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Aindreas moaned, holding her closer to him. Her body shivered, either from chill or desire. Perhaps both. His tongue circled around hers. He growled as he felt her legs wrap around him under the water. His shaft twitched, and his mouth traveled down the length of her throat, stopping there for a moment to breathe her in.
“I love ye, Blair,” he whispered while nuzzling his head against her. “I don’t think I’ve ever loved anyone this much.”
“I love ye, too,” she whispered in his ear.
They floated in the water, holding onto each other, listening to the peaceful twittering of birds sitting in nests above them. The wind blew, rustling the leaves while Aindreas stroked Blair’s back. He wondered for a moment what their life would be like if he or Blair were noble-born. They could be together. The thought made his heart fracture, knowing that the moment they returned to Castle Lachlan, everything would change.
He didn't want it to. He wanted to stay like this forever.
But he needed to tell Blair why. She had a right to know.
“There is something I need to tell ye,” he said, his voice low and hesitant. “It’s a secret.”
“A secret?” she asked teasingly, taking his hand and kissing his knuckles. “Whatever could it be?”
Aindreas smiled at the joy he saw in her emerald eyes, feeling as if he could lose himself in that gaze. His eyes traveled over her body, lingering on the soft curve of her breasts in the water. Her nipples were pulled taut from the chill. His manhood twitched in response, and he quickly looked away, knowing that if he had another bout with her, he would never tell her the truth.
“I was taken in by the MacBeans.”
Blair’s brows furrowed, and she tilted her head. “Taken in? Ye mean yer not their trueborn son?” Her mouth gaped open, “then that would mean—“
“I’m not in line for the lairdship. I’ve never been. There is nae MacBean blood in me.” He frowned while slowly pushing her away. Aindreas looked away, feeling very nervous, not knowing how Blair would respond. He stepped out of the stream, finding a patch of grass near the bank for him to sit on.
Blair moved with him, sitting on her knees in front of him while she stared back at him with worry. He took her hands, giving them a gentle squeeze as he said, “That’s why I must marry someone from a noble family: the reason for me entertaining the thought of Sorcha. It’s all so I may become laird and protect my clan.”
Blair nodded, and his heart twinged with hope at the understanding he found in her gaze. “So, that’s why ye were so upset with yer father.”
Aindreas grimaced as the reminder of his fight with his father returned. He hated the words he had said, hated knowing that their last discussion had been an argument.
“I felt so,” he waved a hand in front of himself, finding difficulty in conveying his feelings, “at a loss. Since Lady Fiona and Laird Duncan took me in, I’ve been trained to take over the lairdship. I didn’t know until years ago when Lady Fiona told me.”
“It must have been hard.” Blair’s voice sounded sweet. There was a sadness in her gaze as she looked upon him. It wasn’t pity. It was as if she empathized with him. “Thinking that ye belong somewhere, discovering the truth. Although, I truly believe Laird MacBean thought of ye as his own. Castle Lachlan is yer home, Aindreas.”
Aindreas nodded, feeling as if by telling Blair the truth, she was offering him her strength. He felt as if he could tell her anything. If he was going to be this truthful with her, he might as well explain why he treated her the way he did. “From the moment I met ye, Blair, I wanted ye. It was like the heavens brought ye to me. As if it were written in fate, yet I didn’t see it that way at first. I was so cruel to ye.”
Blair shook her head. “But ye were also kind.” She smiled. “I remember the way ye protected me in the garden.”
Aindreas wrinkled his nose. Fear took hold of him, wondering if she would hate him forever if he told her the truth. “I met ye in that garden in the hopes of,” he scowled at the blades of grass near him, wishing he could take everything back, wishing he could smack some sense into himself. “I was hoping to corrupt ye, Blair. I wanted to hurt Laird Duncan for what he had done to Lady Fiona. She had been so kind to me, the best mother any orphan like myself could ask for. Yet, Laird Duncan had treated her cruelly. I wanted to make him pay.” He sighed, shaking his head at himself and the foolishness of having such a plan to corrupt a maiden like Blair. “And so, I thought ye were his mistress. I had hoped to take ye in front of him, yet I couldn’t.” His voice cracked as he hung his head. “I couldn’t do that to ye, and so I stopped, telling myself I need to stay away from ye because I didn’t want to hurt ye. And my feelings for ye were growing.”
He felt her soft caress on his cheek and lifted his gaze, finding not the hate and anger he expected but only love. “I forgive ye,” she said, leaning forward and nuzzling her nose against his. Her eyes closed, and his heart fluttered as she breathed him in, pressing her forehead against his. “The past does not matter. I love ye. I will always love ye, Aindreas.”
Aindreas knew he didn’t deserve Blair. She was beautiful, pure, and full of grace. In all the years following his mother’s death, he didn’t think he could ever experience the joy Blair had brought him today. She was his soulmate. She was his everything.
Yet, there was something strange about his father’s final words. He opened his mouth, wanting to tell her the final secret, wondering if she could explain to him the reasoning behind his father’s request. Perhaps she had secrets of her own. However, staring at Blair’s innocent face, he knew she had nothing to hide. She had always been forthright with him. Everything about her had been like an open book. He closed his mouth, forcing a smile and shaking his head. Now was not the right time. If there were anything in Blair’s past, Marcus would find it.
But there had to be something. Why did his father insist he marry Blair when he knew Aindreas needed to marry a noble to obtain the lairdship?
Something wasn’t right there, and he didn’t think passing it off as his father’s mind going mad would suffice. But he also knew it wasn’t on Blair. He knew he could trust her. She would never hide anything from him. If there were something in her past, it would also be a secret from her. He just hoped it was one he could use to end his arrangement with Sorcha.
“I promise ye, Blair. I will do everything I can to solve this.” He grabbed her hands and kissed them. “I cannot lose ye. I know that now.”
Blair smiled. “We will solve it together, Aindreas.” She stroked his hair, and he leaned into the touch, silently wishing he could spend all his afternoons like this with her. “I believe in ye, Aindreas, and I understand ye have many difficulties to overcome. I will never stop believing in ye.”
Aindreas kissed her forehead. “Thank ye, Blair.”
Blair sighed, her gaze lowering to the grass. “I will speak with Daniel when we return.” She nodded to herself. “I should tell him as soon as possible. I don’t want to get his hopes up only for them to be dashed later.”
Aindreas grabbed her chin, lifting her gaze to him. He stared at her, taking in her beauty, her purity. His lips claimed hers once more, and he pulled her into his lap, his body reawakening to his desires. She moaned against him, her arms wrapping around his neck. They continued kissing and stroking each other until the sun began to dip and the last rays of red and golden light dissipated into the night sky.
