Nor could he get what almost happened between them out of his mind.
He couldn’t forget the feel of her mouth under his. Of the soft silk of her breast. Of the honey dampness between her legs. And of the ecstasy on her face as she shattered in his arms. He didn’t know how much longer he would be able to fight the overwhelming urge to take her into his arms and finish what they’d started.
If only it were simply about lust. But it was so much more than that. The feelings Meg aroused in him were like nothing that had come before. He admired everything about her. Her beauty, her intelligence, her frank honesty, her compassion, her drive. The confidence with which she approached everything. He wanted her on so many levels, each day that passed it had been increasingly difficult to remind himself why he couldn’t have her. Forced to stand to the side as other men took the place that belonged to him.
Frustrated by the futility of it all, he tore his gaze from Meg and turned back to his card game. With Lord Chancellor Seton and Secretary Balmerino absent from tonight’s entertainment, Alex had focused his attention on the Marquess of Huntly—his current opponent at maw.
“Pretty little thing, isn’t she,” the Marquess of Huntly said. “Rich, too, I hear.”
Alex’s gaze slid over his cards to the man across from him. The man who so far had yielded no new useful information. “Who?” Alex asked, feigning disinterest.
“The Mackinnon lass. I thought I saw you looking at her. I hear she’s to marry young Campbell over there.”
The news he’d been dreading burned a black hole in his chest. He fought to control his reaction. “I wasn’t aware of the announcement.”
Lord Huntly shrugged. “There hasn’t been one. But I assume there will be in a few days. My daughter says it has been all but decided.”
Bianca Gordon would know nothing about it, Alex assured himself. She would be the last person Meg would confide in. Speculation, that was all. Relieved, he loosened his hold on the cards, realizing he’d been crushing them.
“I heard you put on quite a display in Holyrood Park last week. My daughter can hardly talk about anything else.”
Alex shrugged, knowing he had Rosalind Mackinnon to thank for spreading the story of his alleged heroics. He would have preferred to keep his part out of it. “Fortunately, I was there to lend my assistance.”
Huntly shook his head. “Terrible, terrible thing to have happened to the poor girl. In this day and age, for a man to try to murder a girl for refusing to marry him. These barbarians in the Isles must be contained.” Alex could feel him watching him closely, gauging his reaction. “Present company excluded, of course.”
“Of course,” Alex said.
Huntly gazed at him appraisingly. “I may have need for a man of your talents, if you ever want to put that sword to use.”
Alex held perfectly still, well aware that Huntly might be hiring mercenaries to protect the Fife Adventurers. “I’ll keep it in mind,” he said, not wanting to appear too anxious.
“Do that,” Huntly said, rising from the table. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m afraid I have an appointment that cannot be delayed.”
Alex stood up as Huntly left, his shoulders tensing when he heard a burst of fresh laughter. He didn’t care that it seemed forced. His resentment intensified, especially when he noticed Dougal MacDonald at her side. Though she seemed barely to tolerate him, Dougal had made his intentions clear. Alex had been keeping an eye on Dougal, hoping for the opportunity to discover what he was really doing at court. Alex didn’t believe it was solely to woo Meg.
“He’s asked for her.”
Alex turned to find Jamie at his side. The black expression on Campbell’s face mirrored Alex’s sentiments exactly. Nonetheless, even if they were in agreement about Dougal, Alex had been doing his best to avoid Jamie since his return from Argyll last week. Not only was Alex sure that Jamie suspected him of lying about his purpose in being here, there was also a subtle rivalry between the two of them that could not be denied. It was clear Jamie blamed him in some way for the attack on Meg in the forest, even if it was only for being the one to rescue her.
“She’ll never accept him,” Alex said finally.
“No, she won’t,” he agreed. He gave Alex an unmistakably challenging look. “Because she’ll accept me.”
Every muscle in Alex’s body tensed. “I assume you have reason for your confidence?”
“I do. I know what she’s searching for in a husband, and I’m her best choice.”
Annoyed by Jamie’s conclusions, even if they were accurate, Alex couldn’t resist pointing out, “Not her only choice, perhaps.”
Jamie didn’t miss his meaning. “Stay away from Meg.”
The words landed between them like a gauntlet dropped at Alex’s feet. Alex lifted his gaze and met Jamie’s hard stare with one of his own. He didn’t like being threatened. By anyone. “Or what?”
Jamie did not back down, even though they both knew that he would be on the losing side of any fight between them. There could well come a day when Jamie would prove a challenge to Alex’s battle skills, but that day was not now. If nothing else, Alex had to admire his courage.
“I have my suspicions about your true purpose in being at court,” Jamie said. “Suspicions that I’m sure my cousin Argyll would find interesting. Of course, they are only suspicions, and as such I will be happy to keep to myself.”
Alex smiled, though there was no amusement in the expression, only a warning. “You are more like your cousin than I realized. However, your suspicions and your attempts at blackmail are misplaced.”
