Behind him, he heard the creak of bed-ropes and the rustle of fabric. That was Megan, he assumed, getting up and straightening her clothes. He did not allow himself to turn around. Perhaps she’d want to make her escape as soon as possible. The night was growing old, and it would be a good idea for them to get as much sleep as they could until the fresh day arrived.
Although Ryder already knew he wouldn’t sleep much that night. He had too much to think about.
Nay! Nay, I daenae!He thought angrily.There is nothin’ to think about. There is only her, and she is nothin’ to me. She cannae be anythin’ to me. It is nae as though she cares much for me, either. She cares for the lasses, I can see that, but nae for me. Nay, I have made meself thoroughly unpleasant to her, except in a few respects. She’ll nae miss me when she leaves.
“Have ye any wine, or ale?” Megan asked suddenly, making him flinch. He glanced over his shoulder, and there she was, standing neatly beside the bed, as innocent and cool as if nothing had happened. She was watching him.
“Aye, we’ve got wine,” he responded at last. “It’s from last night. Do ye mind?”
“I daenae mind.”
He poured two goblets without thinking much about it. So, she was not in a rush to get to her own room, then. That was fine. Just a shared drink, and then she would leave.
Megan accepted her goblet with a faint smile and took a long drink.
“I suppose we willnae be sleepin’ much tonight, then,” she remarked after a moment. “I should have asked before, but whatabout…” She paused, glancing significantly down at his trousers. “What aboutye? I mean, should I do anythin’?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Are ye offerin’?”
She reddened. “I suppose so.”
“Do ye ken what to do?”
“Not exactly. But I’m a quick learner, and if ye can just…”
“I’m fine, lassie,” Ryder said firmly, ignoring the pulse of desire low in his gut. Control was what mattered here. He’d thought he was so clever, finding a loophole in her request, kissing her, not touching her. As if there was a difference. He dared not risk losing control, not again.
“Oh. I see,” Megan murmured, looking a little deflated. “As ye wish, then. I suppose I willnae be here long enough to learn much, in any case. I take it that I willnae have to stay for the cèilidh now?”
He pursed his lips. “Ye assume wrong.”
She frowned. “But the danger is all but gone now. Hamish said…”
“The lad might have been responsible for some of me concerns,” Ryder interrupted, “but there’s more that worries me.”
“Oh?”
He kicked a pile of clothing off the stool and lowered himself down.
“There is danger to Alaina,” Ryder said firmly. “While I might have let me panic run away with me, there’s nay doubt in me mind that somebodydoeswish her harm. Or perhaps wishes me harm and plans to achieve that through her. It does nae matter. Now, I kenthat Hamish was nae behind the attack on the road on our way to the dressmaker’s. So, the question is, whowasbehind it?”
Megan thought this over for a moment, frowning. Lost in thought, she tapped her front teeth gently against the rim of her goblet. He found himself transfixed by the movement, watching how her full pink lips, lightly stained with wine, pressed against the goblet.
Stop it, fool!
He cleared his throat loudly, forcing himself to look away—at something else, atanythingelse.
“It could just be bandits,” she said at last. “Aye, it would be odd for them to strike so close to the Keep, but nae unheard of, surely?”
“Nae bandits,” Ryder answered firmly. “Me faither and I were very hard on bandits and robbers. We worked hard to clear thelands of thieves, and—more importantly—we ensured that no one in our clan is so desperate, poor, and hungry as to resort to stealing.”
This seemed to surprise Megan. “That cannae be true.”
He gave a wry smile. “Nay? We’re famous for it. When it comes to bandits, they are rarely found on MacCulloch land. Oh, I willnae swear that there’s nae a single bandit in me clan, but I can promise ye this,” he waved his finger in the air for emphasis, “nay MacCulloch bandit is a fool enough to attack a carriage leaving the Keep in broad daylight. That was an attack, lass, I can tell ye that now.”
He sat back and waited to see the effect his words would have on her. Megan was quiet for a moment, perhaps mulling over what he’d said. Almost absentmindedly, she lifted a stack of books from a chair and sat down, crossing one leg neatly over the other.
The movement revealed a few inches of her ankle, and Ryder found himself wishing he could encircle her ankle with his hand. Her skin would be warm, he was sure. He could slide his hand upward over the curve of her calf, to the hinge of her knee, and then upward…
