In fact, terrible things happened. He blinked heavily several times, in an effort to banish certain thoughts from his mind and engage in the conversation that had been ongoing.
“It is so lovely to exchange the city air for the hills of Scotland,” Avery commented. “I think even Keira has noticed an immediate change.”
It was then that Raphael remembered Keira had come for a visit all the way from London. He watched her eyes light up, and for a moment, he wondered how they would sparkle in the darkness with his hands wrapped around her naked body.
“Scotland is such a beautiful place.” Her voice brought him back to the present conversation. “It feels lovely to be away from the hustle and bustle of the big city.”
“I always got the feeling that ye three were city lasses,” Jasper pointed out, teasing his wife, much to her delight. “But as ye can see, it is easy to convert ye.”
“Only if we allow you,” his wife corrected him, and the entire group burst into an amused chuckle.
“Aye,” Jasper had to agree, taking his wife’s hand and bringing it to his lips for a quick peck. “A woman’s mind is a mystery. It only does what it wants, not what it should.”
His words were followed by another burst of laughter.
“Isn’t life in general about wants?” Keira asked, much to Raphael’s amusement.
“Spoken like a true city lass,” Raphael couldn’t resist but comment.
Surprisingly, she did not take this as an offense, which he didn’t really mean it as, but rather as a playful retort.
“But city girls know more than you’d think,” she told him, and again, his mind raced with thoughts of what it was she would know if a situation provided the necessary circumstances.
Would she express her desire loudly? Would she be a little vixen if he awakened that in her? His entire body burned with heat at the thought, and it was difficult to extinguish it.
“That is true, I must say,” Avery confirmed. “For example, we all know a lot about Scotland, believe it or not. But we only started to read on Scotland when we got married to lairds,” she said playfully, “while Keira did that even before us.”
Keira smiled. “I’ve always found Scotland a fascinating place.”
Raphael couldn’t resist asking, “What aspect of Scotland’s culture fascinates ye the most? I hear we’re quite different from what ye must be used to.”
Keira smiled, her eyes alight with enthusiasm. “To begin with, tartans.” She stole a glance at her friends, who seemed amused, and she returned her gaze to him. “Oh, you know what I mean… The patterns and colors, each representing a clan and its unique story, are like a living tapestry of Scottish history. It’s amazing how something as simple as a pattern can hold so much meaning and heritage.”
He was taken aback by her response. To be fair, most English people mainly appreciated their liberties. And whiskey. So, naturally, he couldn’t resist asking her, “Do you have a favorite one?”
Keira nodded without hesitation. “The Black Watch tartan has always appealed to me. There’s a timeless elegance to it, and it seems to resonate with the mystique of Scotland.”
“See?” Avery teased. “Joan and I had to learn all that, because… well, we love our husbands.”
“That we do,” Joan added with another sweet chuckle.
“But Keira actually learned all about Scotland because she wanted to,” Avery continued to tease their friend playfully.
“I read about Japan as well,” Keira said a little defensively, the blush on her cheeks revealing that she felt a little embarrassed being put on the spot like that. “And many other places. But that was before I discovered the beauty of horseback riding.”
“Ye ride?” Raphael spoke again before he was able to bite his tongue.
His mind was running faster than his tongue in this conversation. And it was fast conjuring up images of Keira’s feminine figure riding a horse.
Her strong legs would grip the horse’s strong body, keeping herself in place, with her fingers raking through the horse’s mane. He wanted to know what it would feel like to have her legs wrap around his waist, to feel her hands raking through his own hair…
Get it together!
“I do.” She nodded, gazing at him, and thankfully interrupting his thoughts—even for a moment. Her eyes revealed that, for her, it was a cherished passion. “I absolutely love it. There is a sense of freedom and connection to nature that comes with it. The wind in your hair, the rhythm of the horse… it is exhilarating.”
Raphael’s eyes lit up with genuine interest. He could not imagine that this little lass from London would fit in so perfectly here. That was yet another dangerous thought.
Keira riding a horse. Keira walking up to him, wearing a thin, see-through nightgown, which he would slide down her silky, soft body and then taste every single inch of her skin.
