Laird of the Game

by Leigh, Lori

  Melissa thought back to the night with Alex and how he hadn’t wanted to let go of her. She had guessed correctly. Falling in love was terrifying even for a man. She drew from his strength and had finally been able to give him back some of her own.

  She crawled back into bed and was instantly aware of Alex’s scent. It surrounded her, and she closed her eyes, just for a minute and fell deeply asleep. Her dreams were vivid and sensual, of a man who swam naked in a warm turquoise sea. She could feel his power and longed to reach out and touch him. The desire was so strong; it caused a moan from her lips.

  Melissa didn’t hear Iain walk in and pick up the tray. He noticed she was back in bed, heard her moan, and went to find Gideon.

  Gideon and Alex walked into the cottage. Melissa could sleep through a tornado, they were certain when she didn’t budge as they spoke to each other. She peacefully slept through Gideon putting a hand to her forehead and taking her pulse.

  “She appears tae be fine, Alex. She’s just a little feverish, anemic, and exhausted. I’m going tae have some more tests run from the blood sample we took, just tae be certain we didn’t miss anything. I’d say the drastic change in her diet might be contributing tae her pale complexion, ye ken?”

  Iain stood in the doorway. “She hasn’t been eating much lately and was throwing up this morning.”

  Gideon frowned. He would contact his office right away and get those tests done immediately. “Let her rest for awhile, and see how she feels later.”

  By mid afternoon, Alex had checked on her seven times, and she hadn’t moved. He insisted that Gideon examine her again. The news that she was ill raged through the camp until all the warriors were concerned.

  Melissa woke to find five men looking down at her. She smiled at Alex and tried to sit up.

  Gideon gently pushed her back down and told her to open her mouth. He stuffed a pill soaked in honey between her teeth and told her chew and swallow it.

  “I’m fine.” She was wide-awake now and looked up at Alex.

  Gideon loosened the wrapper so he could listen to her heartbeat.

  “You’re not going to stab me with a dirk again?” she asked him.

  “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” he teased.

  “Alex,” Melissa pleaded.

  “I’m no’ going tae give in tae your whimper.” Alex wouldn’t budge until he knew she was going to be all right. Iain had told him she didn’t eat her breakfast until after a hot bath.

  Gideon put his hand on her forehead and diagnosed a slight fever, but nothing serious.

  “I told you I was fine. I slept in today.” Melissa smiled up at Alex who looked vastly relieved. “What time is it?” she thought to ask.

  “Four o’clock in the afternoon,” Gideon said concerned. “You’ve been asleep all day, and we were getting worried.”

  “She’s very pale,” Robert noticed. “I think she needs some ale.”

  “If I had tae wake up next tae Alex, I’d be pale, too,” Iain concluded.

  She combed her fingers through her hair and was surprised to find it was dry. “What’s for supper? I’m starving.” Melissa put her head back on the pillow. Alex looked worried, and she wanted to reassure him she was fine. The warm glow in his gaze lingered.

  Alex sat on the edge of the bed and covered her hand with his. “I think ye should stay in bed today.”

  “Not unless you join me,” she countered, delighted when he stretched out along the wall and wrapped his arm around her. Daniel and Robert pulled up chairs next to the bed.

  “Don’t you have something to do?” she asked, hoping they would get the hint.

  “No.” Daniel answered and sat back in the chair. They were waiting for a signal, and he was comfortable at the moment. The frown he gave Alex was for keeping her up so much she was totally exhausted.

  Iain also took up residence and sat on the foot of the bed, looking at her with concern. “If ye went a little easier on the lass, Alex, she wouldna’ get sick.”

  Alex already felt guilty enough and didn’t want to upset her by pounding on his brothers.

  Daniel got up and went over to the table. He brought over the package he brought for her. “Consider this a get well present. Ye don’t have tae wait.”

  Melissa sat up and leaned back against Alex. His arms closed around her, and she sighed. He felt so good. She slowly opened the package and noticed they watched her every move.

  “You must be a nightmare on the holidays,” Robert said, annoyed it was taking her so long to unwrap the package. She was thinking about all the holidays with her sisters and the elaborately decorated gifts. It was such a drastic comparison to the plain brown paper and twine tied in a bow that held the package closed.

  “I don’t often get presents so I cherish the moment.” The package opened to reveal a long sleeve, full-length dress made of soft ivory colored wool and a MacKenna tartan tunic that had ties on the side and was the same length as the dress. She ran her hand over the blue and red tunic with gold threads and looked up at Daniel. “The plaid is your family tartan. Thank you. It’s unbelievably beautiful and very thoughtful.”

  “There’s more,” Daniel prodded her to look further and she found a lovely heart shaped ruby pin. “That’s also from Alex,” Daniel assured her.

  “It’s a Luckenbooth pin,” Alex explained. The pin had far more significance than he admitted. Their father had given it to their mother when they were engaged. Later Alex could tell her what it meant to all of them to have her wear it.

  “It’s beautiful.” The pin appeared to be antique and very rare. She was overwhelmed at the gift and lovingly ran her fingers over the ruby stone.

  Iain brought coffee, and they sipped while she enjoyed her presents.

  “Are you going to let me out of bed to try on my new dress?” She gave Alex a hopeful look.

  “No,” he stated and pulled her back against him. “It will still be here tomorrow, and Gideon said ye needed a day of rest.”

  “If Gideon had his way with me I’d never get out of bed.” Melissa looked upset. “He thinks just because I look a little pale one day that I will fall over. I’m fine.”

  Melissa crawled out of bed. “I’m going to the water closet.” She tossed the covers aside, grabbed her new dress, and closed the door behind her.

  She looked at her face in the mirror and was surprised to see how pale she had become. Melissa did feel a little dizzy but guessed it was because she hadn’t eaten much in the past few days. Their diet was primarily roast mutton, boiled mutton, mutton kabobs, braised mutton, and baked mutton with cheese. She decided she hated mutton. She felt a pang of homesickness when she thought about chicken and fresh vegetables at her favorite restaurant.

  She dropped the wrapper to the floor and tried on her new dress. It was the right length and touched the top of her feet. She had lost a few pounds during the past few weeks, but the dress snugged up nicely with the tunic. She brushed her teeth and combed her hair. Still pale, she pinched some color into her cheeks and put on a sheer red lip-gloss to bring some color back in her face. Her bare feet were cold, and she stood on the wrapper to keep from getting chilled. The dress was soft as flannel, and she wished she had a long mirror to see how it looked.

  Melissa opened the door and walked out. Daniel let out a low whistle. Alex smiled, clearly delighted with the results. She turned around and showed them the 360-degree view before she went over to kiss Alex.

  “You look beautiful,” Alex said, and that sexy sparkle in his eyes lit up. “And don’t think I didn’t notice how ye wormed your way out of bed.” He pinned the broach on her dress.

  “Thank you for the lovely gifts, Alex and Daniel. The dress is very warm. I feel wonderful.” She closed her eyes for a moment and then looked directly into Alex’s soft jade gaze. “Have I told you today how much I love you, sweetheart?” She asked softly.

  “Not before now,” Iain said and then shut his mouth when Daniel kicked him.

  “Supper.�
� Daniel changed the subject. “I’m hungry.”

  Evan stuck his head inside the cottage. He looked at Alex and said, “It’s a lovely evening for a walk. Why don’t ye take Melissa down by the loch?”

  Daniel and Iain decided to join them. They walked down the center of the small village that was camped outside the cottage and made their way to the edge of Loch Voil.

  “Well, now isn’t this a rare treat,” Melissa laughed when she had Alex on one side of her and Daniel on the other. She put her hand through the crook of their arms and walked down the path. “Ok, guys. What is going on? You’re acting very strange.”

  “It’s his nature,” Daniel explained. “We’ve tried tae get him help.”

  “Unsuccessfully,” Iain commented from behind them.

  Alex covered her small hand with his. They were setting up the scene to catch the photographer but didn’t want Melissa concerned. “I’m just verra content and happy today,” he explained for Melissa. They walked slowly down to the loch.

  Alex and Daniel both saw William drop from a tree and sneak up behind a man. Melissa didn’t notice, and they exchanged looks over the top of her head.

  Daniel brought her hand up to his lips. “I hope ye are feeling better, my sweet. I think I’ll go see what William is up tae this evening.”

  “I’ll join ye, Daniel.” Iain walked beside his brother.

  Alex looked down at Melissa and smiled. “Ye are such a delight.” He leaned down to kiss her. Her eyes closed, and her arms wound around his neck. The moan in the back of her throat made his breath catch, and he gently nipped at her bottom lip. Her sigh nearly drove him to madness.

  She didn’t see the man being dragged away by Daniel and William.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Laird MacKenna has found and removed two photographers from his camp. It appears Prince George had his spies taking photographs of MacKenna’s camp and his hot new sweetie. They do look cozy on his horse, don’t they?

  On the Streets, with Rosabel

  As he spoke, Yorath was brought up to him beside the loch. Alex smiled. “There’s a lovely little Inn no’ too far away that has wonderful food.”

  He mounted and Robert lifted her to sit in front of Alex. The warmth of his arms was a sweet temptation. Yorath picked his way up the side of the glen to the ridge. They were guarded by a dozen warriors, who also kept a discrete distance.

  Excited, Melissa said. “This is wonderful. I can see everything from up here.”

  Alex pointed out the cottage. “This is the Balquhidder.” He told her stories of ancient wars and mighty battles, and the sensuous trill of his accent woke every never in her body.

  He spoke softly, with reverence for the battles, and then would laugh and tell her a story about his ancestors that fled a revolution to find freedom amongst the savages. An hour later, in the midst of a glorious sunset, they arrived at an Inn. Alex took her hand and led her inside the deserted Inn to a private room.

  “Have I told you today how beautiful you are?” He pushed her inside the lovely private room before the press found out they were there. The management at the Inn was expecting Alex and his guest to arrive and had everything ready.

  Alex had used the medical necessity loophole to get Melissa out of the camp and some food that she would eat. He was worried about her pale complexion and knew she was at her physical limits from their harsh lifestyle during the game.

  Their dinner was waiting for them. There was also a large four-poster bed in the room. She eyed the bed and then looked back at him.

  He tried to look innocent, but his wicked smile gave him away. She nibbled a piece of rye bread while she walked around the lovely room. The heavy blue velvet drapes gave the room a feeling of opulence as if it were meant for royalty. The lavish marble and oak facilities made her eyes go big.

  “Alex, there’s a bathtub in here.”

  “For you, love. We’ll have to try that out later.” His voice didn’t sound at all serious. “Let’s eat. I’m hungry.”

  There were lovely buttered vegetables and succulent roast beef. Ten minutes later they both came up for air, and Alex opened a bottle of wine. He poured two glasses and handed one to her before sitting back in his chair and pulling her onto his lap.

  “Right where you belong.” He stroked her back and sat back to take a deep breath. He was worried about her. She had slept the day away, and he thought twice about bringing her to the Inn. His fears were set aside when he noticed she did eat dinner and looked like she felt better. There was color back in her cheeks again.

  Melissa sipped the wine and leaned back on Alex’s warm chest. “Now, this is living.”

  She wound her arms around his neck, and her lips found his, warm and inviting. His arms held her very close. He explored and teased her sweet tasting mouth. He could excite her with a look, and when he touched her, she melted into sizzling flames. His hand cupped her breast, and she softly moaned against his lips.

  Alex quickly lost any sensible thought about taking his time to seduce her. He liked the way she felt in his arms. He untied the tunic, but she didn’t notice. He smiled in the kiss, and she pulled back.

  “What are you smiling about?” She knew all too well but wanted him to admit he could undress her with not much more than a flick of his wrist.

  “Ye make me smile,” he teased. “I love tae touch ye.” His hands moved over her body, and her breathing became erratic.

  “How do you always get my clothes off before I know what you’re doing?”

  “I distract ye with a kiss.” He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. She gasped and clung to him. The affect made her feel dizzy it was so intense. Her eyes closed as the warmth spread through her.

  The tunic was in his hand.

  Melissa smiled and held up his belt. That got him to laugh. She slowly unbuttoned his shirt and slid her hand down his muscular stomach. The tub came to mind, and she stood and pulled him with her.

  Hot water filled the old-fashioned claw foot tub, and there was a lovely scented milk bath potion in a stone bottle to put in the water. The water turned a milky white, and the aroma was of clean air and flowers on a summer morning. Alex leaned back against the door, watching her. She tested the water and satisfied, turned off the tap.

  Alex was grateful she didn’t ask him about the modern plumbing at the Inn. He didn’t want to lie to her but didn’t want to ruin the evening either.

  He was getting seduced, and she took her time doing it. She took his shirt off and kissed her way down his stomach to undo the tuck in his plaid. She took him to the tub and made him get in first.

  “You’re being very agreeable.” Her hands moved up to his shoulders and started massaging the strain away. So he liked the attention.

  She took off the dress and hung it on a hook. He held a glass in one hand, keeping the other was on the rim of the tub, totally relaxed. The warm water was soothing. Melissa went back into the bedroom and lit a candle in the fading light, giving the room a warm inviting glow.

  She was humming to herself and couldn’t help but dance a little wiggle of her hips while the slip came off.

  “Nice touch,” he said with a growl in his voice.

  She slid into the water with him and leaned back against his chest. His arms closed around her, and he held her. The water relaxed her in minutes, and she reached for the soap and turned around.

  His free hand caressed her while she soaped down the rippled muscles of his chest. She leaned up against his soapy chest, and her arms went around his neck.

  “Your eyes are beautiful in the candlelight,” he said softly. Alex was relaxed and smiling.

  “You look different today.” She looked into his eyes, seeing something new and exciting there. They always had a sparkle of mischief, but now there was also a light that shimmered in the depths. “You’re so handsome. You take my breath away.” The astonished look on his face made her smile. “Do you know how beautiful you are?” she asked, and he shook his head slo
wly.

  “No, darling. Ye’re the beauty. Those blue and violet eyes can drop a man tae his knees and beg for ye just tae look at him.”

  “You’re changing the subject,” she reprimanded. “I get lost in your jade eyes. They take me to eternity. And that smile—” she traced a finger down his cheek. “You smile at me, and I forget to think.”

  “Is it working?” He smiled ran two hands over her backside. The feel of her soft skin was like velvet to his callused hands.

  “Yes.” She turned over, leaning back against him again. His fingertips brushed against the side of her breast, and she gasped.

  Curious, he thought and tried the action again. He touched the side of her breast with the back of his fingers and noticed the change.

  She had lost some weight in the past few weeks. Her clothes didn’t fit her as well as they had when she arrived, but this new delight got his attention. He made a mental note, and his hands caressed her arms.

  The water had cooled, and he wanted to take her into that wonderful bed. He rinsed off and got out of the tub. His hips were wrapped in a bath sheet of soft wool when he ordered her to stand up.

  Melissa stood, and he lifted her out of the tub, carefully drying her off. He liked taking the time to notice every inch of her body. He could tell she was still a little shy around him, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why. But he liked the way the blush gave her a rosy glow.

  He took his time to reinvestigate the delicate curve of her leg and the sensitive backs of her knees. He kissed her there, and her eyes became round with desire. His hand moved up the inside of her thigh, and she trembled. He knew where to touch her to build the passion and ignite her into flames.

  Alex dropped the sheets and picked her up. In his arms, she was such a little lady. He took her to the bedroom and pulled the covers down.

  He brought the candle into the bedroom and put it down on the table. The dishes had all been cleared while they were in the bathtub, and a midnight treat of warm blueberry cobbler was waiting for them.