Well, perhaps not Evie since she was head over heels for Callum. But she would return. She had a career waiting for her in Edinburgh.
She shoved away from him, ripping them apart and turned away, trying to quell the rising desire and need pounding through her. She pressed her fingertips against her still damp, still tingling lips.
“Was that no pleasant for ye?” He sounded wounded.
“Oh, it’s not that.” She took a deep breath, released it. “It’s that I don’t think we should be doing that.”
“Why not?” he asked, perplexed.
“Because I can’t stay here, Malcolm.” When he didn’t answer, she turned to face him. “Don’t you see? I belong in the future. So does Evie, but I doubt I’ll ever get her to return.”
His face was devoid of emotion as he looked at her. She had seen that look before. It was when he was experiencing a range of emotions and he didn’t know how to handle them.
“And,” she added, “I don’t like kissing men with beards.”
She hurried past him, unsure why she had flung that last bit at him. Her emotions ran high and hot. She couldn’t deal with that now. He didn’t make a move to stop her as she burst out the door, hurrying back to her own room.
CHAPTER 17
She didn’t know why she had told him she didn’t like kissing men with beards. It was a total lie.
Well, not exactly a lie. More like a reason to shove away those feelings that bubbled up within her when she kissed him. She had never kissed a man with a beard, so she had no reason to say she didn’t like it.
She liked kissing Malcolm.
She liked kissing Malcolma lot.
She suspected he liked kissing her back.A lot.
Her steps were hurried as she bolted from his room, slamming the door behind her. As she rounded a corner, she halted, pressing her back against the cold stone wall and closing her eyes. Her breath seesawed in and out of her. Her heart raced. Her hands shook. How did she allow herself to get caught up in the moment?
The way his hand had swept over her cheek sent a dizzying feeling through her, making her stomach quiver. It sent her senses soaring in a way she had never experienced before. She had been powerless to resist. Then he had placed his hand on the side of her neck, igniting a flame within her she thought was long dead.
Oh, she had been attracted to Bruce. She had even slept with him. And while their lovemaking had been nice, it was not exactly earth shattering. She decided that was because he was trying to get something out of her. Deep down, he hadn’t had feelings for her. Knowing that cut her deeply.
She had no one else to blame but herself. What had been her excuse for allowing herself to fall for him? It was time to get real about that. She had wanted him in her life because she was lonely as she navigated the city in a foreign country, a new job, a new life. She hadn’t expected leaving Evie, her best friend andsister, would leave such a gaping hole in her life. She missed her sister with a fierceness she hadn’t expected.
Bruce showed up at the right time as though he knew she needed someone in her life. She wanted to believe it was all a coincidence, but now that she’d heard the prophecy, she wasn’t sure.
She wasn’t sure about anything anymore.
She didn’t want to like Malcolm. She didn’t want to like kissing him either. But it was hard to deny how he affected her. He swore to her he would protect her with his sword and his body. He said it with such conviction, his eyes blazing, and she believed it.
“Chloe?”
She jumped at the sound of her sister’s voice. Her eyes flew open. Evie stood across from her, question on her face.
“Where have you been all day?”
“I, uh…” She blew out a breath. “What time is it?”
“Late. You missed the evening meal. You and Malcolm.” She lifted a brow and smirked.
Upon hearing that, her stomach rumbled again. She was starving. She pressed her hand against it hoping to silence it.
“If you’ll feed me, I’ll tell you everything.” She hooked her arm in hers.
“We can grab some leftovers from the kitchen. Roslyn won’t mind.”
