Laird of the Game

by Leigh, Lori

  Daniel walked back into the Drawing Room. Evan had given him the lady’s passport when they brought in her bag. Her sensual beauty lingered in his mind as he shut the door and walked over to his desk. The laptop screen saver disappeared when he entered his password and a satellite link brought him back to the 21st century. He emailed Delores, his Assistant, with the basic information and started his search with her name.

  Chapter Four

  The Game of Love Starts with a Kiss! It looks like Laird MacKenna brought along some summer entertainment this year. What a lucky lady, and oh—what a kiss! Such scandalous behavior from the Laird himself! Unbelievable! The Bookies are going into overtime to keep up with the bouncing odds that now heavily favor the Prince to win.

  On the Streets, with Rosabel

  “Can you tell me what year it is?” Melissa was confused as she looked around the room. There were rushes on the floor and clean trenchers on the table.

  “Aye, tis 1745,” he noticed she paled considerably.

  She had recently dedicated and afternoon to a museum in Glasgow and spent several hours in the section that depicted the Witch Hunts of Scotland. How could she explain where she was from, when she didn’t believe time travel was possible? She didn’t dare tell him she was from the future or they would burn her at the stake. There was no one she could contact to help her, or any way she could reach her sisters. Her stomach suddenly felt like she had swallowed a live eel. She had to find the mist that brought her to 1745 and return to the future before they found out she was just a tourist who wandered away from her group and got lost.

  Melissa took her shoes from Alexander and placed them on her feet. There was no pain when she stood and only then realized how short she was when she stood next to him. He had to be six feet two or three inches tall. The top of her head was level to his shoulder.

  “Thank you for rescuing me.” She picked up her bag and blindly stumbled toward the door.

  Alex stood with his feet braced apart, his arms akimbo, and looked at her curiously. “Where do ye think ye’re going?”

  Melissa didn’t have a clue. She turned around and shrugged. “I guess I don’t know where I am let alone how to get back to my hotel.”

  “Ho-tel?” he asked, playing along with the charade. “Are ye staying at the Inn?”

  “I don’t know?”

  Alex caught her by her elbow and eased the bag from her shoulder. “Then perhaps ye should stay right where ye’re at until ye figure it ou’. Ye go’ a wee bit of a shock this morning. Ye canna leave me now. Why don’ ye stay and rest awhile? Ye can ha’e supper with us.”

  His hand went to the small of her back and pushed her up a magnificent wide staircase and took a right turn. “Ye should rest awhile,” he said again charmingly.

  “I’m not tired!” Melissa was instantly aware of the direction he was taking her and was also relieved he wasn’t putting her in a dungeon. The windows in the roof filtered light to the Italian alabaster sculptures, and she couldn’t help but notice the antique curios that lined the hallway. Everywhere she looked the beauty of gleaming oak and deep red carpets brought out a feeling of opulence and history.

  “Aye, lass, ye need some time tae rest. No one will harm ye. But if ye try tae leave the house without my protection it could be certain death. There are two hundred warriors camped outside,” the sexy growl in his voice made clear the implication.

  “Where exactly am I?”

  He was enchanted by her naivety, to be certain. Alex decided to play along with her question. “Ye’re safe for the moment. But the war has already begun. Doona’ try tae leave withou’ me as your escort.”

  Melissa wondered who would save her from her own raging passions. She had no idea where she was in Scotland, or how she had stepped back in time.

  Alex distracted her gently massaging the small of her back. “Ye should get out of that wet dress and lie down for awhile. Ye can lock the door.” He opened the door to his chamber and nearly had to shove her inside.

  The four-poster double bed had a red and blue tartan quilt that also had a crest stitched in gold thread in the center. Outside the second story windows there was a spectacular view of the mountains to the north, the glen to the east, and a beautiful dark blue loch.

  He stepped in behind her but left the door open.

  Alex reached out and took hold of her waist. He roughly pulled her up against his warm hard body. Her head tipped up and his mouth lightly touched hers just for a brief moment. The look of surprise on her face was worth a thousand words. Her unmet expectations were evident in the disappointed frown on her face when he pulled back. Alex was well aware of where he was at the moment and that his last shred of control could snap at any moment.

  But don’t ye want tae kiss your Angel?

  The thoughts tormented him with the memory of her soft lips that he tasted so lusciously before. He touched her lips again with his and began a full-scale assault on her resistance. She held on to his shirt as he plundered and tasted, advanced and retreated. His hand reached up to stroke her neck and gently applied pressure until her mouth opened. He moaned from the intense desire racing through his body. He needed her now. His heart thundered against his chest as she yielded to the kiss and wound her hands around his neck. He felt her press against his thighs and thought he would lose his mind. She felt so good in his arms. His tongue swept into her mouth testing and exploring until she trembled.

  Melissa was drawn to the heat that radiated from under his shirt. He made her ache for more and she kissed him back until he groaned.

  It took all his inner strength to pull away from her soft lips. He gently kissed the side of her neck and stepped back a pace.

  He took her hands in his and kissed her fingertips. “Do you want tae bed me now, and later?”

  She finally got past the romantic burr in his velvet voice to hear the shameless meaning of his words. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

  “We’ll save the bedding for later then.”

  Alex walked to the door and knew that if she didn’t throw him out of the room, he wasn’t going to volunteer to leave. “Rest now and I’ll call ye in time for supper.”

  He had been toying with her affections and her fists clenched. Melissa was livid. “I’ve changed my mind. This isn’t the House of Wonders. It’s the House of Horrors and you’re clearly out of your mind. Get out!” The burr in his voice was like a velvet caress that lingered and caressed every secret part of her, and made the ache of wanting him unbearable.

  “Aye, I’ve been called a monster before, but that’s usually after the bedding.”

  He shut the door and strolled down the stairs. The door was locked with a click.

  Daniel stood at the bottom of the stairs and shook his head. “…certain death, Alex? Wish I had thought of that when I had Heather here.” There was a wicked gleam in his eyes.

  Gideon and Robert walked into the house and followed them into the Drawing Room.

  “What the hell did ye do tae her this time?” Robert asked. “Yorath tried tae break free from his stall when he heard her yelling.”

  Alex raised one eyebrow in response.

  “The men are hoping to catch her eye now that she finds you so disagreeable,” Gideon stated calmly. He picked up the fax and let out a low whistle.

  “I don’t think she knows about the game, or what’s at stake,” Daniel said plainly.

  Daniel closed the doors to the Drawing Room for privacy. “We have a problem.” He handed the fax over to Alex and leaned on the edge of his desk while Alex reviewed the headline from the tabloid ‘On the Streets’ that read, ‘The Game of Love Starts with a Kiss!’ that included a picture of Alex holding Melissa in his arms and their first kiss. It had been taken that morning and was already on the front page of the tabloid.

  “The Bookies in London give your latest Affaire du Jour a month and you’ll send her back tae the States. There are reporters already crawling all over her hotel waiting for her tae return. I
sent someone over tae pick up her things before she finds out.”

  Alex was furious. “Damn it! Why won’t Rosabel leave me alone?”

  “Unfortunately, your affair is hot news in London and the odds of winning the game have taken a turn for the worse.”

  Daniel, Gideon, and Robert knew all too well the reason. Everywhere they went there were photographers waiting to catch a glimpse of their latest girlfriends and then the newspapers would torment the lady. Rosabel was the voice of the Ton, and had followed the MacKenna brothers relentlessly for several years.

  “I also checked out Melissa, just tae be certain she wasn’t a spy for George. She’s an American tourist.”

  “Aye, she said she was lost.” He remembered every word she said fondly. “The press will crucify her because of me if she leaves now. I canna let her face that humiliation all alone.”

  Gideon asked the most obvious question. “What do ye want tae do with her Alex? We could take her back tae Glasgow and check her into a different hotel. Or, perhaps send her tae Paris for the rest of her holiday?”

  Alex considered the question. “What would ye do if Heaven put an Angel in your arms?”

  “Hold on,” Daniel answered. “With everything I have.”

  Evan was outraged. “No, ye canna bring her into the game. Alex, wha’ ye’r doin’ tae her is’na’ right, ye ken?”

  “She seems tae like me.”

  “She definitely likes your horse,” Robert snickered. “I canna wait till Rebecca hears abou’ Yorath. She’s no’ goin’ tae be a happy wumman.”

  The MacKenna’s all shook their heads at Yorath who made a complete fool of himself and would never be a terrifying warhorse again.

  “I need time,” Alex sighed, “and your help tae keep her at the cottage.”

  “Alex, are ye out of your mind?” Robert asked. “Ye canna go on making her believe she has stepped back in time. If she wanders too far from the cottage, she’ll know we lied tae her. Ye canna put one little wumman in the middle of this warrior game. She’s too beautiful! We’ll be scraping the men off her every day.”

  “Starting with us,” Iain stated.

  “She was caught in the middle of a battle this morning and fainted she was so terrified.” Evan’s concern was founded in facts. “Och, let her go before ye break her heart.”

  “We’re no’ going tae tell her this is all a game,” Alex instructed. “I won’t allow any warrior or battle tae frighten her again. Let’s give her a holiday she will never forget.” Alexander’s bravado was all show. He stared out of the window for a few moments to collect his thoughts. The wave of guilt knotted his stomach into a painful reminder of the heartache a deception could cause, but he didn’t want to lose her.

  “She will ask questions.” Evan brought up a tactical problem. “What do we say tae her if she asks why we don’t have guns in our battles with the Prince?”

  “Highlanders were disarmed after the Rising of 1715. Ye can direct all her questions tae me. Tae Melissa, it is 1745, and at tha’ time there were very few weapons in Scotland. The English had confiscated most of their black powder pistols. One of our men had to go home for an emergency, so we do have an opening to add her name to the list. We are abou’ tae become the warriors of legend no’ just play the game. What say ye?”

  “We’d better remember all our history lessons.” Gideon exchanged a frown with Robert.

  Daniel proceeded cautiously. “Alex, it will be very hurtful when she finds ou’ ye have deceived her.”

  “I accept the responsibility for my deception.”

  “There could also be other complications,” Gideon warned, fully aware of the tension between them.

  Alex clearly understood the implication and the corners of his mouth raised in a wicked smile.

  They all looked at a smiling Alex in wide-eyed disbelief and finally understood that regardless of his circumstances, he was a man in love.

  Alex walked to the door. “The alternative is tha’ I leave the game with her because I willna let her walk away from me.” He saw the look of horror on their faces. “Ye can forfeit the game or join us for supper.”

  “Weel then, supper sounds lovely,” Daniel said.

  His shocked brothers nodded in agreement.

  Chapter Five

  Melissa walked into the bathroom and found that it was nothing more than an old-fashioned water closet complete with a wooden-handled, handcrafted chain to run water through the system. How could they survive without a proper bath and a candle for light? The modern day facilities she had come to depend on didn’t exist yet, and she suddenly felt overwhelmed.

  She wandered around the room, unsure what to do next. Her sisters would help her if she could contact them, but how? There were no telephones or a radio in the house. At the moment, she missed her family and the comfort of her own apartment.

  She fought back a tear when she thought about her sisters. Amber and Sarah would be frantic when she turned up missing and Melissa could just imagine the anguish they would go through while searching for her. They would not give up, no matter how many mountains they had to search. And yet, Melissa also felt drawn to this warrior in ways she had never experienced before now. Did she have to make a choice in either living in the future without him or hurting her sisters to stay in the past? Could she stay in the past even if she wanted to?

  She considered Alexander’s actions and then had to admit that what annoyed her most was that he was accurate. He had unleashed her passions and then laughed at her innocence. With so much to think about, she was getting a headache and decided it wasn’t an answer she could find without a witch doctor or a magician. Perhaps it was all a dream and she would wake up and find that she had never left her hotel room?

  She was fatigued and happy to have a little time to herself to regain control of her turbulent emotions. It was his room. She could tell by the scent. It filled her head and started an ache deep inside her belly. It wasn’t possible to desire him so completely, her mind reasoned.

  She took off the wet dress and hung it over the back of a chair to dry. Her shoes were dropped in the middle of the floor. She crawled in under the covers, moved into the center of his bed, put her head down on the pillow, and fell asleep instantly.

  ***

  He stood there, watching her sleep for a few moments before he had to wake her for supper. Alex had bathed and changed and then realized she could sleep through an entire army battling inside that room, she slept so soundly. She looked feminine in his warrior world and luscious beyond belief.

  The house staff brought in an antique copper tub and filled it with steaming water. The home made soap was scented with rose petals and a bath sheet was laid out for her use, and then the staff left with instructions to prepare the cottage for their arrival later that day.

  He took a deep breath. “Trust me, darling,” he said softly. Alex sat down on the edge of the bed and gently nudged her arm. “Wake up, Sweetheart.”

  Her eyes bounced open, and she rolled out of bed, stood, and stretched.

  The sight of her standing there in a very short, clinging slip was a distraction that made him swallow hard and force his line of sight to her face. He wanted all of her, not just her body, but at the moment, his body was already fervently responding to hers. For the first time in his life, Alex wanted to matter beyond immediate physical pleasure to someone.

  “Alexander!” Melissa had heard him call her sweetheart, and it shocked her right out of bed. “That door was locked.”

  He held up a key. “It’s my room.”

  “I knew it was your room. You said…”

  “How did ye know it was my room?” He was intensely curious. Their casual conversation would probably have gone on for hours while he admired the sight of her curvaceous body in an opaque slip. She was confused and adorable with a hurricane of curls falling soft on her bare shoulders. It was a delight to watch her struggle with consciousness.

  She waved her hand in front of her. “
The entire room has your scent. You are avoiding the question.”

  “What was the question?” He enjoyed the feminine sound of her voice. Her slip was skintight, and he got the most perfect view of her body when she stepped over by the window and sunlight highlighted her curves.

  She ran a hand over the rage of curls that fell over her face. “I can’t remember. I’m a little groggy, and it must have been a question in my dream.”

  “Ye have an hour tae wake and get ready for supper. I will be back tae take ye downstairs.”

  Alex walked out of the room and shut the door. He stood there for a few moments and then heard the scream. He was certain she had just figured out that he wasn’t a nightmare.

  He strolled down the stairs. Iain ran toward him.

  “What the hell was that?” Iain stopped next to Alex.

  Alex casually kept on walking.

  Iain let out a long breath. “Och, with a scream like that, she can scare the hell ou’ of the Prince. It’s a good thing she’s on our side.”

  Melissa spent the hour bathing, and cursing without a blow-dryer for her hair or a mirror larger than her compact to put on makeup. She waited for Alexander to return, but it was his younger brother who knocked on the door.

  “My brother asked me tae bring ye downstairs.” He looked instantly flustered at finding the English words.

  Alex looked relaxed leaning up against the white marble fireplace. She walked over to stand next to him and waited for him to finish his discussion.

  The room was elegant, and she couldn’t help but notice the painted tiles of sailing ships. There were several comfortable sofas and chairs, and large bay windows let in plenty of light. The oak floors gleamed next to oriental rugs of deep blues and greens.

  Melissa wanted him to kiss her again and had come to that realization an hour ago. Until she figured out how to go home, she’d better start acting like an Angel, even if it killed her.

  What’s wrong with me?

  She felt terrible for yelling at him the way she did and very embarrassed at her behavior. How often do you get a chance to meet a beautiful Celtic God who could kiss like a dream?