“Ah, Keira.” Jasper smiled. “Is everythin’ all right?”
“Yes, yes, of course.” She nodded, sounding a bit confused. “Everything is quite all right.” Then, her eyes found Raphael’s, and he could tell that he was right. Shedidcome here in hopes of finding him, and her next words proved it. “I was actually hoping to have a few words with Laird MacCurtney if that is all right.”
She sounded dignified and highly official, as she addressed him not by his name, but by his title. It only titillated him even more.
Jasper took a quick glance at his friend, sensing the shift in the room’s dynamics. “Ah, I see. A word alone, is it? Well, I shallnae intrude on private matters two people need to discuss.” Withthose words, he got up, walked around his mahogany writing table, and squeezed his friend’s shoulder in passing. “Though I would expect ye both to behave.”
Keira blushed at Jasper’s attempt to joke, though Raphael saw it for what it was. A warning.
Moments later, Jasper left his study, leaving Keira and Raphael alone. Raphael could tell that she was trying to find the right words to say exactly what was on her mind. His own mind raced with a million possibilities, but one thing was certain. She would accept his proposal. He was absolutely sure of it. Otherwise, she would not be endeavoring to find the right words to refuse him. That made no sense.
He got up and walked over to her. He thought she would step back, and keep her distance from him, but she surprised him by staying put and staring him straight in the eye, defiant and rebellious as he had not seen before. He wondered what else she was hiding inside that mind, and not only her mind but behind that lovely gown that she looked so tempting in.
He immediately remembered the previous evening, with her clad in only her nightgown, unapologetically desirable and breathtakingly beautiful.
“I have come to discuss your proposal.”
The tone of her voice brought him back to the present moment, but it was her perfume that titillated his senses into curious obedience.
“Have ye now?” he murmured, eyeing her from beneath his dark eyelashes.
He was noticing everything about her now, even the things he had not observed before, like that heart-shaped cluster of freckles on her right cheek, or how her lips pursed ever so slightly when she was thinking really hard about something.
She was absolutely mesmerizing, this woman. And that was the problem. It would have been far less complicated with someone less tantalizing. But then again, he would not be tempted to invite her to his castle if that were the case.
“Yes.” She nodded, clearing her throat a little as she spoke. She did this often when she was having a serious conversation, almost in an effort to make her melodious, angelic voice more commanding. “If we are to agree to this deal, I have some conditions of my own.”
It took him only a moment to nod. “That seems reasonable. What are they?” he asked, although he had a pretty good guess.
“Well, first of all, no one back in England can ever find out where I spent those two weeks,” she said hastily, in one breath. “Because that would mean my ruination.”
He nodded only once. He could understand that perfectly. As a woman, she had a much more difficult job keeping her reputation intact. It was an unfair arrangement, but that was the world they were living in.
“Anythin’ else?” he asked, before accepting.
“Mhm.” She nodded. “For those who will see me in your castle, we’ll need to find some other excuse. I can be your… friend.”
“Me friend?” He was unable to resist chuckling at her suggestion.
She, on the other hand, remained grave, and he had to admire her for it. She was taking this as a real process of negotiation. A part of him thought this would make everything less appealing, that by the time their conversation was over, he would wave his hand and retract his proposal. Instead, their banter only made him want her more.
“Yes, your friend,” she confirmed. “It is the most plausible excuse I can think of right now.”
“All right,” he agreed. “Ye can be me friend, Keira.” He smirked.
And more, but we’ll discuss that when the time comes.
He bit his lip not to speak those words out loud.
“Oh, and the most important condition,” she added, her eyes sparkling like two diamonds in the night.
“I thought the first thing ye said was yer most important condition,” he pointed out.
“They are all important,” she returned. “But this one… protects me.”
“Ye think ye need protection from me?” he asked amusedly.
“It is your home,” she reminded him cleverly. “I will be at your mercy. Agreeing on certain terms makes me feel more at ease.”
