“Say nay more, me wee lady.”
He left the room with Sophie in his arms, pretending he could not feel Megan’s eyes on his back until he was out of sight.
CHAPTER 12
Officially,the loch had no name. That felt right to Ryder. It had always seemed a little pompous for humans to come along, set up their little houses and castles beside majestic forests, mountains, and lochs, and then name them after themselves.
The loch had been there for centuries before Ryder’s people had crawled over the Highlands, and it would be there for centuries after. He had no intention of giving it his name.
The moonlight shone down upon him as Ryder stripped off quickly, shivering in the crisp night air. He left his clothes in a neat pile, then stepped into the cool, silky water.
It took him a moment or two to adjust to the temperature. The loch water was icy. No amount of scrubbing oneself in a warm, soapy bath ever seemed to get Ryder as clean as swimming through the loch, with its rocky outcropping and gravelly banks.
He sank down, letting the water close up over his head like an embrace. He came up for a gasp and broke into a sharp backstroke. His strokes hit the water, echoing, and he dragged himself in a lazy circle, swimming out into the loch until he was well out of his depth, then turning and lying on his back, staring up at the moon.
Why did she look at me the way that she did? Why did she refuse to try on the gown in front of me?
And if she hates me so intensely, why did she kiss me back? There was nay falseness in that kiss; I should ken that. I tasted it meself.
He closed his eyes, grateful for the cold water on his body, tamping down his arousal. Desire was a troublesome thing; he’d long since figured that out. He needed a sharp, clear mind, and one couldn’t think straight without the fuzziness ofwanting. Wanting anything was a mistake; he’d long since known that. To let the gods know that you wanted something was to tempt fate, to all but suggest to them that they might deny it to you.
So, he didnotwant Megan Blackwood. He was sure of that. Her sisters and their husbands would have something to say about that. Not, of course, that any of the Blackwood girls needed men to get what they wanted. He hadn’t met any of them, but they all had reputations.
If they’re anythin’ like Megan, I’d be done for,he thought, amused.
There was a rattle of stone on stone, echoing from the loch’s shore. At once, all pleasant haziness left Ryder’s body. He jerked himself upright, treading water, and scanned the shore.
He was relatively safe out in the water. Nobody could reach him without a boat; he could swim out into the middle of the loch, out of reach of any arrows.
The question was, for how long? A man couldn’t tread water forever. If hewereunder attack, his enemies would only need to wait until he tired. And if he tried to come ashore, well, he was naked and unarmed.
A boot scraped against rock, and a shadow moved in the dark.
“Who’s there?” Ryder called, trying to sound angry and unafraid.
What if it’s her?Whispered a tiny voice in the back of his mind.
Ryder felt red creep over his cheeks. He imagined her stepping out of the shadows. He imagined himself, bold as brass, walking out of the water to meet her, letting her eyes run over his body.
He imagined her stripping down to join him in swimming, all beautiful, soft white skin, begging to be touched, every inch mapped out…
Ewan stepped out of the darkness and waved his arm.
“Only me!” he called cheerfully.
The heat in Ryder’s body dissipated like fog in front of the noon sun.
“Oh,” he said flatly.
Ewan chuckled. “Daenae sound so disappointed. Who did ye think it was?”
“I thought I was under attack,” Ryder said. It wasnaeentirelya lie. He swam toward shore, and Ewan clambered out onto a rock outcropping. The rock jutted out into the loch so that Ryder could swim in deep water, but Ewan did not have to get wet. He wasn’t fond of swimming, but he was fond of keeping his friend company.
“Did ye talk to the locals about the attack? Did they ken anythin’?”
Ewan lowered himself into a cross-legged position, leaning back with a sigh.
“Aye, me Laird, I did. And nay, nay leads. I had sketches taken of the dead men who attacked us on the road, but nobody recognized them. I’m sorry to bring ye nay good news.”
