Page 27 of Scot of Seduction

“Tad, are ye in there?” a sudden voice bellowed from the corridor. Footsteps were running as both of their heads snapped toward the closed door.

“Bran,” they said in unison.

“Oh me God!” Cat hissed in a wail. “He cannae see!”

“I ken that!” Tad snapped back. He leapt off her, looking everywhere for his trews and snapping them up off the ground.

“Tad! Ye’re needed!” Bran called again, his thundering footsteps getting closer and closer.

Bran will murder me fer this.

Tad looked around to see Catreena was off the bed. She had her gown in her hands but didn’t possibly have time to pull it back on. Without thinking of what he was doing, Tad marched toward her.

“What are ye doing – oh!” Her whispered hiss was broken off as he bent down and caught her around the knees. He managed to fling Catreena over his shoulder, feeling her hands burying themselves in his shirt. “Well, this is dignified,” she muttered against his back.

“This way.” He hastened toward the door to his garderobe and flung it open, then deposited Catreena in the room. She wobbled on her feet. “Still tingly?” he asked, finding he couldn’t resist asking her.

“Nay wonder ye’re so arrogant about yer skills in bed,” she said with mock anger.

He winked at her, for it was all he had time to do. He could hear Bran taking hold of the door handle.

He shut the door fast, hiding from Catreena, then turned back to face the room.

“Tad?” Bran marched in.

With his hard length unmistakably straining against his trews, Tad darted to stand behind the copper bath, just high enough to mask him.

“What is it?” Tad asked, doing his best to keep his voice as level as possible, with no sign of the panting breaths that had just been caused by what he and Catreena had shared.

As he looked at Bran, the guilt swayed. He had vowed never to touch Catreena in his life, for the sake of his friendship with him and his brothers.

I’ve just jeopardized everything I hold dear. They’ll kill me fer this.

“Tad, it’s the village,” Bran turned straight toward him, fortunately not noticing the crumpled bed across the room. “There’s a fire.”

Something snapped inside of Tad. Suddenly, he was laird again.

“How big?” Tad asked.

“Huge,” Bran said with a shaky sigh. “The scouts fear it’s the doing of Cillian’s soldiers. Quick, we have tae get there.”

“I’m coming now,” Tad promised, reaching for his shirt. As Bran shot out of the door, Tad pulled the shirt over his head. It took a second or two for the garderobe door to creak open and Catreena poked her head out.

“I’m coming too.”

“Like hell ye are,” Tad muttered darkly as he pulled on his boots. “I’m nae seeing ye injured in a fire, Cat.”

“I ken how tae heal. Yer people need that, Tad.” She stopped in front of him, and he halted. His eyes fixed on her face.

Though her hair was mussed and her cheeks were pink from what they had shared, there was now a pristine look of determination on her face. What he felt for her already grew impossibly greater. It was the most perfect look.

“I’m coming,” she said again.

“I ken I cannae stop ye.” He stood up then moved toward her, kissing her swiftly. “Just dinnae get hurt, all right?” She nodded, though Tad feared it was something out of both of their control.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“Christ!” Tad’s and Bran’s loud curses echoed in Catreena’s ears as she backed up from the burning building.