point of madness. Both of them clinging to each other, a mating of mouths, with small bites that were driving him insane.
Where had she come from? Well, he knew where, but by God, how was he to survive her time here when after tonight everything would change? One kiss would never be enough. He wanted more. Much more.
He tore away and stepped back, giving them space. She swayed and caught the small stone railing on the wall to steady herself. Her lips were wet, swollen, and red from his kiss.
But he couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think, for that matter. It was all about that kiss, and the woman in front of him who’d proven how much trouble she was going to be.
“See, Aedan? When you give yourself up to the act, it can be quite fun. Nothing to it. I’m sure if you kiss the woman you find yourself wanting as your wife, just like you kissed me, you’ll be married in no time.”
Her dismissal of what they’d shared irked, and he narrowed his eyes. “Aye, thank ye, Abigail. I’ll be sure to give ye a full account when I do.”
“You do that,” she said, turning about and walking up the stairs and out of sight.
Aedan leaned against the wall, the cold stone doing little to diminish the fire burning inside him. He wanted to follow her, tempt her into his bed so the need, the want of her, was sated.
But he didn’t. Instead, he turned and walked back down the way he’d come, needing the company of his clan and old friends to distract him from seducing a woman who had no part in his future.
Abigail Cross was not for him. Not in this life or the next.
Chapter 10
The next day of the games began with congenial weather. The nights were still cold, dew sat on the trees and ground, the roofs of the cottages that dotted the lands looked wet, but the sun that rose in the east promised warmth, and clear Highland air.
Abby sat on a wooden platform that gave the women and a few older clansmen a good view of the field and settled in to watch the day’s competition. Abby welcomed Gwen as she came to sit beside her, the woman’s excitement over the forthcoming event almost palpable.
“Is Braxton competing today?” Abby asked, knowing already he was. In fact, he was going up against Aedan and his team of clansmen in a tug of war. Little lads she’d seen about the village were busy throwing buckets of water into a pit, while others sloshed about with their feet, making it as muddy and slippery as possible.
“Yes. He’s competing with Clan Ross and Black Ben since they were short of men. Apparently, he has a plan that will beat my brother. Of course, I hope he does. I’d love to see Aedan fall in a puddle of mud.”
It was obvious that Gwen adored her brother. Abby laughed, knowing she spoke in jest. “That’s not very sisterly of you. How could you think so cruelly of the man who, for all his perfectionist qualities, loves you dearly?”
Gwen scrunched up her face in thought. “Seeing him fall in mud, getting dirty, which he hates by the way, does not make me love him less. But it won’t hurt to see him live a little, too. He’s so serious. He could use some fun in his life.”
Abby couldn’t agree more, and yet, the thought of their kiss, how much fun they’d had the night before, bombarded her mind and she shifted on the seat, feeling a little warmth on her cheeks.
Last night after she’d made her room, she’d done nothing but pace for a good hour. No matter how much tread she’d worn on the wooden floor, it didn’t change the roiling emotions he’d created within her.
She watched him on the field, the men about him listening intently, some flapping their arms about in preparation for the tug-of-war to come. They were all so serious. Anyone would think they were about to go into battle.
“Are they playing for anything of value today?”
“Aye.” Gwen nodded toward the front of the platform where a man stood beside a wooden square box. “’Tis a bag of coin. The clans place an equal amount each into the winnings, which is distributed evenly between the events. If a clan were to win all bouts, they’d walk away with a wee fortune. ’Tis nothing to sneeze at.”
“Well, no wonder they all look so serious.” The crowd