"Oh, don't cry. Please don't cry. I really hate it when a woman cries." He reached up and wiped away a tear with the pad of his thumb. "Shush, now. It'll be all right."
Oh, how much she wanted to believe him.
He turned her around and held her close. He pressed a tender kiss against her forehead. "You know, princess? You got one thing right earlier. I am most definitely a man. A Texan man. And we Texan men have more than a measure of pride. I get the feeling that you're comparing me to that scoundrel who did you wrong. Now, that doesn't set well with me. I'll take the grief I've earned, but don't lump me in with another fellow."
At his gentle scolding, her tears fell even faster.
"Damn," she heard him murmur. "Stop, Gilly." He put a finger beneath her chin and tilted her face upward. "Please stop." He kissed away first one tear, and then two. Then he kept kissing her. Her eyes, her cheeks, the tip of her nose, and finally... finally... her lips.
His kiss was tender, sweet, and soothing. For the first few seconds. Then she whimpered softly and kissed him back and everything changed. Gillian needed. She needed comfort and care and respite from her worries. She needed escape. So she asked for it. "Love me, Jake."
He groaned and his kisses turned savage. Her head spun as she arched her neck to meet his mouth. Her breath came in gasps when his clever hands slipped inside her gown, cupped and kneaded her aching breasts. Wanting sang through her veins.
His thumbs flicked her nipples, the sensation a bolt of heat to her woman's core. Awakened, hollow and aching. Wanting desperately to be filled. Wanting to be taken.
Gillian recognized this need. Had known it before. Had indulged it before. As he ripped off the feileadh mor and made a blanket of soft wool before the hearth, as he tore away her gown, baring her skin to the warmth of the fire and the heat of his stare, as he lay her down and rose above her, trailed devastating kisses along her neck, across her chest, then suckled at her breast, Gillian put the name to the emotion whispering in her heart.
Love. She was falling in love with this adventuring man. Falling in love, yet again, with a man bound to leave her.
"Nae," she moaned, just as he released her breast and moved to give the other similar attention.
Jake paused, his breath raspy as he asked, "That 'nae' means no stopping, doesn't it?" He skimmed a hand down her stomach, leaving shudders of pleasure in its wake before teasing her womanhood with a slow, gentle stroke. "You want this, don't you, Gillian? You are wet for me."
She tried to think, to find words, but before she managed the feat, two of his fingers rubbed a slow, sensual circle around the bead of nerves at the apex of her sex. Ribbons of pleasure fluttered outward from the spot and instinctively, unable to help herself, Gillian arched her hips, allowing him freer access.
"Ah, you are so damned beautiful, Gillian Ross. I want you madly." He captured her mouth, stealing her breath and robbing her of reason as he slipped a finger into her slick sheath. His tongue plunged and plundered, stroking in rhythm with the magic he made with his hand between her legs. Gillian's tension spiraled higher. "That's it, honey," he urged, his voice a low, coaxing rumble as he dragged his lips down to nibble at the base of her ear. "Climb that mountain. I want to watch you. I want to see the flush on your skin and hear the sound you make when you fall. I want to smell the scent of your satisfaction. Then I'll taste your honey and we'll do it all over again."
"Nae," she whimpered, trying desperately to summon the strength to send him away.
"Oh, don't worry. I'll take my turn. When it comes to lovin', I like to take my time."
It was the word lovin' that finally brought her crashing back to earth. Jake Delaney was lovin' while she was making love. She went stiff in his arms. "Not again."
"Princess?"
"I'm sorry. I canna do this." She pushed him away, scooped up her gown, and rolled to her feet. Her breathing was hard and her hands trembled. Her voice shook as she told him, "This isn't friendship. We agreed to simply be friends, remember? You said you have a code of honor. What about that? Was it a lie, too?"
"No, it wasn't a lie. I wasn't lying. I don't lie, dammit." Standing, he faced her. Temper snapped in his eyes. "Be fair. You said 'Love me, Jake.' Now that's a powerful temptation for a man. You're a powerful temptation. I'm not perfect. Sometimes circumstances get out of my control and I make mistakes. But I don't lie, Gillian. I'll never lie to you."
She felt a catch in her heart and the sting of tears all over again. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. I let it get out of hand. I did not mean to tease you. I wish I... " Unable to put her thoughts into words, she failed to finish the sentence.
He bent and grabbed the plaid from the floor. With short, jerky motions, he wrapped the woolen tartan around his waist like a towel. "You wish what, Gillian? That it was somebody else rolling on the floor with you? Somebody like... " he sneered the word... "David? He was more than just your betrothed, wasn't he?"
So, he'd figured it out. Her own actions here tonight had given her away. Emotion thickened her tongue as she said, "Ye are wrong about what I wish for, Jake Delaney. But as for the rest of it, ye have it right. David Maclean was indeed my lover."
* * *
Jake took a long time falling asleep. What a night. And what a day before that. So much had happened it made his head spin. The christening seemed like a month ago rather than yesterday morning.
Tossing and turning in his bed, he thought of his mother and the haunting and Lord Harrington's revelations. Mostly though, he thought of Gillian.
He'd never known a woman both so strong and so vulnerable at the same time. Damn that David Maclean.
She must have been crushed when ol' David threw her over. Jake seriously doubted the woman would have given her virginity without giving her heart first. That right there proved the magnitude of Maclean's sin. Not only had he taken her innocence—which was bad enough—he'd also taken her heart. Then he'd broken it.
Hell, maybe he'd just kill the fella if he ever got the chance.
Probably wouldn't be too difficult. The man must be an idiot. Who but a fool owned the love of a woman like Gillian Ross, then threw it away?
Other thoughts darted through his mind. Thoughts he was better off not thinking about. Like, how long the two had been lovers. How good the bastard was between the sheets. What it was like to be Gillian Ross's first.
Roll that wagon on back, Delaney. That's not a good place for you to go.
How could dear ol' David have given her up? Shoot, it would be damned hard for Jake to leave her when the time arrived, and they were only friends. Not lovers. Well, more than friends. Almost lovers, if there was such a thing.
He wanted to be her lover. His body still ached with that particular need.
But it was one need he could not assuage. That would make him no better than love-her-and-leave-her David.
Not if you took her with you when you go.
Jake damned near rolled out of bed when that thought rumbled through his brain. Where the hell had that come from? He had no business thinking along those lines. That's the kind of stuff that got a man in trouble as fast as small town gossip.
No, if he had to be thinking at all, he would think about how he could salvage the sale of Rowanclere with Harrington. That's what mattered now. He'd given his word. Somehow, someway, he'd make sure that happened. Gillian was gonna learn that some men do keep their promises.
On that note, as dawn began to break on the eastern horizon, Jake drifted off to sleep.
He woke up too few hours later with a pain in his shoulder. Pain from being punched. He rolled away, groaning in a raspy croak. "What the hell?"
"Get up."
He pried open his eyes and winced. A furious Gillian stood over his bed, her right hand doubled in a fist as she switched from jabbing his shoulder to slugging his gut. "Hey there, wait just a minute." Sitting up, he grabbed for her hand. Still woozy from sleep, he missed.
"I will not wait a moment longer. Neither will you.
You did it. Just as I feared you would." His breath whooshed out as she hit him square in the center of his stomach, just below the ribs. "You ruined everything."
"What are you talking about, woman?" he wheezed.
Her eyes shot fire. "Lord Harrington left Rowanclere this morning. He called off the sale. He said you yourself told him the castle wasn't haunted."
Jake's stomach took a slow, sick roll. "Wait a minute. He couldn't have left yet. What about my mother? She didn't leave with him, did she? She wouldn't, not without seeing me first."
"Apparently, she did not ken you were still here. For some reason, Lord Harrington chose not to tell her you haunted him last night. She thinks you've returned to England by way of Inverness, and once Uncle Angus handed over the Declaration of Independence, she was anxious to follow you."
Jake blinked hard. "Angus did what?"
"I overslept, but Robyn told me everything. Apparently, Uncle Angus came downstairs for breakfast this morning and had a nice visit with your mother. They talked at length about Texas, and she told him all about the Historical Preservation Society's search for the lost Declarations. I walked into the dining room as he handed over the document with a flourish. She promised to place a plaque in his honor on the case where the Declaration is put on display."
"He just gave it to her? What about our deal?"
"Angus knew the deal was done. Despite his ordeal last night, Lord Harrington rose early this morn. He met Angus on the way downstairs and they shared a visit, too. That's when he told Uncle Angus that he knew we had staged the haunts and that he was no longer interested in purchasing Rowanclere."
Jake shook his head. He couldn't believe this. "So they loaded up and left without anyone bothering to come tell me? No one bothered to tell my mother I was upstairs in bed and not on the road to Hartsworth?"
"You swore us all to secrecy yesterday when they arrived, remember? The people of Rowanclere keep their word, unlike others among us."
Jake muttered a curse and dragged his hand through his hair. What now? "I wanted to talk to Harrington this morning. Thought I'd come up with a way to convince him to buy the castle despite its lack of otherworldly occupants."
Gillian didn't even bother to ask what argument he'd constructed. Stubborn woman.
She reached into her pocket and removed an envelope, Handing it to Jake, she said, "Lord Harrington left you this,"
Quickly, he scanned the contents of the note. Harrington had taken Elizabeth Delaney back to her father's estate in Derby. He expected Jake to follow. Otherwise, he'd tell Elizabeth the truth about the haunting.
Damn. Throwing off the covers, Jake reached for the pants he'd left draped over the back of a nearby chair. "I've got to go. Right away. Maybe I can catch them on the road. Gillian, I hate to rush off like this, but—"
"You are leaving," she said softly. Her teeth tugged at her lower lip.
"I've got to go to England."
"I see. And then where, Tahiti?"
Jake snorted in frustration. He didn't need this now. "Gillian, I'm coming back. Our dealings are not finished. I told you I'd find you a buyer for Rowanclere and I mean to do it. I told you I'd fix things."
"It appears you slept away your opportunity. Lord Harrington was quite definite in his refusal to purchase Rowanclere."
"I have a good argument to change his mind. That's why I need to follow them. Part of why, anyway. But I'm coming back. I'll be back, Gillian. I promise."
She stared at him for a long moment. "I want to believe you, Jake Delaney. But it's difficult because I've lived this scene before."
"What do you mean?"
"David told me a similar story when he left on a business trip to America. He's never returned to Rowanclere. His American wife wouldn't understand, you see."
Jake snorted and grabbed his saddlebags from inside the armoire. As he stuffed a few necessities inside, he said, "I'm trying not to let that make me mad, but I'm having to work at it. I'm not Weasel Maclean, princess. You have my word I'll return just as soon as I can, and you can take it as gospel."
He paused long enough to give her a quick searing kiss, then headed out the door. At the top of the staircase, he paused, then retraced his steps to her. He dropped his saddlebags at his feet and took her in his arms. "Give me another one for the road, princess. Kissing you is the best way I know to keep warm."
Chapter 11
Derbyshire, England
Jake climbed Hartsworth's front steps with his hat in his hand and his heart lodged somewhere in the vicinity of his neck. He was late. He'd suffered one mishap after another along the road south and he'd missed Lord Harrington by a day and a half.
Now that he was finally here, he seriously debated turning tail and running. It was time to come clean with his mother.
All in all, he'd rather chew spurs.
Before he'd lifted his hand to sound the knocker, the door flew open and a bundle of energy streaked out and flew into his arms screeching, "Jake! You're finally here. Mother thought you were to be here days ago."
"Chrissy! You're supposed to be in Texas."
"We were. But we had to come. We couldn't wait. We've already told Mama and Grandfather." She drew back, beamed up at him, and lovingly placed her hand upon her stomach. "Jake, Cole and I are expecting a baby."
Damn. She was pregnant. His baby sister was having a baby. She was having sexual relations with his best friend. Oh, hell. He really, truly, didn't want to think about that. It was as bad as thinking about his mother and Harrington. Never mind Chrissy and Morgan were married.
"Jake!" She folded her arms and glared at him. "Aren't you going to congratulate us?"
"I am, Bug, I am." He allowed his gaze to take a perusal from her head to her toes. He hadn't seen his sister since she and Cole departed on their wedding trip more than seven months ago. If anything, the girl had grown more beautiful. Her red hair shone and sparkled in the sunlight, her green eyes glowed like a cat's in the firelight. She looked a little softer and a little rounder and totally, desperately happy. Jake couldn't help but smile. "I'm gonna congratulate you just as soon as I beat up Cole for messing with my baby sister."
She gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes, then hugged him hard once more. "Come inside. Mother is out taking a drive around the park, but Grandfather is in the saloon. I was on my way downstairs to meet him when I saw you ride up.
I'm dying to hear all about your visit to Scotland. Mother has this wild story about you and a kilt."
"It's a feileadh mor," he murmured, distracted.
She shot him a sidelong look. "Now this is one story I have to hear. That and how it is that you left that Scottish castle empty-handed while Mother left it with the Declaration of Independence in her baggage."
"It's a long story."
"Then you do know she has it? The news isn't a surprise?"
"Look, I'll explain everything, but I think I'd better talk to Mother about it, first."
His sister angled her head to one side and studied him. He saw in her eyes the moment she made up her mind. "I think I should warn you. Mother has a special guest with her. Jake, she has a beau. His name is Lord Harrington and he is very nice. I think she likes him a lot. I know she is anxious for you to meet him. Isn't it wonderful?"
"Wonderful, yes." Harrington obviously had kept his mouth shut. At least something had gone right.
Inside, waiting to face his mother and the music, Jake shared a lemonade and small talk with his grandfather and his sister, then wandered out back to look for Cole, who had gone for a walk in the statue garden. Jake found him seated on a bench, chucking pebbles at Zeus. "I thought you might be here. You are a creature of habit, Morgan."
"Well, well, well. If it's not Bonny Prince Jake, home from the Highlands at last. I hear you've taken to wearing dresses since the last time I saw you."
"Haud yer wheest, Morgan. That way I won't knock out your teeth when I hit you again for trifling with my sister."
"Haud my what?"
Cole arched a brow as he rubbed his jaw. "Look, Delaney, I never once trifled with Christina. For me, it was always dead serious."
"I hear you got it right, anyway."
A quick smile slashed across Cole's face. "She told you?"
"She told me." Jake shook his friend's hand and clapped him on the back. "Congratulations. This is great news. Truly great. And by the way, just in case you're worried, I've recently learned all the ins and outs on how to prevent fairies from stealing a newborn baby."
"That's good to know. The fairy activity in Texas is on the rise." After a moment's pause, he warned, "Christina is already whining about you coming home with us and putting off your trip until after the baby is born. She's dead set against your running off to Australia, you know."
"I'm not running off. I'm going exploring. There's a difference."
"I know that and you know that. Tell it to Chrissy and Elizabeth."
The mention of his mother put a pall on Jake's spirits and he scowled and threw a whole handful of pebbles at Zeus. Cole clicked his tongue. "Looks like I touched a nerve. What's the matter? You look like you just lost your favorite dog."
"I sorta did."
"You have a dog?"
"Yes. I left her with a friend."
"Ah-hah. Female, I presume."
"Nine years old."
"Oh."
"Well, I guess you can't take a dog on your travels, can you? Now that Elizabeth has the Declaration, you're free to go. No more responsibilities and obligations weighing you down. Christina is my problem now, and it looks like your mother has found someone to keep her company."
"Mother wants to marry him, Cole. Has she told you that?"
The strange look on his brother-in-law's face told Jake the news came as no surprise. "Chrissy blabbed, huh? Your mother wanted to tell you herself."
"No, Chrissy didn't tell me."
"So how do you know about Harrington?"
Jake chucked a large pebble at the statue, hitting it square on the nose. "Let me put it this way. Do you know anyone who's in the market to buy a Highland castle?"
Sizzle All Day, Bad Luck Wedding #4 (Bad Luck Abroad) Page 17
