He scratched his stubbled chin, feeling the smile that spread over his face. He’d found little in life quite so pleasing to his senses as Abigail Porter. And for a fact, nothing had ever felt so good in his arms.
Too bad she seemed to have no better idea as to why he was here than he did. Less of an idea in truth, since she’d apparently managed to convince herself he’d gotten here in some normal way, brought by something she called ataxi.
“They should be here soon.”
Unable to help himself, he stared at her as she stood in the doorway, a short, fluffy garment covering her, neck to knees, her hair wrapped in more of the same strange material.
“Feel free to help yourself to breakfast while you wait. There’s cereal in the cupboard next to the stove and I just picked up milk at the store yesterday, so it’s fresh. You’re welcome to whatever else you find in the fridge.”
Fridge?He shook his head in refusal, unwilling to admit he had no idea what she talking about. Mairi and Ramos would arrive soon, and they would help him make sense of this world. Until then he’d simply sit here on this amazingly well-padded chair and say as little as possible.
“You’re sure you don’t want coffee? Oh, duh!” She lifted the heel of her hand to the side of her head. “You’re a Scot. Of course. Tea? Would you like tea?”
“Nothing, thank you, my lady.”
With a shrug of her shoulders and a confused little frown, she disappeared back into the chamber she’d called her bedroom, closing the door behind her, leaving the scent of flowers wafting in her wake. The smell was new so it must have something to do with theshowershe’d said she was going to take.
He sat quietly, allowing his eyes to explore all the mysterious wonders in this room, chief among them shelves and shelves of books.
“Okay.” She sounded breathless when she at last returned to the room and hurried to the window, as if she’d been rushing.
Her hair, brown and shining, had been pulled back from her face on either side. While the bulk hung down her back in long curls, one soft tendril lay over her shoulder.
His hand fairly itched to feel those curls sliding through his fingers.
“I’m sure they’ll be here any minute now.” She tugged on the curl at her shoulder, winding it around her finger nervously. “So. Where in Scotland are you from? I’m actually going to get to go there this summer.”
“My home is called Dun Ard.” And if he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine her standing on the great staircase there.
“Dun Ard,” she repeated. “Sounds lovely.”
She’d crossed her arms protectively under her breasts, a stance she’d taken repeatedly over the course of their morning together, and fixed her gaze out the window.
“I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”
It was likely nerves that kept her repeating those words, as if meant to reassure them both, a suspicion confirmed when she began to chew at her bottom lip.
“Unless my directions were . . . wait. Maybe this is them now.”
Colin rose and moved across the room to stand beside her. “It is.”
Ramos stepped out of one of the strange carriages he’d seen earlier through the window and walked around to the other side to open a door, allowing Mairi to emerge. Both of them looked as if they’d hardly aged a day since Colin had seen them last, nearly eleven years ago.
“Okay. So, I guess you’ll be on your way. You know, before you go, I don’t quite. . . um. . . know how to ask this without sounding like a total idiot but . . .” Her eyes cut up to his and quickly away as her cheeks colored an attractive red. “I’m not sure what, if anything, happened between us last night. Would you by any chance remember if we. . . uh, you know,didanything?”
She worried that he’d dishonored her?
“No, we did nothing.”
“Yeah, but . . . I mean, no offense, but if you didn’t even remember my name, how can you be so sure you’d remember anything that happened between us?”
So innocent and lovely, her face all but flaming as she spoke. Without thought, he opened himself to her, allowing himself to see the outline of her soul blazing around her.
Golden with ragged edges.
Lifting a hand to her neck, he urged her to look up at him before he responded. “I can assure you I would no have forgotten something as rare as coupling with a woman like you. To my great regret, it dinna happen. You may believe me, lass.”
He lowered his lips to hers, surprising himself as much as it might have surprised her. And yet it was as if there was no way to avoid it. Not even what he’d seen in that glimpse of her aura could stop him. He simply had no choice.
