Page 38 of Confessions of a Highland Assassin

“I cannae reach it from here,” Ava rasped breathlessly. “Can ye come a little closer? I’m afraid I may slip and fall if I step out of the tub like this. The water has made my skin all slippery.”

Boyd wondered why she was acting so differently from the night he’d met her in the study but did as she asked and took a few steps back to make it easier for her to reach the garment. He could have sworn he heard her sigh as she tugged the fabric from his hands.

“Are ye decent?” he asked after a minute or two.

“Aye,” she answered with a hint of annoyance in her voice. He didn’t quite understand what was going on but turned to see her standing in the tub with her robe firmly fastened around her waist. The fabric was sheer silver, embroidered with tiny white flowers made of lace.

“Yer maid said that she thought ye may have fallen because ye didnae answer when she called and the door was stuck,” he said apologetically as he held out his hand for her take.

Ava took his hand and stepped out of the tub, water dripping from her legs onto the carpet. “I am fine. Thank ye for yer chivalry. I was washing me hair and didnae hear her call. The door must have gotten stuck and loosened when ye flung it open.”

Boyd noticed the way the silky fabric of her robe barely concealed her perky breasts and the slender curve of her neck. Long strands of dark hair hung in her face as she gripped the sides of her robe and pulled them tighter, revealing the soft curves of her shapely body. He would have been even more aroused if it weren’t for the strange way she kept pouting her lips at him. The image reminded him strongly of the lads that called the ducks on a hunt.

“I will be leaving ye then,” he said and turned away from her.

“Wait,” she caught his sleeve just as he was about to leave the room. “I… I… was wondering why I hadnae seen ye the past few days,” she stammered.

“I’ve been busy with clan affairs,” he said gruffly, the knowledge of his mother and her lies weighing heavily on his mind.

“Is something the matter?” she asked more gently with the voice he remembered from the study. Ava had momentarily forgotten about seduction and was genuinely concerned.

Boyd let out a breath and examined her beautiful face. Her delicate features made her a beautiful woman with her slim frame. “I just have a lot on my mind,” he liked the gentle way she asked and the concern in her eyes as she took a step toward him.

“It is clan matters that I nae think ye will understand,” he said more calmly. There was something in the way she looked at him that made him breathe a little deeper.

“Whatever it is, I’m sure that ye will find a solution. Ye are a good man, Boyd Cameron. There arenae half as many men out there as gentlemanly as ye. Thank ye for coming tae help me,” she hugged her arms around her waist, letting the top of her robe open slightly.

Boyd felt a warmth in his chest growing toward her. She made him laugh at the strangest moments. Yet she caught him off guard at the most unexpected times with a caring and warm heart. Without thinking, he reached out and tucked a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear.

“Thank ye,” he whispered.

“For what?” she breathed as her lips parted slightly in a more natural way, it was less comical this time.

“For being kind,” he answered as he ran his thumb along her jawline to her chin. “Nae many people are as genuinely kind as ye are,” he gently gripped her chin between his finger and thumb before tilting her face toward him.

She closed her eyes as his lips came down on hers in a gentle embrace. His fingers caressed the slope of her neck as his other arm looped around her waist, pulling her closer to his body. Ava let out a soft moan as his tongue parted her lips even further and searched the warmth of her mouth.

Boyd could feel her heart pounding in her chest as he deepened the kiss. He was certain that her body was as hot as his as she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer, returning his kiss with equal passion. Her fingers rubbed against his beard and the back of his neck.

Boyd let go of the letter he was holding and reached for her bodice, feeling the softness of her skin and the curves of her hips beneath the thin fabric of her robe.

“Boyd…” she whispered against his lips before he dipped his head and kissed the lightly scented skin of her neck. He suddenly stopped and drew away from her, holding her at arm’s length. The way she’d said his name had jolted him back to reality, reminding him of where and who he was.

“What’s the matter?” she asked in confusion with a shocked expression on her face. Her eyes were dark with concern. Her lips were bright red where he’d drawn them between his teeth only seconds before.

“I need tae leave,” he said abruptly and turned, pausing briefly as he reached the door. “I’m glad ye were nae hurt,” he left the room without another word and shut the door behind him.

Out in the hall, he leaned against the door and shook his head to try and clear his thoughts. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by anyone right now, not even by someone as beautiful and alluring as Ava Sinclair. Their kiss had shaken him to his core. The feel of her warm body still burnt into his flesh…

But there was something oddly familiar about the kiss. The softness of her lips, the way they pressed against his. He knew that it was impossible that he’d kissed her somewhere before. But there was something nagging at the back of his mind. Pushing back the thoughts, he made his way down the hall. He needed to find Rory and discuss what he’d recently learned about his mother. Ava Sinclair and all the women would have to wait.

* * *

Boyd entered the stable and looked around to see if Rory was about. His best friend had the habit of riding in the afternoons to clear his mind, an activity that may not be a bad thing at present. Boyd needed to put things into perspective. Rory was great at helping him do just that whenever he couldn’t think straight.

The stables were situated at the back of the castle. High rafters and single wooden stalls with large doors comprised most of the space. High lofts ran the length of the ceiling to store the hay in winter. The stalls were filled with horses as there was a storm brewing on the horizon. Boyd always enjoyed the serenity of the stables and the fresh smell of hay. It reminded him of simpler things in life and a time when he used to go riding for pleasure. The days before everything went so horribly wrong.

“Dinnae expect tae see ye in here,” Rory called from the other side of a stable door.