Page 24 of The Laird's Wicked Game
Rae Maclean was walking toward her, gloriously naked.
10: I’D GIVE MY LIFE
MOTHER MARY, WHERE to look?
For a moment, Kylie froze, transfixed by the sight of the laird of Dounarwyse disrobed.
Maclean wasn’t the only one naked on the beach. The others had also stripped off their clothing so that they could take a plunge after their training. But Kylie paid no attention to any of them.
Instead, she stared athim.
Maclean wasn’t the first man she’d seen wearing nothing but his skin, of course, for she was a widow. Yet the leashed power of his body, the way the sun gleamed on his wet skin, accentuating every muscle, every scar, transfixed her.
“Lady Grant,” Maclean’s greeting jerked her out of her reverie. “A fine day, is it not?” His voice was low, and slightly breathless from his dip in cold sea water, yet his expression was veiled.
“Aye,” she gasped, cutting her gaze away. Curse her, she could feel her cheeks warming. “I took the lads outdoors for their lessons this morning … I hope ye don’t mind?”
“No.” Kylie sneaked another glance his way to see the laird scooping up his discarded clothing. “As long as they’re learning something … and not just doing as they please.” She noted a reserve in his tone now, for he’d just reminded them both of the argument that had ended in a forbidden kiss.
“La mer est azur!” Lyle sang out then, as he danced about the sand with Storm, who now bounced excitedly after the stick the lad had just thrown.
“Le château est grand et fort,” Ailean added with an impish grin.
The laird inclined his head, the edges of his lips tugging upward. Something relaxed inside Kylie as she marked his reaction. It was a relief to see him smile, rather than snarl, at his sons.
“Well said, lads,” Jack called out. The captain had just donned his clothing a few yards away and was shaking water out of his shaggy auburn hair. “Ye’ll be singing us courtlychansonsin no time!”
“They’ll certainly show upyerpoor grasp of the French tongue,” Maclean countered, his tone dry. However, when his gaze met Kylie’s once more, it was warm. “Ye should make the most of the sunny weather if my sons enjoy taking their lessons outside.”
Fortunately, the man had now pulled on his braies, although he seemed unperturbed by the fact she’d seen him in the nude. He now donned a loose lèine, the thin linen sticking to the hard muscles of his shoulders, chest, and upper arms.
She nodded, keeping her gaze firmly upon his face. “I shall.”
Pulling on his boots, Maclean then glanced up at the sky. “Noon is close … we should get back to the broch.”
The other men didn’t need further encouraging, and they set off up the track that led from the shore toward the fortress.
Kylie brought up the rear with Lyle and Ailean—and their father.
To her consternation, the laird had dropped back so that he walked alongside her, his collie padding companionably at his heel. Presently, the lads drew ahead, finishing their collection of wildflowers and herbs, leaving the laird and Kylie in relative privacy.
Her heart fluttered at the realization.
It was the first time they’d been alone in a while.
“So, Ailean and Lyle are behaving themselves?” Maclean asked after an awkward silence.
“Aye,” she replied stiffly.
Another silence fell before he cleared his throat. “I was wrong to intrude as I did that day … and to lose my temper also … but ye will tell me if my sons give ye trouble, won’t ye?”
Kylie shot him a sidelong glance, to find him studying her intently. “Aye.” Lord, she wished she didn’t feel so uncomfortable around him now. “If that is what ye wish.”
Something flickered in his eyes at her awkward response, and his lips parted as if he might say something. However, after a moment, he firmly shut his mouth, a muscle flexing in his jaw. “Did ye enjoy yer walk along the southern path?”
She nodded, relieved that he’d changed the subject. “The views are bonnie indeed.” She gestured across the water then. “I like how ye can see the mainland from here.”
He gave a soft snort. “Aye, it’s a reminder Mull isn’t a lonely isle in the midst of a wild sea … but part of something greater. Scotland.” The pride in his voice was evident.