“Yer glass is empty. Allow me to fill it.” Gray smiled and nodded toward her cup.
Trulie wrinkled her nose at the seemingly bottomless pitcher of wine. She had no tolerance for alcohol and already had quite the buzzy feeling going on. She wasn’t sure if it was solely from wine on an almost empty stomach, or whether the lovely privacy of Gray’s solar was to blame. All she knew for certain was she liked it. Why shouldn’t she enjoy it? After all, it had been a rough couple of days.She held out her cup. “Maybe just a little bit more.”
Gray nodded. “Aye. A wee bit more.” The lovely burgundy liquid gurgled into her cup.
She took another deep sip, eyeing Gray over the rim.“Damn, I love the way you talk.”
One of his dark brows arched higher and his lopsided smile widened.
Dammit. Had she said that out loud?She set the glass in the center of the table. “I think I have had enough.” She attempted to stand and bumped into the table. Dammit. The nice buzzy feeling was fouling her balance.
“Easy now, lass.” Gray caught hold of her and steadied her against his side.
“This is so embarrassing.” She rubbed the tip of her nose. Bad sign. Numb itchy nose. She had discovered that sign back in Kentucky. When her nose got all numb and itchy, it was time to curl up somewhere until the alcohol wore off. She swallowed hard. “How far is my room from here? I really need to rest for a bit.” The longer she stared up at Gray, the more she teetered to one side.
“I dinna think ye can make it that far.” He turned her slowly toward a wide bench lined with pillows.
She stumbled, clutched at his arm, then tried another step. “I am so sorry. I can’t believe a few glasses of wine...” She swerved off balance and landed hard against his chest.
Gray didn’t speak, just held her steady against him, his gaze locked on her mouth.
Trulie slowly licked her lips, then swallowed hard. She needed to lie down all right. With him. “Uhm...”
He swept her up, carried her to the bench, then gently lowered her into the pillows. Kneeling at her side for the longest time, he stared down at her. Finally, he slowly rose, pulled a plaid from the back of the bench, and spread it over her. “Rest well, lass. I will leave ye to yer dreams.”
Before she realized what he was doing, he had left the room and closed the door softly behind him. She stared at the door for the longest moment, then huffed out an irritated, “Well damn.” She dropped one foot to the floor to stop its spinning and covered her eyes with her arm. Just her luck. She had gotten all tingly with wine with a sexy Highlander and he had turned out to be a gentleman.
* * *
“Ye arecertain ye dinna wish to ride in the wagon?” Gray watched it rattle up the hillside and disappear into the trees, then turned back to Trulie. “’Tis not more than a wee stretch of the legs for myself. But for ye...” Suddenly, all words left him.
The high color on the lass’s cheeks only enhanced her beauty, but it was very clear she was a bit under the weather from yesterday’s wine and most definitely out of breath. He turned aside and rubbed the back of his hand across his mouth to hide his smile.
Trulie huffed to a stop. “The only reason I am so out of breath is because this hill is a lot steeper than it looks.” She leaned to one side and massaged her ribcage. “And my legs are a lot shorter than yours. I take four steps to one of yours.”
Aye, well. He would give her that. Although he readily admitted he enjoyed the way her lovely bosoms bounced as she hurried to keep up. He supposed he should be ashamed, but it would only be a lie to say that he was. “I shall walk a bit slower. Forgive me.”
Karma bounded past them, nose to the ground and tail in the air. He snuffled through the dried heather and sedge covering the hillside in thick clusters. Trulie smiled and pointed at the happy dog. “That is why I wanted to walk to Tamhas’s croft. Karma is a big dog. He’s sort of hemmed in at the keep.”
Gray watched the great beast zigzagging his way up the hillside. He well understood how the dog felt. Oft times, he felt the same. He offered his hand to Trulie. His heart lightened as she took it without hesitation and fell in step beside him. How could a woman he had only known so briefly make him feel as though he had known her a lifetime?
He stole a glance down at her, quietly chuckling as she batted her curls out of her face. Those silky tresses had escaped their ribbons again, the dark tendrils dancing in the wind. The creamy whiteness of her throat made him long to brush his lips across her softness. He sucked in a deep breath of the chilly air and walked slower, eyeing the tempting mounds of her bosoms rounding nicely above her tightly laced kirtle. The loose weave of her shawl gathered around her did nothing to hide her bounty.
Aye. At this rate, he needed a cold blast of wind up his plaid to keep his cock at bay. The memory of the perfect weight of her on top of him came unbidden, the sweet soft feel of her curves when she had first fallen from the sky. Aye, and now that he knew her, understood more about her, the wanting of her gnawed within him like a deep hunger.
“How many more wagonloads do you think it will take to move Tamhas down to the keep? Granny said he has already filled the top level of the north tower.” Trulie gathered her skirts higher and climbed atop a rock shelf jutting out of the embankment. She shielded her eyes with one hand and squinted farther up the mountain. “Karma! Don’t get so far ahead of us. Come back here. Now.”
“I told the old one this is the final trip we will make. He best gather and pack only what he canna live without. He shouldha moved down to the keep ages ago, but apparently, the wishes of his chieftain fail to carry the weight of the wishes of his woman.” Gray motioned toward the edge of the woods. “There be yer great beast.”
The tip of Karma’s tail wagged a few inches above the thick tangle of grass adjoining the line of trees. Occasionally, the black tail would pause in its traveling wag above the dried grasses and quiver.
Trulie hopped down from the rock, gathered her skirts higher, and waded into the grass. “He needs to stay closer. It worries me when I can’t see him.”
“The lad will be fine.” Gray held out his hand. “Come. Stay to the path. This part of the land can be treacherous to those who dinna ken it.”
“That is exactly what I’m talking about.” She pointed at the edge of the trees. “Karma doesn’t know this place. He needs to stay with me.” She turned back toward the wood. “Karma! Come here.”
“Why do ye worry so? The lad will be fine.”
