“Havenae ye learned, Jonet?” said Jonathan. “Ye shouldnae be tryin’ yer hand at cookin’ or bakin’ again.”
“It was only a little accident,” she murmured.
“Aye, but ye have a little accident every time ye try this,” Dougal jumped in, chuckling. “Though, I’m nae complainin’. It’s very amusin’.”
“I’m glad ye found this funny, Uncle,” she did not want to look at Matthew again, afraid to witness him taking in this embarrassing spectacle.
“I think we all find this hilarious, lass,” her father spoke up. “We definitely have somethin’ to talk about at dinner over this good venison I brought in.”
“Nay,” Dougal shook his head. “Nay one will be able to speak when ye all taste this veal.”
Jonet listened to her father and his brother strike up their usual competitive conversation, then turned her attention to Matthew. Her breath hitched on her throat when she witnessed the look in his eyes. They were dark, trailing down the length of her then back up. There was a slightly amused smirk on his face, but that did not compare to the heat in his eyes. It drew her in, making her approach him without another thought.
“Ye are quite a mess,” he observed.
“Aye,” she nodded, not looking away from him. He was all sweaty, she realized. She could picture him hunting alongside her burly family and her heart began to beat rapidly.
As if he knew exactly what she was thinking, his smirk widened. “I dinnae ken it would be so interestin’ to see ye covered in flour like this.”
“Interestin’?”
He lifted his gaze up to her and shook his head slowly. “More and more ye surprise me.”
He walked away, bringing his own game to the pile of meat that had been dumped onto the large counter in the middle of the scullery. He joined the conversation with ease, leaving Jonet staring after him with her heart pounding in her chest.
She did not know what had just happened, but she was certain that something had. It left her flushed with heat, her legs a bit unsteady as she walked away. She kept thinking about that short, odd conversation all the way to her room and while she changed. Not once did she think of Matthew’s terrifying incident.
Not until later that night, when it followed her into her dreams.
Matthew could not sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he thought of that arrow that had nearly went between his eyes. He paced his room for a bit, hoping it would tire him out so that he could go to sleep easily, but when that failed, he decided to take a walk through the Castle.
Moonlight shone through the large windows, lighting his path. He trailed slowly, letting his mind wander this time. He could not stop thinking about the situation. Even though he knew he should be, he only wanted to make sure that his deduction of what had happened had been true.
For Jonet’s sake and for his. She had been distressed all day, even though she had been trying her best to pretend she was not. He regretted ever telling her anything and he promised himself that if anything were to happen again, he would keep it to himself and figure out the truth on his own.
But nothin’ will happen because it had only been an accident caused by a hunter.
“Oh.”
Matthew looked up, his chest tightening at the familiar voice.
Indeed, Jonet stood before him, wearing a long nightdress. Her hair blanketed her face and she was standing in a swathe of moonlight that seemed to make her glow. He ran his gaze down the length of her, remembering how she had been covered in flour just a few hours before.
It had begun as an amusing sight. The carefree yet well put together Jonet was nothing but clumsy in the scullery. He had started to suspect something when she would always act a bit defensive whenever he mentioned having his sweet cakes.
The amusement had melted away too quickly as his mind had wandered. He thought her changing into something that was not covered in flour, then pictured her stripping out of her dress down to nothing. Once his mind had reached there, there was no turning back. He had not been able to stop himself, unable to keep from thinking of her naked body underneath her dress and petticoat.
The same could be said of that moment while she stared at him in surprise.
“Can ye nae sleep?” she asked.
“Aye, I cannae. I was hopin’ that a walk would calm me mind some.” It was a miracle he could even form proper sentences with her nightdress clinging to her curves in such a delicious manner. “What are ye doin’ up?”
“I couldnae sleep either,” she admitted. Her voice was soft, as if she were afraid to wake anyone else in the Castle if she spoke too loudly. “I was just headin’ back to me room though.”
“I’ll walk ye then.”
She nodded. As they set off, Matthew could see she was acting a little awkwardly. He could not blame her. They were alone, after all.
“What is on yer mind?” she asked after a while.
“I think someone is plaguin’ me dreams.”
“Yer dreams?”
“Aye,” he confirmed with a nod. “I keep dreaming of a woman in white. She has black hair and eyes the color of the earth. And she has a smile that can light up the world—”
Jonet huffed a laugh. “Cannae ye ever be serious about anythin’?”
He could. Most of the time, he was. Matthew did not know when exactly he had dropped the act, but he wasn’t going to question it. If he had what he wanted in the end, then all would be well. “I can be serious,” he said. “I was only trynae lighten yer spirits before I ask ye why ye couldnae sleep.”
“Without botherin’ to answer me question first?”
“I will answer ye if ye answer me,” he grinned.
Jonet rolled her eyes. It was odd how much he liked it when she did that. “That isnae how it should work, but I will go along with it, I guess. I think ye ken why I couldnae sleep though. After what ye told me this morning, all I can do is worry.”
“I suppose ye want me to stay away from open windows then.”
“Matthew…”
“Ah, aye, aye, I’m sorry. I shouldnae make light of it when it’s clear that it bothers ye. But believe me when I say, Jonet, that it is nae what ye think it is.”
Jonet sighed. “I ken.”
“Ye do?”
“Aye, I believe ye. If ye say that ye werenae in any danger, then why should I continue to think that ye might have been killed? I just cannae help but worry that I will lose ye too.”
Matthew came to a stop. He grasped her arm, forcing her to look at him. When he looked down into her eyes, he felt as if he could read her soul. It both terrified and invigorated him. “I never thought I would hear ye say those words.”
“I never thought so either, but I suppose I have taken more of a liking to ye than I expected.”
Her nonchalant attitude was lackluster at best. He cupped her chin and watched her turn soft. “Because of that I think I will be sleepin’ like an angel tonight.”
Jonet smiled. “Goodness, I daenae think I will ever get used to it.”
“Once we are married, ye will have all the time in the world to be used to me.”
Jonet’s smile fell. Oddly enough, Matthew’s heart sank just as much. “I daenae…”
He shook his head. He did not want to hear her reject him once again. “Doesnae it sound wonderful?” Matthew forged on, smiling brightly in light of the uncertainty in her eyes. “Us, if we were married? I would hunt for the meat and ye would try nae to cover the entire scullery in flour while ye make the cakes.”
Jonet slapped him on the arm. Matthew descended into a fit of laughter that was not quite as genuine as it should have been. Even though he had made the joke to lighten the mood, to clear her expression of hesitancy, he could not forget it himself. All this time, he thought they had been making progress. He thought she truly was beginning to like him and that the plan was well underway, but perhaps he had overestimated his abilities.
Matthew was unsure why it bothered him so much. It had not yet
been a month. Only about a week. He had more time, had no reason to be impatient in winning her heart before he won the Lairdship. So why did his heart twinge so painfully at the reminder that she was not so keen on marrying?
“Ye are impossible!” she huffed, her cheeks growing bright red. Much like how they had when he had spotted her covered head to toe in flour. “Ye arenae supposed to jest about that.”
He lifted a brow, real humor tugging at his lips now. “Why nae?”
“It’s too embarrassin’!” She whirled away from him, facing the open window. Matthew, unable to help himself, ran his gaze from the top of her head to the tips of her black hair that brushed her lovely backside, and lingered.
“Embarrassin’, ye say?” Matthew’s fingers twitched. He longed to run his hands down the sides of her waist, to feel her feminine form pressed against him. The urge grew overwhelming, had him trembling with need. He did not know how he was able to form proper words.
“Ye see me covered in flour tryin’ to make sweet cakes and ye daenae think that’s embarrassin’?” She tossed a look over her shoulder and Matthew snapped his eyes back up. “Ye are very odd, ye ken? I thought ye were goin’ to laugh at me. Or make fun of the fact that I cannae cook.”
“I was savin’ the laughter for another time,” Matthew murmured.
Jonet scoffed and walked away. Matthew laughed, and grabbed her by the wrist to keep her from going too far. She glared up at him when he whirled her back in front, but the look did not have the effect it should have. If anything, it only made him want to reach down and kiss her all the more.
“Ye ken I only like to make fun of ye,” he said softly, not letting go of her wrist.
Jonet lifted a brow, with a slight scowl. “I cannae understand why.”
“Maybe it’s because ye are so adorable when ye’re upset.” When her cheeks went red again, her eyes widening with the action, he smiled. “Just like that. I can hardly resist ye when ye’re like this.”
He watched as she grappled for something to say. Her eyes darted away and when they settled back on him, it came with a frown. It only made him smile all the more.
“Ye are such a flirt,” she muttered.
“Aye, and ye like it. Now, come along. Ye need to get to bed.”
He breezed past her, pulling her along behind him. He was pleased to see that she did not protest. Soon enough, they were strolling side by side once again, silence settling over them.
Matthew was not sure what was going through her head. He tried to focus on that, to ascertain what she might be feeling right now, rather than give into the intense yearning taking control of him. He still hadn’t released her wrist and, after a while, he slid his fingers down to capture hers. She made no protest, though she looked up at him. He kept his head straight, feeling at odds with how much this simple touch made his heart swell with happiness.
All too soon, they arrived at her bedroom. Matthew studied the heavy wooden door, committing to memory where he would be able to find it if circumstances were to lead him back one day. She studied him while he did and when he looked at her, Jonet had one brow lifted in question.
“Would ye like to come inside, Matthew?” she asked in an unusually sweet voice.
Even though he was certain it was a trap, he smiled, “How kind of ye to offer.”
She put a hand on his chest when he took a step forward, shaking her head. “Ah, such a disappointment. And here I was hopin’ ye were a true gentleman. I suppose it is me fault for puttin’ me hopes in ye.”
Matthew clutched his chest in mock hurt. “Ah! An arrow straight through me heart with that one!”
Jonet narrowed her eyes in disbelief, but that didn’t stop the laugh from coming forth. She shook her head. “Ye are unbelievable.”
Matthew grinned. “As long as ye ken that I am fine and that there’s nothin’ to worry about, then I’ll sleep easy. Now,” he caressed her cheeks with both hands and pressed a tender kiss on her forehead, “sleep well and daenae worry about me anymore. I’m in nay danger, all right?”
Jonet’s eyes dazzled as she peered up at him. She had cast a spell on him, one that held him there as she nodded. “I’ll try.”
He could not pull away. Matthew’s gaze dipped lower, rubbing his thumbs against her cheeks without thinking. Her lips parted in response, so delicately lush that he could not resist himself any longer. He leaned in, brushing his lips against hers once before he deepened it.
Jonet accepted the kiss easily. Despite constantly rolling her eyes and her nonchalant attitude, despite the fact that there was still a wall standing between them, no matter how many cracks he had put in it, she didn’t deny his kiss. Her worry, her longing for his touch, her smiles and laughter… they all gave him hope that he would have her hand in the end.
Right now, Matthew wanted her heart and her body.
He pressed her against the door, his loins enflamed at the feel of her nipples against his chest. He wound his arm around her waist, his hand snaking into her hair as their tongues battled. Matthew feared he would not be able to hold himself in check as he had when they had visited the pool. The quietness of the Castle, standing in front of her bedroom, the raging lust that threatened to consume his very being… Matthew did not know if it was possible for him to stop himself.
What man would be able to? He felt a stab of jealousy when he thought of the fact that there had been others before him. Others who might have kissed her like this, who might have felt the silkiness of her hair as he gripped it, and the curves of her body against theirs. Her tantalizing smell, her soft lips and the way she moaned a little in the back of her throat as she deepened the kiss, a silent beg for more. He hated to think of other men who might have seen such a glorious chance as this one.
Unable to stop himself, he slid his hand down further, cupping the bum he had been ogling just earlier. She eased into his touch, letting out another moan. It came as no surprise to him how well she fit in his hand and as he ran his palm over the gentle curve, he only stoked the flames of his lust.
Desperate for more, Matthew broke his lips away from hers and descended them onto her neck. She gasped at the feel of his teeth grazing her skin, his warm tongue trailing along the path he carved with his lips. She clung to him, one leg sliding up his thigh as her nails dug into his back.
Matthew could not stop. He gripped her bum, his other hand creeping up to her bosom before her fondled her there as well. She responded exactly how he hoped she would. Her body arching into him, a quiet request for more.
With Jonet pressed up against the door, Matthew continued to nibble on her neck, licking upward to her ear then back down past her collarbone. He ran his finger around the hem of her bustline, it was a silent question. Her response was to press herself closer to him.
Matthew tugged at her nightdress and he felt his loins grow harder at the sight of her lovely breasts. Almost desperately, he reached down to gather a nipple into his mouth. The instant he did, she stiffened. Matthew pulled away. “Jonet…”
She lowered her head, pulling her nightdress back into place. “I… I think I should go inside now.”
Matthew took a big step back, shame washing him. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I dinnae mean to—”
“Nay, nay, it’s fine,” Jonet shook her head. She flashed him a smile. “I’m only tired, is all. I think it would be best if I went to bed.”
“Ah, I see.” Matthew searched her face for any sign of discomfort, or to see if she was lying, but he saw nothing. Still not satisfied, he nodded. “Aye, ye should sleep. Goodnight, Jonet.”
“Goodnight, Matthew.” She smiled again, but her eyes darted to the floor a second after. Jonet shot him one last look before she slipped into the room and closed the door shut.
Matthew stared at the door for a few long seconds. He did not know what to make of her sudden retreat. He was certain she had felt every bit of the way he had, but could he truly have read her wrong? Perhaps she really was not ready to ope
n up herself to him.
He slowly turned and walked away, his chest sinking. For some reason, it felt as if, despite all the progress, he had now taken five steps backwards.
Chapter 14
Jonet certainly could not go to sleep. She knew that the moment she closed the door behind her and unabashedly pressed her ear to the wood to listen for Matthew’s retreat. She heard nothing, as she expected to, but she stayed there anyway, her heart still pounding from their kiss.
After a few seconds went by, she sighed and turned her ear away, putting her back to the door. She could not believe what had happened.
I should have kent that it would lead to that but… I dinnae expect it to be so intense!
Highlander's Trials of Fire: A Steamy Scottish Historical Romance Novel Page 11