“You never came to dinner.”
After the fight with his brother, he had not been inclined to speak with anyone but the one person he cared most to be near. And he also had not trusted himself to be in the presence of others on their final night together. With good cause. But he was here now, and he would ensure she did not forget him until they were together again.
He removed another pin, and then another. When the last pin’s tenuous hold gave way, he watched as her hair tumbled down around her.
“When you wake tomorrow,” he said, tossing the pins to the ground, “you will feel the lingering touch of my lips on yours.” He raised his finger and gently swept it over her lower lip. He moved closer. “The press of my body on yours will feel so real that closing your eyes will bring it all back with achingly sweet clarity.”
Her lips parted and it took all of Reid’s restraint not to accept the invitation. She was still so innocent, but desire flickered in her eyes. Part of him wanted to inflame that desire until they were both consumed. But the other, the part of him Allie saw so clearly, was the one that would claim victory this eve.
Though he would still make good on his promise to ensure she awoke with very real memories of this night.
“Close your eyes.”
That Allie did so immediately endeared her to him even more.
He took the slightest step back so that only the very tips of her breasts touched his chest. As much as he wanted to pull her into his arms, Reid did not. He waited until she became impatient and opened her eyes.
“Keep them closed, lass,” he insisted.
As she shut them again, the air between them seemed to sizzle with anticipation. Every feature on her face was so perfectly formed that Reid almost reached up to touch her. But restraint won the day.
When she finally stopped moving, anticipating, Reid moved in. He slid his hands up between them, his palms facing her. He allowed them to hang in the air for a moment before he reached for the neckline of her gown.
What if she has a particular penchant for the garment and its shift underneath?
Reid decided to take a chance. And despite the heaviness of the gown, with one swift motion, he tore the material in two and pushed it open, revealing the prize beneath. Two perfectly formed creamy orbs tipped with dark nipples begging for his mouth.
Cupping both breasts at once, he used his thumb to ensure her nipples were hard and ready for him. Then he sucked and nipped at one of them until she groaned. When he looked up to ensure he’d not been too rough, his love’s face was filled with wonderment and pleasure. He did it again, this time using his other hand to give the breast the attention it deserved.
By the time Reid stood up straight, his cock stood up with him, hard and begging for relief. He could see from Allie’s expression he’d only accomplished part of his goal. She would remember him tomorrow, and every day they were apart, but she wanted more. Reid wanted her to think of nothing beyond the pleasure he’d given her. So when he saw an opening in her partially torn dress, he took it.
Reaching below her undergarments, Reid didn’t stop until he felt the soft curls that stood guardian to her very core.
“Look at me.”
She’d already been doing so, but he didn’t want her to look away. Reid wanted her to know that pleasing her gave him as much enjoyment as it did her.
He needed her to know how she affected him.
Reid didn’t glide his fingers in as slowly and smoothly as he’d done in the tub. This time, once ensuring she was wet and ready for him, he plunged inside, fitting his palm against her. He circled and thrusted, relentless, watching as her lips parted and her eyes opened wide.
When she was close, Reid backed them both up against the wall as her soft moans became louder, a flush creeping from her neck to her face.
“Oh yes,” she panted. Still, he did not relent. When she finally cried out, he cupped her curls and waited patiently for her breathing to slow back down to normal. Only then did he pull away.
Her gown was torn in two, her hair completely tousled.
She looked down in something like shock. “’Tis torn.”
He chuckled. “Aye, lass, very much so. Though I cannot apologize.”
“Why?”
“I will never lie to you.” He looked directly at her. “I am not sorry for wanting to be with you so much that the thought of removing that obstacle by any other means never entered my mind.”
Allie reached down and pulled the torn pieces together.
“It was an old gown anyway,” she said with a sly smile. “Though I will need another, or perhaps two, to replace it.”
Reid took her hands in his. “Gowns, family, love . . . I will give it all to you, Allie. I wish to do so right now.”
And in that moment, when she looked at him with such reverence, every argument he’d given his brothers fell away. She loved him. Believed in him. And since he valued her judgment, just maybe—
“Soon.” She smiled. “In the meantime, I do believe you are correct . . .”
“About?”
“Tomorrow.” She glanced down at where her hands held the gown in place. “This shall be quite difficult to forget.”
“Well then,” he said with a formal bow. “My job here is done.”
“But you—”
“Must leave,” he said. “If I stay here much longer, we will begin our lives together at a disadvantage, for I will have earned your sister’s ire and broken a promise to my new brother-in-law.”
At her confused expression, he clarified. “Another moment longer and that dress will lie in two at your feet and you will be my wife in all but formality.”
20
Walking away from Allie’s room last eve was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but now he’d have to leave her in truth.
“Lady Gillian, a word?”
He’d lingered for as long as possible. The border chiefs and their men had been riding away from Highgate all morning. Douglas had already left for Edinburgh and an audience with the king.
It was time for him to go too, to leave Highgate’s hall and return to Brockburg.
“I don’t believe we have anything to—”
“Please, my lady. Just one word.”
He saw Allie out of the corner of his eye. The look she gave him promised that she was, indeed, thinking of their night together. But there was also a sadness to her that he felt himself as keenly as any blow he’d received in battle. He promised himself he would find a way to be alone with her for one last moment before leaving.
“Very well,” she said, guiding him toward the circular stairwell that led to the ground floor. Her husband, Aidan, Allie . . . they all watched from the table on the dais.
“You do not like me,” he started.
Gillian’s frown looked so similar to Allie’s that it took him aback for a moment.
“That is not so,” she said. “I simply do not like you for my sister.” She looked hesitant to continue. “Whether you’re the man I first met at The Wild Boar or the one who Graeme, Aidan, and now Allie tell me is buried deep within, I do not know. But with my sister, I will not take unnecessary chances.”
“My lady,” he pleaded. “Allow me a chance to show you which man asks for your sister’s hand in marriage.” He took a deep breath, not ready for this. But after visiting Allie the evening before, he’d been thinking of nothing but her and the words he was about to utter. So he forged ahead. “The man you met thought little of himself. You see, he’d refused his chief’s call to stand next to him.” His gaze did not waver despite the irreversible words he would speak. “The one who stands before you now is worthy of that position. Is worthy to take his brother’s place. Is worthy of your sister’s love.” He rushed the words out before she could stop him. “With your permission, I will return to Brockburg, ensure my clan enforces the terms agreed upon here, and take my rightful place in Clan Kerr. And then I will marry your sister.”
Lady Gillian was as intimi
dating as any man he’d ever faced in any tournament or battle. In the end, he was determined to marry Allie, and neither Gillian or her husband would deter him, but he knew how much this woman’s approval meant to her.
“I would ask you one question.”
He knew that determined look, had seen it before. Mayhap the sisters had more in common than he’d thought. Reid fought a smile, knowing she would misunderstand.
“Why did you refuse your brother?”
Reid startled. She’d asked him the one question he could not easily answer.
“My lady.” He shook his head. “I do not—”
“You ask for the most precious gift in the world,” she said, more kindly than she’d spoken to him yet. “And despite my feelings for you, I find myself wavering.”
He took a deep breath and glanced up at the lingering guests in the hall, Allie among them. A tightness gripped his chest and refused to let go.
He looked back at Gillian.
Dammit.
“I did not believe the elders would agree.”
“And why would they not do so?”
Reid didn’t think she would appreciate a litany of his bad behaviors, so instead he settled for another hard truth. One unlikely to bring Lady Gillian to his side. “I did not deserve it.”
He could tell he’d managed to surprise her. Hell, he’d surprised himself. But the last thing he wanted to do was continue their conversation down such a path. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, my lady, I would like to say goodbye to your sister.”
After Gillian’s slight nod, he caught Allie’s eye. She came to him, and without another word, they walked away from all of the curious eyes and out into the courtyard.
It was too beautiful a day for this discussion.
A groom brought horse after horse out from the stables. It was yet another reminder that he was due to leave as well. Wanting a more private discussion, Reid led her to the side of the courtyard.
“If I could, I would tear that dress as I did last eve until you were gloriously naked in front of me.” Reid lowered his voice, the knave in him impatient. “And I would cherish your body, little by little, until no bit of flesh was left unworshiped.”
He leaned closer.
“And then I would guide myself into you, slowly, reverently, joining us for all eternity.”
Two small pinks spots appeared on Allie’s cheeks. “What makes you believe I’d allow such a thing?”
The sparkle of amusement in her eyes was the reason he resisted dragging her to a more secluded spot to test her words. “I do not doubt that you would,” he said, not masking the confidence in his voice, “but he would not.”
Allie turned toward Graeme and then looked back to him.
“Thank you,” she said.
Reid raised a brow.
“For allowing me an opportunity to sway my sister.”
“I will be back for you.”
“I know.”
He wanted to tell her about his plan to fight for his rightful place by his brother’s side first, but the words would not come out.
“And we will be married.”
“Aye,” she agreed, the determination on her face making their parting only slightly less painful.
“Will you continue to train while I’m gone?”
“I will best you someday,” she boasted, and Reid did not doubt it.
They were being watched, and as such, he could not kiss her. But he would not leave without at least one final contact. Taking her hand in his, he brought it to his lips and kissed the palm, lingering as long as he was able.
“Until we meet again,” he said, stepping back, a chill overtaking him as he stepped away from her.
“I love you,” she said, softly, sweetly.
“And I love you.”
* * *
Allie would not have imagined her day could get any worse. After Reid had left, she’d spent the better part of the afternoon assisting Gillian in offering farewells to the various chiefs. All her smiles had been faked.
How had a man she’d just met crept his way into her heart and claimed a piece of her she’d not known was available for someone to claim?
And now this. She’d seen the horses arrive with her own eyes but could hardly believe it.
“’Tis not possible,” she said for the second time to Morgan.
And yet it was. When Allie walked into the great hall, she knew him immediately, no matter that he was facing away from her. She’d seen that stance before. Many, many times.
Allie put one foot in front of the other, forcing herself closer to what she knew would be, at best, an uncomfortable greeting. At worse, it signaled trouble for her. With each step, a heaviness settled into her chest until she was merely a few steps away from him.
Taking a deep breath, and ignoring Gillian’s worried expression as she saw her approach, Allie greeted him.
“Father.”
He turned toward her. “Allie.”
She embraced him even though she knew it made him uncomfortable. Letting go, she stood back and tried to read what she could in his expression.
He worried over something.
“We did not expect you,” she said.
“Your sister said as much,” he said, his voice stiff, as always.
“But of course, you are always welcome.”
Gillian frowned. She clearly didn’t agree with the sentiment. Allie knew her sister hadn’t forgiven their father after the business with Covington. She herself saw things differently. The man, though he had made plenty of mistakes, was still their father.
He inclined his head to Allie, acknowledging her remark.
“I was telling your sister . . . I must speak to de Sowlis immediately on an important matter.”
“And,” Gillian said, her voice dripping with disappointment, “I had just finished explaining that he was welcome to share that important matter with me.”
Allie looked back and forth between them. This was a years-old struggle that had followed them from the secluded wilds of northeast England to Highgate End. It was as if they’d never left Lyndwood. Now that the guests were all gone, the great hall almost felt as eerily quiet as their childhood home.
Her maid walked toward the hall’s entrance, where they stood across from one another.
“Morgan could show you to—”
“There is no time,” he said. “I must speak to—”
“Me?” Graeme walked up beside his wife, extending his hand to their father in greeting. “Lyndwood.”
“De Sowlis.”
Graeme hid his contempt well. It was a known fact he hated their father for having used Gillian, and later her, as a pawn to pay off the debts necessary to keep their ancestral home.
“You can speak freely in front of your daughter.”
Father clearly did not agree. Nor would he ever share important news with a woman. Though Graeme and Gillian handled the affairs of Highgate End together, such was not the case with her own parents.
“Gillian,” she said, “why don’t we—”
“Nay,” her sister said, her eyes flashing. Allie did not take offense. It was odd, their role reversal. Before Graeme, Gillian would never have thought to disobey their father. Now she held her chin high and would not budge.
Rather than acknowledge Gillian, their father turned squarely toward Graeme. “Caxton cannot be trusted.”
Graeme folded his arms. “None of us believed otherwise. As you may know, we’ve spent the past—”
“He was behind the attack on Kerr land. He plans to raid again, this time to instigate MacDuff.”
They all stared at him, aghast. The very idea was absurd.
“We do not trust Caxton,” Graeme stated calmly, “but that he, the Lord Warden, would be responsible for—”
Her father was becoming impatient. “I would not have trusted this information with anyone else,” he said. “Which is why I came here to deliver the message in person. As unlikely as it may seem, Caxton is
not just allowing blackmail and undermining the Day of Truce. He is actively antagonizing the border clans in hopes they will retaliate.”
“How do you know this?” Gillian asked.
Instead of answering her, he continued to speak to Graeme. “I would not bring false information,” he said. “Not when it would put my daughters in jeopardy. I don’t know what your council decided—”
“Douglas will appeal to the king to get rid of Caxton,” Graeme said. Allie could tell by the tone of his voice he believed her father, but aside from a slight grinding of his jaw, he appeared calmer than Allie would have expected given the circumstances. “But we’ve agreed to allow March Law to remain in effect on this side of the border for now.”
The implications of this information were far-reaching. This news would mitigate some of what had been decided here this week.
“Come,” Graeme said, walking into the hall. “You’ve been traveling and will need refreshment.”
But instead of following him, her father turned toward her. “I will be along,” he said. “First, I must speak to my daughter.”
She knew that tone. That face. He’d used both to get her to agree to wed an old man in place of her sister, as if her permission was needed. And that was when Allie knew. The information about Caxton was not the only reason her father had made this trip to Scotland. And when she stepped to the side of the hall with him, Allie could easily discern his expression.
“Nay, Father, I will not—”
“I’ll not ask you to marry again without your permission. But an Englishman—”
“You have Lyndwood, and both Gillian and I escaped the life you planned for us.” She would not be persuaded by him. Not any longer. And though her fingers began to tremble slightly, Allie clenched them together. “My home is here now. In Scotland.”
The Rogue’s Redemption Page 13
