18
"Would ye join me for dinner tonight?" Aaron asked as he watched Izzy waltz up the steps to the castle door. She paused at the top before turning to face him. Her face beamed as she arched a playful eyebrow.
"I don't know,"she teased. "You might have to take up your request with my husband. He has a tendency to keep me hidden."
Aaron's chest tightened.How he wished he could swoop her up and pin her to his four-post bed. The thought of binding her ankles and wrists with golden fabric sent a chill of pleasure trailing from the nape of his neck to his cock.
If it weren'tfor Ryan standing at the door of the stables with his arms folded, Aaron would have seized the moment. A wave of frustration rippled under his skin.
"Is that so?Well, I could have him taken out altogether, if it would please ye."
"Heaven's no,"Izzy said as she glanced at Ryan. Her cheeks flushed with a darker rouge as she adverted her bashful eyes. "And I don't think we should continue this with so many ears on us."
"Och,ye shouldnae mind me, me lady. I'm nothin' more than the Laird's shadow," Ryan explained. Izzy rolled her eyes as she lingered at the top of the steps. There was a question in her eye that nearly broke Aaron's resolve to head to the stables and tend to his horse. It had been weeks since he spent any time with the beast, and his ride wasn't enough to stave off the energy his horse had.
"That's what bothers me,"Izzy said as her head whipped to the window. Her panic caused his body to tense. In a flash, Aaron's hand was on his hilt, ready to defend from any foe. In the library window, Aaron spotted Chloe . There was a shimmer of sadness lingering in her smile that broke Aaron's heart. He wished there was something he could do to bring Chloe 's smile back. It was almost as if Izzy's arrival had caused the household to shift, and Aaron didn't like it.
"Izzy,"Aaron called as he wagged his finger at her. Excitement flickered through her eyes like lightning. She scrambled back down the steps all too eagerly.
"Yes?"she answered as she batted her eyes.
"Have ye noticed me sister?"Aaron asked as he tried not to make it so obvious that he was talking about Chloe .
"I've seenthat she's a bit downtrodden. From what the servants have told me, she has been expecting a letter from someone named Thomas Mackeley and has not received it yet. I've been told this person is someone she fancies a lot."
Aaron's handsballed into tight fists at his side. The air whistled through his parched lips as he tried to take the news with a grain of salt. Since when was Chloe interested in anyone? And how was she introduced to Thomas? The fact that Aaron didn't know bothered him.
"I see.And I wonder when she was plannin' on tellin' me," Aaron grumbled under his breath as Izzy's fingers curled around his forearm. He looked at her hand on his arm. It was so small and fragile. He pulled in a long deep breath to steady his nerves before resting his hand on hers.
"Maybe she was scared to,"Izzy suggested. "And seeing how you are reacting, I can understand why she did."
"She's too young to marry,"Aaron mumbled through pursed lips.
"How old is she?"
"Mmmteen,"Aaron answered, purposefully not giving a direct number. Izzy slipped her hand off him and folded her arms over her chest.
"She's how old?"she asked once again. "And speak clearly. We all know you have the voice of a mule."
Aaron let out a hearty chuckle.He'd been called many things, but to have his voice insulted was a new form of flattery.
"She's eighteen,all right? I'll nae say it again."
Izzy's eyes narrowed."So, she could be lookin' to marry."
"Like I would let her."
"And that is the problem,"Izzy said throwing her hands up. She shook her head as she started for the steps. "When are you going to see that your sister isn't a little girl anymore."
Aaron openedhis mouth to reply but closed it the second he spotted flashes in Izzy's eyes. It was as if she had been gifted the best idea in all the world. A smile stretched her lips out as she clapped her hands together. The clearer the idea formed in her mind, the bigger Aaron watched her eyes grow.
"I have an idea,"she finally announced as she bounced on her heels. "It's perfect… But I'm going to need you to just play along."
"And what makesye think I'm goin' to do that?"
"I toldyou that I'm on a mission now," Izzy said as she flashed a brilliant smile at Ryan. "And I've got the perfect idea. I'll tell you later, but for now, I've got to go."
Izzy threwher hand up to give him a wave before she rushed to the door and charged into the castle. Aaron's chest tightened. How he hated watching her leave. It was as if she took with her not only the warmth but the light as well.
