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For you, always! She panted. “I was just”—she waved a floppy hand in the air—“you know, want to make…most of our last day.”
“I’d say we’re right on track.”
Her eyes drifted down, landing on his erection. Still hard. Ever patient like his owner.
I can’t leave him like this.
“I can make you pancakes with hash browns before we go sightseeing.” He caught her looking at his crotch. “Don’t worry about him. So needy!”
Leia giggled. “I’m more than willing.”
“Nah, let’s wait. Save some fireworks for later, eh?”
“Okay, I’ll make you a deal: play tour guide for me this morning, and I’ll play Return of the Jedi for you tonight.”
His adorable face scrunched in thought. “Play? You mean, watch?”
“No, Tarquin. Play. Guess who made herself a gold bikini.”
“Clothes! Now!” He scrambled out of bed, leaving Leia in fits of laughter.
• • •
“Saving the best for last!” Windblown but smiling brightly, Leia placed her hand on the fifteen-foot, lichen-spotted standing stone and closed her eyes. “I realize the magical time travel stones in Outlander weren’t on Orkney, but just humor me, okay?”
Tarquin laughed as his girlfriend got up close and personal with the Ring of Brodgar, a prehistoric stone circle dating back to 2500BC. Of the original sixty stones, only thirty-six remained, their weathered facades bearing witness to untold mysteries. He stepped back and tilted her phone, fitting Leia perfectly in frame. “I’ve been here hundreds of times but still get goose bumps. This circle is older than both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Egypt—how’s that for a total mindfuck!”
NOO! I knew they were old, but… ! Leia’s stomach rolled and her eyes popped open. “Shit!” She pulled her hand away. “And I’m touching it?!”
“You’re fine! The heritage officer said we could.” Tarquin glanced above her phone. “I guess it’s a good thing you were blissfully unaware the Stones of Stenness are even more ancient.”
“And you’re telling me now?!”
Mid-laugh, the ping of a text dragged Tarquin back to her screen. “Oh, it’s Shantelle—another jubilantly smug photo from sunny Mauritius.”
A biting gust forced its way down the cuffs of Leia’s parka. “Fruity cocktails, a barely-there bikini, and Bastien on the beach?” I miss my mitts. She shivered, her pink cheeks stinging.
“Yeah.” Tarquin nudged up his eyeglasses. He paused for a moment, his coat ruffling against his thighs. “Bastien is treating Shantelle to sun and sand, and here I am tormenting you with wind and rain. Oh, and let’s not forget my mum!”
And I’ve come out the other side knowing you’re the one. Leia smiled, adjusting her scarf. “Like I need a sunburn and more freckles. I’m happy here, Tarquin. Besides, Mauritius doesn’t have ancient stone circles.”
She settled back into her Outlander-inspired pose, but her red locks and the chilly gales pushing northeast weren’t cooperating. She gathered her tangled tresses and leaned into the rock again, closing her eyes as Tarquin snapped a burst of cheesy photos.
“Got some great ones!”
Leia opened her eyes. “Eh, didn’t work—I’m still here.” Laughing, she bounced over to Tarquin. “I kid! I love Orkney!” She threaded her hands around his arm and hugged him tight as he scrolled through the photos on her phone.
“See? I took a bunch.”
“Ooh, they’re perfect! I’ll send some to Saz and Shantelle when we’ve got wi-fi again.” She kissed Tarquin on a chilled cheek and traded her phone for the hat and mitts in her pocket. “Cheers, Han Solo!”
Leia’s delighted gaze strayed beyond the parade of stones. “This place…clean air, deep blue seas, gorgeous scenery. The sky goes on forever! Honestly, Orkney feels like another world. The ancient sites are amazing, obviously, but I’m just as fascinated by the ruins dotted all over the islands.”
“The old houses and farm buildings?”
“Yeah.” She tugged on her cotton beanie, taming her wild hair. “Roofs gone, grass overgrown, only their stone walls remaining. They’re beautiful…but in a melancholy way.”
Tarquin nodded. “Most were built in the 1800s. We call them tumbledowns.”
