Page 73 of Taming the Highland Misfits

“Come,” Freya said, drawing away from him with the greatest of reluctance. “You must eat.” She took his hand and began to lead him towards the guards’ mess room where they all ate and generally socialised between shifts.

“No!” Alex was horrified. “You cannot go in there, Freya!”

“Why not?” she asked, mystified. “You must eat. I would take you inside, but I do not want you bumping into my brother again.”

“You are a gently-brought-up lady,” he told her. “Those are men. Ordinary men. And it does not matter if they are working class or upper class. All men have a bit of savage inside them. Their words and their actions can be quite revolting, and I am sure they would shock and disgust you.”

Freya smiled at him. “You are such a kind man,” she said softly. “But I assure you, I have heard guards shouting at each other all my life, and I have probably learned enough swear words to teach you some new ones, Alex.”

He shook his head vehemently. “It isn’t just that, Freya,” he argued. “It is, well, they are not well-mannered with ladies.”

“And I am not as easily broken as fine China!” Freya laughed, her eyes sparkling with mirth. Then she looked at the worried expression on his handsome face; he really was concerned for her. “All right, Alex, since you insist on treating me as if I were made of porcelain, we will go somewhere else. The kitchen? Do not worry, the ladies will look after us.”

Alex nodded in agreement and they walked in silence for a few moments, then Alex said: “I thought Aidan would have forgiven me by now.”

“For what?” Freya frowned, puzzled.

“For taking away any prospects he had of becoming Captain of the Guard, and for always beating him in combat,” he replied. “I really thought that after all these years he would have reconciled himself to the idea that I got the position on merit. Instead, he seems to be becoming more and more jealous. And it’s not a personal thing. I am just doing what I am being paid for.”

“Yes, he does,” Freya agreed. “And I think he is a mean-spirited, callous man who thinks he has been hard done by because he cannot get his own way. My father has spoiled him, I’m afraid.

He is the Laird’s son, for heaven’s sake. Why he also wanted to be Captain of the Guard is beyond me. He has no need to work at anything, although the fact that he wants to is to his credit, but he seems to have fixed himself on the Captain’s position to the exclusion of all else.

My father promoted you because you were–and still are–the best man for the job, Alex. Never forget that. If my brother is jealous it is entirely his own problem; he has a major flaw in his character. Anyway, after you saved our lives once–none of us would be here if it were not for you.” She looked up at him, her eyes shining. “Thank you, Alex. Thank you a hundred times over.”

“I would have done it for anybody,” he assured her. “I acted on instinct and my training had prepared me for such an event. I am no hero, Freya.”

“Oh, but you are wrong.” Freya shook her head vehemently. “I would not be standing here if it weren’t for you, Alex. Remember what Aidan did while the robbers were attacking us? He froze. He was terrified. You saved us. You are my hero. You will always be my hero.”

Every word she said was fierce and insistent, and Alex felt his body responding to the passion in her voice. He was beyond wanting to sweep her into his arms; now he wanted to sweep her into his bed and make love to her till they were both sated and exhausted.

“Come,” he said, taking her hand to lead her away.

Freya looked around as they walked, mystified. “This is not the way to the kitchen,” she observed.

“No, it is not,” he agreed grimly.

“Where are we going?” Freya asked. Something in Alex’s tone had told her that they were about to do something forbidden, and her pulse quickened. The pleasant fluttering between her thighs that often assailed her when Alex was with her intensified, and she felt warm and moist. She felt wanton, wicked, and she could not help but wish that he would drop his guard and let her see the fiery, passionate man underneath the one who obeyed society’s rules. Would he do so? Would today be the first time they would share more than a chaste kiss? How she longed for him!

Presently, they went down a narrow corridor, one of the many that led to the dozens of store rooms in the castle. She recognised it as the passage that led to the grain stores, but there were other small rooms leading off the main corridor, each with a different purpose.

Alex pushed a door open and led her into the small room. It had a tiny window high up on the wall, and they could see each other only faintly. The room smelled dusty and slightly mouldy, but Freya did not care.

“Why are we here, Alex?” she asked wickedly.

“I think you know that,” he replied huskily. “We are here because I wanted to tell you that I love you and I cannot imagine my life without you. You were only twelve when I met you, and of course I did not fall in love with you then, but as we both grew I began to become more and more aware of you as a woman. Now I don’t think I can do without you.”

“Oh, Alex,” Freya whispered. “I never thought you would say that. I have loved you since I was that little twelve-year-old girl.”

Then, because she could not wait a moment longer, she pulled his head down to hers and their lips met in a kiss so fierce that Freya felt a bolt of sheer pleasure shoot through her. Their lips moved against each other, not merely caressing; it was far more frenzied than that. Their tongues tangled, stroking and teasing, and Freya moaned when he nibbled her bottom lip. They had kissed before, often, but it had never before been so intense and passionate.

Slowly, Alex backed her against the wall and pressed himself up against her. He began to move his hands all over her; her arms, her back, her waist, then down to her buttocks. He squeezed them gently and Freya whimpered and rubbed her hips from side to side against the growing evidence of his arousal.

Freya felt as if her knees were about to give way when Alex’s lips moved from her mouth to her throat, and he trailed a line of tiny kisses down to the neckline of her dress. When he moved back to her mouth, the kiss was soft, sensual, and made her feel as though she wanted to melt into him. Freya felt her breath quicken, and her nipples began to tingle. Something was happening to her that was out of her control, and it was heavenly.

However, Alex knew that if he pursued the path on which he was leading them, he would soon be unable to stop. He pulled away, but it was the hardest thing he had ever had to do, and he turned his back on Freya so that he was not tempted to reach out for her again.

Freya felt a stab of disappointment as Alex drew away, but she thought she understood why he had done it. “Alex,” she said quietly. “Are you all right?”