Page 21 of The Laird's Wicked Game

Rae lounged easily in his carven chair, nodding as Jack explained something. His expression was composed, his eyes slightly narrowed with concentration.

Kylie shouldn’t have let her gaze linger upon him, yet she did. It was the first time she’d focused on the laird properly since their kiss in the solar two days earlier. They had barely spoken afterward—only a few stilted greetings and polite responses had passed between them—and Kylie had taken care to avoid being alone with him.

That wasn’t difficult though, for Maclean had been busy. He’d been out overseeing the wall he was having built around Dounarwyse village, to protect it from raids. He’d also gone on patrol with the Guard, Storm running at his side. She wondered if his frequent absences from the broch were on her account.

Enough.She had to stop ruminating about this. Over the past days, she’d gone over every word that had passed between them before the kiss, had looked at it from every angle.

And try as she might, she couldn’t get him off her mind.

The softness and firmness of his lips, the heat of his mouth, and the masterful stroke of his tongue. Maclean had shocked her, and it was impossible to look at him in the same light.

As if feeling the weight of her stare, the laird glanced away from his brother then—and looked straight at her.

Kylie’s heart fluttered, embarrassment flushing across her chest. She had to look away.

But she didn’t.

And what she saw there made her breathing catch. She’d thought he’d come to regret kissing her, but the expression on his face now, and the heat in his eyes, told another story.

Like her, he remembered every detail.

Like her, he couldn’t forget it.

Heart pounding, Kylie tore her gaze away and dug her spoon forcefully into her stew.

This attraction between them was inconvenient indeed. She wasn’t supposed to lust after the man who’d hired her.

Her belly clenched then. He’d kissed her, but she should have pushed him away and upbraided him for his lusty behavior. Instead, she’d embraced him with just as much enthusiasm. Her reaction to his kiss shocked her down to her bones.

And ever since, her belly had been in knots.

When Makenna leaves, I should go with her.

Her breathing grew shallow then, panic bubbling up. But where would she go? Back to Meggernie Castle, to weather her father’s disappointment and her mother’s concern? They now knew of Errol’s debts and her destitution, for she’d finally written to them after they left Moy Castle in early May—and when Makenna had made the trip to Argyll to escort her back to Mull in July, she’d brought word from their father.

Bruce MacGregor would welcome his daughter home.

It was a kind offer, yet she didn’t want to live out the rest of her days as a bored widow at Meggernie. Just the thought filled her with dread.

Resentment surged up then, and her chest began to ache. Since the day of her birth, men had controlled her destiny.If it wasn’t her father, it was her husband, and now it was the laird of Dounarwyse. Kylie’s gut told her that Rae Maclean wasn’t a bad man; however, life under his roof wasn’t turning out as she’d hoped. What would it be like to be her own mistress, to be the one who made the rules?

Don’t be a goose, she chastised herself then, shoving her bitterness down deep.Ye can’t change the way of the world.

“Lady Grant … a letter has come for ye.” A servant stood in the doorway to the lady’s solar, waving a rolled parchment. “A rider just arrived from Moy.”

Kylie cast aside the embroidery she’d been working on and rose to her feet. Excitement stirred in her breast then, unraveling a little of the knotted tension. It had been a few months since she’d heard from Liza, and reading her news would be a welcome distraction from her troubles. Telling herself she needed to hold fast was one thing—finding a way to repair her relationship with Maclean and gain his sons’ respect was another.

It would be a relief to hear how her sister’s new start, as the lady laird of Moy, was going.

Makenna and Tara looked on as she crossed the solar. The women were seated opposite each other before the gently glowing hearth, for it was an unusually cool day for summer and a misty rain fell outside.

Taking the missive with a nod of thanks, Kylie carried it over to where a lantern glowed brightly on a table by the hearth.She then broke the seal, unfurled the scroll, and began to read. However, after a few moments, her mouth pursed.

“Well?” Makenna asked, her voice tight with impatience. “How is Liza faring?”

Eyes still trained on the missive, Kylie didn’t answer immediately. She was too busy trying to throttle her indignation and disappointment. Finally mastering herself, she glanced up. Makenna had put aside the basket of wool she was winding onto a spindle and now leaned forward in her chair, while Tara looked on with curiosity.

“She’s married,” Kylie announced.