"We should head back," I tell her reluctantly."Before Thane sends out a search party."
She turns in my arms, looking up at me with those golden hazel eyes that seem to see right through me."Do you think anyone noticed we disappeared?"
I chuckle."Mo leannan, half the village already has us married with bairns on the way.Your virtue was compromised the moment ye stepped out of my car."
She rolls her eyes, but her smile remains."I'm pretty sure my 'virtue' was thoroughly compromised against that castle wall just now."
"Aye, and my bed the other night."I can't help but wink at her, enjoying the blush that colors her cheeks."Ahm already plotting where I'll shag ye next."
We make our way back to the Porsche, and I hold the door for her again.As I slide into the driver's seat, I notice Gretchen watching me with an expression I can't quite decipher---something soft and thoughtful that has nothing to do with the stunt I pulled earlier.
"What is it?"I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing," she says quickly, though her eyes tell a different story."Just thinking that you're...not what I expected when I first met you."
"And what did ye expect?"I start the engine, the Porsche purring to life beneath us.
"A cocky Scottish guy with more muscles than brains who'd be fun for a night and forgettable by morning."She reaches over, her fingers brushing mine on the gearshift."You're still cocky, don't get me wrong.But there's more to you than that."
But I felt a strange sensation in my chest when she said that.Almost like...no, it cannae be that.Not yet.
I wink at her."Well, don't go spreading that rumor around the Highlands.I've got a reputation to maintain."
Gretchen laughs, and the sound is like warm whisky on a cold night, warming me from within."Your secret's safe with me, Balfour."
The drive back to the village feels different somehow.The same winding roads, the same breathtaking vistas, but everything seems sharper, more vibrant.Like I'm seeing it all through new eyes---throughhereyes.The fact that we shagged in a dilapidated castle has also given me a new perspective on how unbelievably mind-blowing sex can really be, thanks to this woman.
When we reach Loch Fairbairn proper, the sun has begun its slow descent behind the mountains, painting the sky in shades of amber and rose.I park outside the hotel, but neither of us makes a move to exit the car immediately.
"So," Gretchen drawls, breaking the comfortable silence between us."That was quite a day."
"Aye, it was for certain."I turn to face her."From slacklining to shagging against castle walls.Not bad for a first date, wouldn't ye agree?"
"First date?"she echoes with a snorting laugh."Is that what this was?"
"What else would ye call it?"
She shrugs."I thought we were just polishing up the old castle."
Polishing?The lass has gone crackers.But she must've been joking."I showed ye my stunts, took ye to meet my family, and shagged ye senseless in a historical landmark."
"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds downright romantic."Her smile softens as she leans into my touch."Though I think we might have done things a bit backward."
I let my fingers linger on her cheek."I've never been one for doing things the conventional way."
"Yeah, I've noticed."She captures my hand in hers, pressing a kiss to my palm that sends heat coursing through my veins all over again."What happens now, Kirk?"
It's a simple question, but one that carries a good deal of weight.But it's what Gretchen thinks that matters."Tell me, lass, how do you want this, ah, thing between us to go?"
Chapter Nineteen
Gretchen
My mouth refuses to function, except when it hangs slack, and my senses aren't working much better.How do I want this to go?Not sure what "go" means in this context, plus I'm still coming down from the high of our mind-altering sexual experience in the old castle.So, I start mumbling things that should be words but aren't, as if I have tissues in my mouth.Kirk stares at me blankly, as if he has no idea what I'm saying either.
"Gretchen, lass, are ye unwell?"
"Uh, no, I guess.Sorry, I think you just short-circuited my brain back there in the castle."Yeah, he probably thinks I've had a stroke.
