Page 52 of Seduction in a Kilt

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“That was a good show, ye two,” Knox said laughingly. He had his arm around Magnus’s shoulder. Magnus was not looking at all serious now. He grinned at Liam as he and Knox turned away. “We’re goin’ in now. I think ’tis about tae pour down,” Knox added, glancing up at the sky.

Liam looked up too, noticing for the first time the dark rain cloud hovering above the castle. He felt a rain drop suddenly splash onto his face, then another, and another. The next moment, the heavens opened.

With a collective groan of dismay, everybody headed quickly back inside. Ivy laughed as she ran alongside him back into the keep, holding her shield above her head to shelter her from the downpour. “Ye should hold it,” she told him, offering it to him. “We can both stay dry then.”

“All right, thanks,” he replied, taking it from her and holding it higher, sheltering the two of them until they got inside the keep doors and into the vestibule.

“Ach, I’m soaked tae the bone,” she complained, looking down at her drenched clothing.

“Aye, me too, and that bloody rain was freezin’ and all,” Liam agreed with a shiver.

“Come on, we’d better change intae dry things before we catch a chill,” she suggested.

“Aye, let’s dae that.” They ran up the stairs together, along the hallway, and into her chamber.

“At least is warm in here, so we should dry off quite quickly,” she said, unbuckling the sword belt and laying it aside before sitting down to pull off her soaking boots and stockings. She upended the boots, and water ran out onto the rug. In bare feet, she got up and padded over to the hearth. She set the things out to dry by the fender.

While she was doing that, Liam went through to his chamber via the connecting door. It stood open between them. Ivy walked about, starting to peel off her wet clothes. She was cold and could not wait to get into something warm and dry. She was down to her shift when she happened to pass by the open doorway. Movement caught her eye, and she looked inside.

Liam was standing there, pulling his shirt off over his head. He used it to rub his dripping hair before throwing it down on the floor. In the warm glow of the firelight, droplets of water were glistening like diamonds on the broad muscular expanse of his chest. Enraptured by the sight, Ivy drew in a sharp breath, unable to tear her eyes away. Liam glanced up and noticed her looking. Their eyes locked. Then he grinned at her mischievously and said in a teasing voice, “See anythin’ ye like?”

Ivy snapped out of her trance. “Nay. I was just thinkin’ that ye need tae work on those muscles if ye want tae keep up with me.”

He laughed and carried on undoing his trews, turning his back on her. She fetched a clean cloth and began trying to soak up some of the water in her hair. In the downpour it had turned to dripping rat tails.

“Ach, me hair’s so wet and knotted up, I can hardly get me comb through it,” she complained, wincing as she accidently pulled painfully at her scalp.

Liam came striding through the door and took the comb off her. “Give that here and let me have a go,” he said and began gently working the comb through the tangled lengths.

Ivy did not protest but stood quietly as he worked, closing her eyes and quivering at the slight touches on her bare skin as Liam separated out the strands and combed them carefully all the way through, bit by bit. She could feel the heat of his body so close to hers. She tried hard not to betray how she was melting, pretending it was perfectly normal for two unwed people to be standing in a state of extreme undress like this.

She could hear Liam’s soft breathing, and now and then she felt his warm breath tickling her neck and shoulders. Goosebumps rose on her skin, for the tension between them was almost unbearable, and it was growing more powerful with every passing moment.

As though he too was conscious of it and wanted to break the spell, Liam asked, “Are ye gonnae tell me who that man was ye were talkin’ tae last night, Ivy?” Ivy’s heart dropped. She hesitated, wondering if she should tell him or not.

“Ivy?” he repeated, combing out another strand and laying it on her shoulder. The night before, when he had asked her the same question, she had been so angry with him, she had made up her mind to keep it from him. But now, here, in her trance-like state, her resolve crumbled. She could not lie to him.

“I dinnae ken who he is,” she began. “He first spoke tae me when we were goin’ about the villages that had been raided. In the last village, he called me over tae an alleyway.”

“I didnae see anyone,” Liam said.

“Ye scared him off. And I think ye scared him off last night as well.”

“What does he speak tae ye about?”

She told him.

“Ivy, this could be a trap, tae get ye alone at this place in the woods. It could be dangerous,” he exclaimed, taking her by the shoulders and turning her around to face him. He seemed to be genuinely worried.

“It could be, aye, but what if it is nae? What if he really daes have the information he says he daes about me parents’ murders. I want tae ken about it,” she insisted.

His expression softened as he gazed down into her eyes. “I understand, but there must be another way. Please, promise me ye’ll nae go.”

“But why nae, Liam?” she asked, frowning. “’Tis very confusin’. Last night, ye made it perfectly clear what ye feel about me, so why are ye sayin’ ye care about me now?”

He reached over and gently stroked her cheek. “That’s the trouble, Ivy. I dae care about ye. That’s what scares me so much.” They stood close, looking at each other, the tension crackling in the air between them.