Page 53 of The Laird's Secret Bairn

He wasn’t going to admit that Stephen was right. No way he was going to do that, but his friend knew him well enough to figure it out.

19

For the first time in days,Skye was able to sleep.

Dougal was at the forefront of her dreams. He leaned over her, whispering filthy things in her ear, some things she didn’t understand but made her blush all the same. His fingers trailed down her bodice and slipped under her skirts.

The moment he touched her sex, she woke up panting, her thighs damp. She blushed, burying her face in the pillows.

He touched her in a way that had every nerve in her body on edge. She would not have protested had he swooped down and captured her lips in what she imagined would be a bruising kiss. But he had stuck to her rule.

She didn’t know whether to curse or thank him for that. She was torn between the two emotions. No matter how hard she tried towill her breath to even out, it wouldn’t. It continued coming out in soft pants, her core aching.

She was about to slide her fingers between her legs when she heard the familiar sounds of the servants moving about the castle, getting ready for the day’s chores.

She pushed herself upright, pressing the heels of her hands against her eyes until the last traces of the dream faded. The ache between her thighs lingered longer than she cared to admit, but she distracted herself by focusing on getting ready that morning.

It seemed that no matter where she went or what she did, Dougal was never far from her mind.

Carefully, she exited her room and nearly walked right into a young maid carrying a stack of fresh wools. The maid stumbled backward with a gasp.

“Oh, forgive me!” Skye cried, grabbing her elbow. She managed to catch some of the wools that nearly fell to the floor while the maid caught the rest.

“Nay, the fault was mine, me Lady! I wasnae watching where I was going.”

Skye shook her head. “Ye daenae have to apologize. I wasnae watching either, so the blame lies with no one.”

“Or both of us, me Lady,” the maid weakly pointed out.

Skye smiled. “Well, I hope the rest of yer morning goes far smoother than the start. Take care.”

The maid curtsied. “Thank ye, me Lady.”

Skye exhaled slowly once she was alone again, grateful the girl hadn’t lingered long. If she had, she would have noticed the flush on her cheeks. No matter what she did, Skye couldn’t seem to get rid of it.

It seemed fitting that she ran into Kenna soon after that. She only managed a few steps down the corridor before nearly colliding with her.

“Careful, lass,” Kenna said, looking her over. “Ye look as though ye’ve been running from something.”

“Only meself,” Skye whispered, pressing her hands to her still warm cheeks and hoping it would pass for embarrassment at the near collision rather than anything else.

Kenna arched an eyebrow, not looking convinced in the slightest. “Ye didnae sleep well?”

“I slept fine,” Skye blurted out.

The truth was, she had slept fine, but she couldn’t very well admit the cause of her flushed cheeks, and to Dougal’s mother, no less! She would die of embarrassment.

“Did ye quarrel with me son?”

She bit back a gasp. “We didnae quarrel, Lady Kenna. I can assure ye of that.”

“I believe ye,” Kenna said with a sly smile. “Daenae worry, I willnae press ye any further. If ye say ye slept fine, then I’ll take yer word for it.”

Relief washed over Skye. She had never been so happy to hear those words.

“Thank ye, Lady Kenna.”

“Do take care, though, me dear. Wouldnae want ye to collide with anyone else.”