Knight After Night

by Jackie Ivie

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER ONE

  ‘Rules are made to be…broken.’

  Jolie looked up from Sir Walter Scott’s printed words to face the speaker and got empty space. There wasn’t anyone from her vantage point all the way to the next hall, where giggling interspersed the whispers from an amorous couple. She took her time scanning polished floor shadowed by bookcases and long, wood-hewn tables with accompanying high-backed chairs that made everyone who sat in them look puny and insignificant. Old gilded candelabra hung in rows, defining the space, pegged with little lights they’d dimmed for now. Actually, Jolie didn’t think they ever lit the bulbs. No need. Long, florescent lights hovered over most tables, creating oasis of space. There wasn’t anything to see. Nothing. It was her imagination. It had to be. Even if the breath behind the whisper felt like it tickled her ear. Jolie brushed at her lobe defensively. The voice had been masculine. Cultured. Carrying a hint of brogue. Softly spoken. And it started a trickle of reaction along her neck.

  She sighed, listened to how the sound got captured in the echo-ridden library, and then went back to studying words on paper. Literary works usually held her spellbound, poring over meaning, absorbing inference. That wasn’t happening now, since she was missing sleep and hiding from her amorous roommate’s activities. Sir Scott should’ve written less of romance. And she still had the entire tome to finish memorizing—

  “You ignoring me, lass?”

  Jolie’s head snapped up, her eyes went wide, and her breath stopped. She was afraid her heart joined it. Massive male reclined in the high backed chair opposite her, making that particular one look small and effeminate, from little more than the work of holding him.

  “I—”

  Jolie didn’t have an answer so she just let her voice stop. She went back to her book and practiced ignoring the interloper. It wasn’t easy. He had to be the most handsome thing she’d ever imagined. Attired in what looked like a kilt but had more material to it since he’d tossed a bit of it over one shoulder. That was worn over a linen shirt with ruffles down the front, and a black vest matching the shade and shine of his hair. Even with all that, she reminded herself - he was just a man. And he was annoying her. Like every other male she’d met lately; all of them single-minded and lustful. She was sick of it. Although…she stole another peek at this one and watched him catch her gesture and acknowledge it with a dip of his chin. She jerked her attention back to the page and suffered a blush.

  “You from across the pond?” he asked.

  She tried reading another line without seeing it.

  “I’m fair certain of it. East coast?”

  Ignoring him wasn’t working. She was going to have to give this one words. “I’m studying. And you’re interrupting,” she answered in a cool tone.

  “I’ll go farther inland. Great-lakes area? Chicago?”

  “You have a problem hearing?”

  “Verra well. I’ll try west coast?” He prompted it, leaning forward to rest his elbows atop the massive length of wood in the table, making that structure look like so much kindling. Lighting from overhead put shadows to his features, carving them into sharp relief; highlighting coal black hair, lush lashes of the same shade, perfectly chiseled jaw and cheeks…full lips, and liquid silver eyes.

  Huge shoulders and arms were encased in that perfectly ironed shirt and vest, and it looked cut and sewn to his exact proportions when he wasn’t flexing. Fitting him without causing a ripped seam had to be a tailor’s worst nightmare. And it was beginning to be hers that she couldn’t keep her glance from straying to him. She returned it to the page.

  “I’m studying.” Jolie enunciated each word again.

  “Why?”

  She sighed hard enough to ruffle the pages in front of her. “I have a quiz tomorrow.”

  He waved a hand in dismissal. “Tests.”

  “It’s not a test. It’s a quiz.”

  “Vague difference. Little reason.”

  “Look. I just got a scholarship. I earned it. And now I’m proving why. So if you don’t mind, I’ve work to do.”

  She turned her attention back to the book, finding it hard to concentrate when she had an enticing, exciting male breathing in rhythm with her. Jolie frowned slightly as she read the same paragraph three times and failed to comprehend it.

  “How much work?”

  He’d leaned closer and put both palms together to lean atop his index fingers; studying her. And damn her for peeking and knowing that much.

  “Enough.”

  “Have supper with me.”

  Jolie’s breath caught and then escaped with measured precise timing. That way he’d never know. “It’s way past time for supper,” she told him, turning a page she hadn’t read.

  “Somewhere in the world…’tis supper.”

  “You’re starting to annoy me.”

  “Only starting? You’ve a vast reservoir of patience. And an odd accent I canna’ place. Canadian?”

  “Alaskan. Now…if you’ll excuse me?”

  “Alaska. Hmm. I’ve na’ been there yet. However, if I’d known you were there…”

  He let it trail off, hinting at something her skin recognized. That sent a rivulet of goose bumps all over her. And then he made it immeasurably worse with a large enough sigh it ruffled her page. “All of which is mere words when I await your every whim.”

  “What?”

  “We’ll start with supper.”

  “Oh. No.”

  “Why na’?”

  “I don’t go to supper with strangers.”

  “Thoran Alexander MacKettryck.”

  She didn’t hear the scrape of the chair but he was on his feet, making her crane her head to see him. He bowed and gestured with one hand, making a movement akin to what the professor of medieval studies was always affecting. Only on this man, it looked genuine and graceful. With his other hand he pushed back on what looked like a short sword strapped to his hip while the hilt of another peeked from behind a shoulder. She blinked and moved her eyes and then swallowed to still the nervousness.

  “Your parents named you Thorn? How apt.”

  “Thor…an.” He replied, splitting it in two.

  “Interesting.”

  “And you are…Jolie Amber Pritchard. We are now introduced.”

  “H-h-how do you know my name?”

  The stammer was as genuine as the shock. It worsened as he reached and put both hands on the table top in order to lean forward, looming over her and sending massive, man-size shadow everywhere. They should have crafted these tables as wide as they were long. She had it decided before his sword sheath clanked against it.

  “It’s written on your page. Legibly. Easy to read. Even upside down.”

  Jolie snapped her notebook shut. “What…do you want?”

  “Sup. With you.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “The entire world is hungry. For one thing or another. They thirst. They hunger. They crave. Wine. Entertainment. Knowledge. Sometimes for the mundane work of sustenance. And sometimes for lust.”

  “You can forget the lust part. Don’t make me call security.” She’d had about enough of Scot machismo. Even if it was wrapped up in masculine perfection and breathing all over her from his vantage.

  He smiled. “Would it help if I told you I’m a gentleman?”

  “No.” She replied and lifted her chin slightly.

  “How about my…lineage?”

  “I’m American. We don’t do lineage.”

  He smiled without sh
ow of teeth. Sadly. Almost melancholic. It made her heart skip a full beat before it returned with a painful pulse.

  “Thoran Alexander MacKettryck, Sixth Duke of Kettryck, Earl of Umber, Chieftain and laird of the aforementioned as well as the baronetcies of Ulster and Little Dee. At last count.”

  Jolie was stunned. There wasn’t much way to hide it. He sounded immensely rich. Snobbish. And she already knew he was arrogant.

  “Most ladies leap at an offer to sup with me.”

  “I’m certain they do.”

  “I’ll drive.”

  “You’re arrogant. Egotistical. And conceited.”

  “So?”

  “Big-headed. Pretentious. Haughty. Vain.”

  “I agree with vain. Go on. I can wait.”

  “I really need to get back to studying. I’m not hungry. You need to leave. Now.”

  “And if I refuse?”

  “Swollen-headed. Pompous. Uh…arrogant. Conceited.”

  “You’re repeating.”

  “I’m serious…what is your title?”

  “Call me Thoran.”

  “That’s it. I’m calling security.” Jolie fumbled for her pocketed cell phone and thumbed through listings without looking. Stopped. Glanced down to check before pushing the button.

  “I doona’ think so.”

  “Why not?”

  “You wouldn’t want them to get injured.”

  Jolie met his look for countless seconds, gauging his boast. He’d gone right past defying description. He also looked like what he said was fact. Not supposition. Not boastful. Actual fact. The hand resting on a knife hilt only emphasized it. Jolie moved her thumb away from the call button. He looked like he already knew it.

  “Does this mean you’ll accept my invite?”

  “No. It means I’m leaving.”

  He regarded her without expression. “In that event, I’ll escort you.”

  “No.”

  “I insist.”

  “How does one get rid of you, Thoran?”

  “One doesn’t.”

  “That’s insane.”

  “Add that to the descriptions you’ve already used. Come. I’ve the perfect spot for a light sup. And then…dancing.”

  “I’m not dancing with you.”

  “Ah—.” He held a finger up. “You dinna’ say sup.”

  “Very well. I’m not supping with you, either.”

  They were gaining some notice. Shushing noise came limping through the halls and around the bookcases toward them.

  “See there? You’re going to get me tossed out.”

  “Arguing gets you that. I’m merely attempting an escort.”

  “I don’t need an escort, Thoran Alexander…whatever your name is.”

  “MacKettryk,” he supplied.

  Jolie’s lips tightened. “I’m walking to my room. It’s not that far. I’ve done it multiple times. Safely.”

  “You doona’ want to do that. Your roommate has na’ finished with Kelvin yet.”

  Jolie stopped assembling her books into a pile, carefully placing all five of them in order; largest on bottom, notebook on top. She looked back up at him and narrowed her eyes. It didn’t mute him much.

  “How…do you know about that?”

  “I ken lots of things.”

  “How?”

  His eyes shifted slightly up and to the left before returning his gaze to her, showing the obvious sign of lying. Jolie knew that even before taking from Psychology 101.

  “Cameras. Throughout the buildings.”

  “Right.” Jolie said it under her breath. She scooted her chair back, preparatory to standing. It made a satisfying scrape noise on the polished tile floor. “Don’t you have anyone else to bother?”

  “Maybe later.”

  “Why me? You’ve probably got legions of women who’d love to sup with you.”

  “You called to me. I answered.”

  “Of all the—”

  He interrupted her. “A thought winging through the night. Straight to me.”

  “Oh. Brother.”

  She dead-panned both words. He looked slightly taken-aback. Then he smiled again, that same sad-type smile.

  “I was bored, Jolie-lass. You were, too. Admit it.”

  “No.”

  “Then fight it and pretend otherwise. I’ll still take you to sup. And dancing.”

  “I can’t go. Not to sup. And definitely not dancing.” She also couldn’t halt the breathless anticipatory note of her voice. She could barely believe the sound of it.

  “The night’s young. You can do whatever you want. I’ll make certain of it.”

  “What about my studying?”

  “I’ll quote it to you. Word-for-word. While you eat.”

  “You’ll…quote it?”

  “Aye. From any tome you wish to name.”

  Jolie had come up against arrogance before but this was ridiculous. The man had the physique of a jock, the manners of a barbarian, and the looks of a god – along the lines of Greek mythology gods. It wasn’t believable he’d actually memorized passages of literary works.

  “How?”

  “With my voice. Come. I ken just the place to start our evening.” He stood back from the table, making it groan with the loss of weight. “Do you have a cloak?”

  “A cloak? Uh…no. Hoodie.” Jolie giggled, caught it with a hand and then flushed at the ramifications. She giggled ?

  “What is a hoodie?”

  “A jacket that goes over the head. Like this.”

  She demonstrated, pulling the garment over her head and arms and once it was down, yanking her hair out, where it sparked against the fleece lining. That was her fault. She hadn’t braided her hair, she hadn’t found conditioner, and that just made it impossible to control. It wasn’t until she looked up that she realized six-and-a-half feet of man stood right in front of her, breathing along with her as if he hadn’t just raced around the table, or vaulted over it, or somehow moved that quickly without affecting him at all. And without making one hint of noise.

  “Hmm… Interesting. I see this hoodie takes the place of several items of clothing. A cloak. Shawl. Hat. Sweater. Muff for your hands. For ease. Efficiency.”

  “You don’t get out much, do you?”

  “Enough.”

  “Then you don’t watch enough television.”

  “I despise it.”

  “You despise television? How do you survive?”

  He smiled again and held out his hand, splitting the distance between them although if she moved, he’d bridge it. “Verra well, actually. Snuggle close. It’s rather chill out.”

  Jolie turned ninety degrees from him to pick up her books before turning back. She needed the time and the barrier. She didn’t answer until she’d finished. And then the words were directed to the center of his chest. “I’m plenty warm, thank you.”

  “Then take my hand because I ask it.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  She was right. There wasn’t much space between them for him to reach out and take her hand. He also took the books and folded them into the free hand, making her stack look tiny. He then compounded everything by planting her against his side with little more than a hairsbreadth of gap between them. The contact sparked. Engaged. Flared. Nobody had warned her of Scotland’s humidity problem. Or maybe the heat in these old buildings to blame. It was clear she should have splurged and bought conditioner for her hair and a huge vat of lotion for her skin as well.

  “How do you move so quickly?”

  He smiled down at her as if she were a child and should already know. “The same way I do everything. Come. Your chariot awaits.”

  “Chariot? A real chariot?”

  “Verra well. ‘Tis actually a Rolls.”

  “You have a Rolls… Royce ?’ Her voice was missing on the second word.

  “I have several. I brought the Phantom tonight. Does that make you more amenable to sup?”

  “Which…ver
sion?”

  “Of what? Sup?”

  “Phantom.”

  “I think it’s the third. I liked the lines.”

  “No way. That’s from 1936.”

  “Mayhap.” He shrugged, moving her with the motion. “I’d have to check.”

  “That’s the one with Suicide Doors, isn’t it?”

  “I believe it’s called a coach body. You like motor cars?”

  “You’re joking.”

  “I never joke.”

  “You’re lying, then.”

  “ Oh! What a tangled web we weave. When first we practice to deceive .”

  “You’re quoting Scott? How trite.”

  “You ken your Scott?”

  “Doesn’t everyone?” she replied acerbically.

  “ Yet Clare’s sharp questions must I shun. Must separate Constance from the Nun.”

  “You do know the poem.”

  He opened the library’s front door for her, having walked them across the entire span of floor from the table to here in mere moments. Without thought of a step, either. Not one. Jolie frowned slightly at how that could be possible and then caught her breath in absolute wonder.

  “Your chariot, Miss Jolie.”

  The duke said it with another grand arm gesture toward the drive below them, holding her books out as if they weighed nothing. His action was a clue for the driver dressed in nondescript dark clothing to get out and hold open the back door. The car had suicide doors all right. It was just like she’d always dreamt.

  “That’s…a real Rolls Royce Phantom. Looks like 1936. Maybe 1937. In mint condition.”

  “It is?”

  “Of course it is. And you know it.”

  He turned her to face him with a move of his hand. Or pivoted to face her without any move at all, and breathed down on her evenly for several counts until she looked up. Such a thing as being mesmerized in place was totally unacceptable. His chauffeur was watching. The entire world was probably keeping tabs through cameras, and all she could see was silver-hued eyes and perfect features. She was totally afraid he’d kiss her. Right there. In front of everyone. And wondering why she wanted him to.

  “I have lots of cars.”

  “Like that one?” It was a gasp.

  “Aye.”

  “Wow. I mean…wow.”

  “If I’d known it took a recitation of my belongings to get your acquiescence, I’d have started sooner. Much sooner.”