and sunk lower in the tub, forcing the water to rise nearly to her chin. “Is it necessary to have this conversation right now, Lord MacLay?” She fervently prayed the bubbles covered her naked skin.
His agitated steps continued, as Kyle furrowed his brows in thought.
“I did love Lady Elsbeth, but not as a lover or a husband should. My affections were that of a brother. But nevertheless, I was a fool to have not seen the signs.”
“If she were any more discreet, there wouldn’t have been any signs to see,” Devin gently reminded him.
His steps stirred the air, as Devin watched the soap bubbles slowly dissipate before her eyes.
She frantically searched the area for a towel, and then saw her robe lying just out of reach on the vanity chair. Without stepping completely out of the tub and exposing herself to his eyes, she was stuck.
He turned, and his gaze caught on her in the tub. Liquid heat pooled in her stomach as he continued to stare at her. Her naked body was barely hidden from view by the barest hint of suds.
Devin squirmed under his intimate perusal.
“Milady, I must apologize.”
Good, he was going to leave. Devin sucked in a breath of air she didn’t realize she was holding.
“Forgive my manners. Allow me to assist in your bath. I will wash your back for you.”
“No, thanks, I’m done as you can see. Now if you would please excuse me, I’ll join you in the sitting room shortly.” She sunk lower trying to avoid the heated look in his eyes.
“It wouldn’t be any trouble, I assure you.” She watched him reach for the washcloth hanging on the vanity.
“No,” Devin whispered, the words breathless and throaty.
Kyle dipped it slowly in the tub water beside her knee. It was clear nothing she could say was going to sway him from his task.
She hesitated for a moment. Now or never she told herself.
“Kiss me,” she whispered softly.
“Your wish is my command, milady.”
Kyle obliged, taking her mouth in a crushing kiss.
“Tell me what you wish of me, milady. Anything, everything. You have only but to ask and ye shall receive.” The wicked gleam in his eye told Devin he meant every word of what he had said.
“Milord, I do believe you are quite overdressed for the occasion at hand,” she commented coyly.
“Aye, I suppose I am.” With one quick motion, Kyle tore the tunic over his head and divested himself of his breeches. In seconds, he stood naked before her. Devin’s breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened at the sight of him.
His arousal was enormous, tall and proud, springing from the nest of curls between his muscular thighs.
Kyle knelt and nuzzled the back of her neck. His breath feathered down the side of her throat, sending tingles racing across her highly sensitized skin. His hand brushed over her hip, pulling her tighter to him, though still separated by the wall of the bathtub.
Desire, hot and fierce raced through her, tugging at her, blinding her to all but his touch.
A pleasurable ache began low in the pit of her stomach, warming her insides, turning her legs to jelly as he touched her.
“Kyle, please.”
“Please what, milady. Stop, more, tell me, Devin. Tell me what you wish of me. I am yours to command.”
“Please, make love to me,” the words slipped from between her lips. “Now, please. I need you. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow or even in the future, but please I need you. Now.”
He smiled down at her flushed face. “Ah, milady. I will make love to you, but slowly, and for all the night long. We will not rush this. That I promise you.”
She stood and leaned into his kiss. A kiss she knew she would never forget, no matter how long she lived. Kyle gently toweled off her body, then picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, depositing her gently on the down comforter, and came to lie beside her. His fingers caressed her skin, touching, seeking, searching.
Devin arched her back at his intimate touch. His fingers teased the soft skin of her inner thighs, drawing slow lazy circles across the tenderized flesh. She moaned, pressing herself closer to him, wantonly splaying her legs apart for more.
Kyle growled, the sound low and raspy. “Milady, if you continue to tease me thusly, I will be forced to rush
our lovemaking and that I would hate to do.”
His thumb stroked the very core of her being, dipping inside to lay claim to the dewy wetness within.
“I would be remiss if I did not thoroughly please, milady.” Again he rubbed against her, then bent down and took her nipple into his mouth.
Her back arched and she pressed her breast further against him. “Yes.” She took hold of his shoulders and held him to her, wanting the feelings to continue, to never stop. The world swirled around her and Devin felt as though she were going to shatter into a million pieces.
“Kyle,” Devin begged. “Now, I can’t wait.”
“As you wish, milady.” He smiled and rose above her, positioning himself between her thighs, the tip of his erection teasing her. “Is this what you want, Lady Noone, or possibly this?” Again he slid into her then withdrew, leaving her gasping for breath.
She was hot and ready. Ready for all of him.
Surging forward, Kyle thrust within her silky folds with one stroke. Devin moaned, the sound low and keening. “More,” she whispered. “I want it all.”
“And you shall have it all, my love.”
Stars exploded behind her closed eyelids as Devin let herself go. She clung to Kyle’s broad shoulders, crying out against his skin as she came. “Yes, yes.”
Slowly coming back to Earth, Devin allowed her gaze to roam over the man next to her. Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn’t she fall for a mortal man, a man to live out the rest of her life with, not a ghost who was destined to leave her at any time.
With a soft sigh, she curled up in his arms and felt herself drift into sleep.
Kyle watched the red-haired lass slumber. She was curled into a ball, like a tiny kitten, the bed linens tucked beneath her chin as she slept on, blissfully unaware of the turmoil that warred within him. Already, he could sense a change in the atmosphere. The air was charged, his skin prickled as though being touched by a thousand dagger tips. Their night of passion had changed the future. Kyle held his hand up in front of his face. It shimmered in and out of focus. His fingers were translucent, his hands followed suit. Soon, he would be invisible again. He closed his eyes and prayed for guidance. Dropping a soft kiss upon Devin’s brow, he slipped from the bed and padded toward the door. His footsteps made no sound on the stone floor. Reaching for the doorknob, his hand slipped through the wooden portal. Kyle sighed. It had begun.
****
Devin opened her eyes and turned to her right. The bed was empty, but the indentation from where his head lay still remained on the pillow next to her. She pulled it closer and buried her nose in it. It smelled like him, a woodsy, manly smell. A smell she wouldn’t be able to smell again without thinking of him. Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she fought not to cry.
Pushing back the covers, she rose from the bed and stretched. Looking in the bureau mirror, she studied her reflection. She looked like a woman who had been thoroughly loved. Her lips were swollen and the right side of her neck had the distinct markings of a stubble rash. She smiled. So this is what it felt like. It felt wonderful.
Tugging on her jeans and sweatshirt, she went in search of the Laird.
As she crossed the Great Room, Mrs. Goode called out to her. “Milady, there’s a phone call for you from your barrister. He says it’s urgent.”
“Please, tell him I’ll call him back.” Devin was intent on finding the Laird.
“But, milady,” Mrs. Goode called out. “He says it’s about the letter you received. There’s another Lord—”
“Later, Mrs. Goode. Can’t talk now.” Devin rounded the corner.
She didn’t know why, but she knew she would find him atop the battlement, his bagpipes held loosely in his hand. His back was to her as he stared out at Isle Lake.
“Kyle,” Devin called out softly, walking toward him.
He turned and held out his hand. “Sleep well, milady?” he asked with a mischievous grin.
“The little I did sleep, yes, quite well. And you, my Lord?”
Kyle pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. “I slept quite well it seems. When I woke this morn, I felt quite a different man.”
Devin resisted the urge to shudder. A different man. It was happening. The simple act of their lovemaking had changed everything.
She felt him rest his chin on the top of her head as he continued. “I felt as though today would be a new beginning, a new start for my life. How I don’t know, or even why or when.”
“But—”
“Ssh, don’t say it, my love. We both knew my time would end. We just didn’t know when. It appears that the diary and our night together is the start of the end.”
Devin pulled back out of his embrace and stared at him. His body shimmered in the sunlight, and Devin realized the longer she looked at him, she could see the grasslands behind him. But she was seeing them through his body, not around it.
No, it couldn’t be happening already. She wanted more time, she needed more time with him.
Panicked, she stepped back and stumbled on the uneven surface of the battlement. Her hands flailed in the air, trying to right herself. Her body twisted and she felt herself falling over the edge of the battlement. Her fingers clutched at the jagged rocks, searching for a hold to keep from tumbling down the staircase and into the cold waters of Isle Lake. Her descent stilled as she clung to the moss covered rocks.
“Kyle, help me. I can’t hold on much longer.”
Kyle struggled against the lethargy in his body. Trying to move a step forward was more than he could do. He struggled to move his hand, his legs, anything. Slowly, he was able to bring his hand up before his face, afraid of what he would see. The once solid planes of his body were now a shimmering haze. He was dissipating before her. Kyle knew it was time, as the world became cloudy before his eyes. The sky changed, from the bright light of day to the darkest of night.
“I love you, milady. Of that, always be sure. I must leave you now.”
“No, don’t leave me. Kyle…” her anguished cry filled the tower, as her grip loosened on the rocks.
Chapter Eleven
“Kyle,” Devin whispered hoarsely. She slowly became aware of her surroundings as shards of pain shot through every fiber of her body.
“Aye, you’ve awakened then, lass. You gave us a dreadful fright, for sure. You almost tumbled down the battlement staircase and into the lake. Rest now, the doctor says you will be fine in a few days.”
“My head, it throbs so.” Devin winced as she felt the cold damp cloth touch her brow.
“Just a couple of nasty bruises on your forehead, arms and legs, and a quite colorful lump to your cheek that will take time to fade. Nothing permanent the doctor assured us, thank goodness,” the masculine voice reassured her. “That wretched beast you call a pet saved your life, alerting us to your presence on the battlement staircase.”
“Who are you?” Devin asked, her tongue feeling thick and her words sluggish as she tried to concentrate on the room swimming in and out of focus before her. What little she could tell was that she was in her own bed in Castle Loch Haven. That simple fact alone comforted her somewhat.
He leaned over the bed and brushed a strand of hair from her face. His touch was so soft and gentle, as he caressed her skin. Yet, something was different. Something not quite right.
“Kyle?” she asked again, trying to push her self upright in the massive bed. The effort sapped at her strength.
“No, lass, I’m not your Kyle,” he replied gently, easing her back onto the pile of pillows. He picked up her hand and held it within his own, his fingers stroking the back of her hand. “I’ve been trying to contact you this last month, but you’re a very hard lady to get a hold of, milady.”
Slowly, her vision cleared as he came clearer into view. Blond hair, blue eyes…the striking image of Kyle, yet not Kyle.
“Then who are you and what are you doing in my bedroom? Where’s Mrs. Goode?” Devin questioned.
“Yo
ur housekeeper will be here shortly, along with some tea. Allow me to present myself, Lord Connor MacLay at your service, Lady Noone. I’m the great, great, great-grandson of the former Laird of Castle Loch Haven. It seems you are not the only heir to the Castle and I’ve come to make you an offer you cannot refuse.”
Chapter Twelve
Devin groaned and shielded her eyes from the glare of the bright sunlight streaming into the bedroom windows. She turned her head slowly, trying to ignore the stabs of pain at her temples.
“Ah, you’re awake, milady.” Mrs. Goode crossed the room and moved to the bedside.
“Good morning, I think. Things are still a bit hazy.”
“Aye, that they will be for awhile, the doctor warned. You have to take it easy, he said. Regain your strength slowly.” The woman fussed with the bedcovers, tucking them around Devin.
“I had the strangest dream, Mrs. Goode.”
“Really, milady. What would that be about?”
Devin picked at the edge of the coverlet. “I dreamt that I fell from the battlement, and I was hanging off the edge calling for help and Kyle couldn’t help me. He just started to vanish before my eyes. It was so weird.” She looked up at Mrs. Goode. “It was a dream, wasn’t it?”
The woman slowly shook her head. “No, lass, I’m afraid it wasn’t.” She lowered her gaze to the floor. The Laird is gone.”
Devin felt the tears burn at the back of her eyelids. “No,” she whispered. She raised her gaze to the older woman. “Then the man that was here…”
“Lord Connor, aye. He’s downstairs taking his morning meal.”
Devin threw back the covers and pushed herself to a sitting position. The room swam before her eyes and she grabbed the bed post for support.
“Milady, you lay right back down. You know what the doctor said.” Mrs. Goode settled her back against the pillows. “You can’t be pushing yourself right now. You’ve had a bad scare. It’s best to stay still.”
“I have to talk to him. It’s imperative I talk to him.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I need to know.”
The Laird's Lady Page 13