part where you were lusting after the man in yer dreams, aye?"
A key clicked in the lock and they froze. Percy rattled it, but it did not turn. He tried the next key. For a dungeon with only two cells, there were a helluva lot of keys on that ring. But one of them was going to fit.
Their hearts were pounding like horses’ hooves. She could hear her pulse in her ear where his hand covered it. She could feel his heart beating in his neck.
It was time. This was it. That last chance for a kiss. And if he kissed her like a damned butterfly, she was going to rip the bars apart and make him do it better.
“Kiss me, damn it,” she whispered.
He smiled at her and winked, his eyes sparkling in the light from the torch that Martin silently held.
Obviously, Percy was too impatient to wait for a blind man to find the right key, but even Martin didn’t take so long to unlock the doors.
She popped up on her toes and stretched her neck at the same time Quinn’s mouth came down firmly on hers. He seemed to understand that she wasn’t looking for butterflies. And except for bumping into the bars a few times, they managed to make more than their jailers disappear. His short whiskers were a soft brushed against her chin. His hand moved across her cheek and into her hair, like he needed to know the texture of it as badly as she’d needed to know the feel of his lips. When she finally had to stop to catch her breath and give her toes a break, she didn’t back away, but leaned her forehead against his chest, and for the first time since she’d landed in Scotland, she didn’t envy her sister.
Well, much anyway. At least Jillian would still have her Highlander tomorrow. Jules didn’t know what she’d have beyond this memory.
He smelled good for having been in a dungeon for days. And his shirt was a little too tight, like it wasn’t meant for him, but it was clean. She reached through the bars and ran her hands up his arms.
"Please tell me you can protect yourself."
"I can protect myself,” he murmured.
"Really? Because Bond James Bond is in pretty good shape. He's probably planning to open up a can of karate on your cute arse, you know?"
"Cute arse?" He let go of her and turned, so they could both get a better view.
Him trying to get a good look at his own ass was going to be mental snapshot she would never forget.
“Very nice,” she said. “Now please don’t let him damage it.”
He grabbed the bars again, just a few inches above her own hands and she realized what he was trying to do. Letting go of each other would have been painful and he’d ripped that bandage off before she had a chance to think about it.
“No worries,” he said.
The haze from their kiss was fading, but the compulsion to renew it was as strong as ever. All she wanted was to kiss him again, but there was so much to say.
“If you can get away, go,” she said. “Promise me you’ll go. I won’t be far behind. I have that plan, you see.”
“Aye, a fine plan,” he said.
She noticed he promised her nothing. She wasn’t going to waste precious time arguing.
Metal clicked against metal. It felt like someone had just locked her heart.
The gate swung open behind him. His hands were still on the bars, but she dared not touch him again. She put on a smile and let her hands drop to her sides.
“Forget about me,” she said. “Just concentrate on winning the fight. Don’t let him hit you in the head."
A hand landed on his shoulder and he took a step back.
"Did Gordon say what I get if I win?"
She smiled and shook her head. “Me, I guess.”
“Well, then. I cannot lose.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The guard held Quinn’s arm while Percy tied his hands together behind his back.
"What's the harm in leaving her a bit of light, Percy?" Quinn asked.
The thin man said nothing, then left him to the guard and preceded them up the steps.
Their steps echoed in the stone stairwell.
"So,” Quinn said. “I see you've made your decision then. You don’t believe me."
Percy glanced over his shoulder. "Not just yet. We'll see how yer luck holds out with her husband." Then he snorted. "Ye manage to keep from dying by his hand or hanging on the