Page 11 of In Bed with a Highland Liar

Aaden smiled, neither confirming nor denying the accusation. Lilith was a perceptive woman and there was no point in lying to her. Instead, he took a step closer, emboldened by the fact that no one seemed to be paying them any attention, Freya and Evander too busy with each other while the rest were still trying to resolve the fight.

“I am determined,” he said. “Ever since I saw ye, I couldnae stop thinking about ye.”

They both knew he was talking about that night at the inn. Aaden expected some sort of reaction, a coy blush, at least, at the memory of that night, but Lilith was just as impassive as always. She regarded him with what Aaden could only call boredom, as if she couldn’t care less what he thought.

It only served to spur him on.

“I would suggest ye choose a more productive pastime activity,” Lilith said. “Ye seem tae have too much time on yer hands. Idle minds are susceptible to temptation.”

Aaden had no response to that, for once in his life silenced. He didn’t have much time to ponder his failure, though, before Laird Stewart and Cameron approached them, leaving the guards to take care of the last of the men’s anger as they returned to business.

“I will nae have ye behavin’ like animals in me home!” Laird Stewart called behind him. “All o’ ye, leave. I’ve had enough o’ ye.”

It was a drastic measure but one that worked in Aaden’s and Evander’s favor. With the rest of the suitors gone, they would have every opportunity to charm the two sisters and their father, as well.

“Laird Stewart,” Evander said, quickly stepping into the man’s way and bowing to him. “Evander MacEwan, son o’ Laird Ruadh MacEwan. I was here recently fer a meetin’ o’ the clans.”

“Aye, I remember,” Laird Stewart said as he looked at Evander from head to toe, scrutinizing him, before doing the same to Aaden. Whether he was satisfied with what he saw, Aaden couldn’t tell. The man could be as unreadable as his daughter. “It would be difficult tae forget when Freya talks about ye all the time.”

“Faither!” Freya protested, the blush on her cheeks only deepening. “Please, dinnae embarrass me.”

With a smile so charming that even Aaden could have believed it genuine had he not known his cousin, Evander turned to brush his thumb over Freya’s cheek gently. “There is naething embarrassing about love. I’m sure me faither would say the same thing about me.”

In perfect unison, Laird Stewart and Cameron rolled their eyes upon hearing that and Aaden had to stifle a laugh. He expected it from the laird but seeing Cameron react like this puzzled him a little. Perhaps it was nothing more than a natural reaction to Evander’s obvious attempts at flattery, but Aaden would hazard a guess that there was more to it. There was longing in his gaze as he looked at Freya and Aaden wondered if anyone else had ever noticed it.

“Laird Stewart, may I have a word with ye?” Evander asked, breaking the tension.

“Forgive me,” Aaden said, interrupting before the laird could respond. “I am Aaden MacEwan, Chieftain o’ McDowell Clan. It’s an honor tae meet ye, Laird Stewart. An’ Cameron Baxter, correct? We have met ‘afore.”

“Och aye,” said Cameron, quickly recognizing Aaden. “We met when I visited Clan McDowell, correct?”

“Aye, that is so,” said Aaden.

“Clan McDowell?” Laird Stewart asked, raising a curious eyebrow. “How come ye are with the McDowells an’ nae with the MacEwans?”

From the corner of his eye, Aaden saw that Evander was ready to respond, so he quickly said, “I wanted tae have more experience an’ Clan McDowell needed an advisor. Now I can return tae me clan kenning that I can be useful.”

It was an excuse he used every time someone asked him why he was with the McDowells instead of his own people in Clan MacEwan, one he had come up with a long time ago. People loved to ask him that question. If nothing else, it made for good gossip.

Next to him, Evander snorted, much to Aaden’s annoyance. The fool would ruin everything for him before they had even started. “Isnae that right, cousin?” he asked him, daring him to say anything different.

“Aye,” Evander said swiftly, withering under Aaden’s glare. “That is so.”

“Well, in that case, would ye like tae join us fer the meetin’?” Laird Stewart asked. “If it is a clan matter⁠—”

“It is a private matter,” Evander said. “It’s about… it’s about Freya, actually. I’d rather speak with ye alone, me laird.”

There was only a moment of hesitation before Laird Stewart nodded, relenting. He turned to his daughters then, his gaze visibly softening as he addressed them. “Go an’ prepare fer dinner. An’ Cameron, please show Aaden the castle. If he is tae be our guest, he must ken where tae go.”

“O’ course,” Cameron said with a tilt of his head.

With one last, scathing look at Aaden, Lilith turned around and left, followed closely by her sister. Just as Lilith walked by, her fingers brushed over his for the briefest of moments, sending a jolt of excitement through him. It may have been a small, barely-there touch, but it was enough to excite him, the point of contact between them blooming with heat. Even Lilith seemed to hesitate for a second, their eyes meeting, their gazes locked as she walked by him. But it didn’t take long for her expression to turn cold and indifferent once more, her feelings entirely hidden from him.

As the two sisters walked out of the room, Aaden looked at Evander, who in turn looked at Freya—or rather, Freya’s rear. It was a small comfort that he was at least being discreet about it.

Not discreet enough for Cameron to remain unaware, though. When Aaden glanced at him, the man was grinding his teeth so hard he ran the risk of cracking a molar.

“Well,” Laird Stewart said, gesturing to Evander to follow. “Let us discuss.”