Eliza softly coughed. “Please forgive my dear sweet Mairi. Her manners are usually much better than the slack-jawed mute ye see standin’ before ye.”
A warm flush of oh shit swept across her. Mairi had forgotten Eliza had a guest and here she was staring at the man as though she were about to trip him and beat him to the ground. “Uhm. Sorry to interrupt. Please forgive me.” Was this how Eliza selected her benefactors? If it is . . . damnation, sign me up for this one.
The man barely smiled. His chin dipped with a polite nod. “’Tis my utmost pleasure to meet ye. I am Chieftain Ronan Sutherland.”
He extended an open hand to her, moving across the room with such strength and grace that Mairi lost the ability to connect with the world around her. Damn. Damn. Damn. The words echoed the man’s every step and the seductive play of his muscles that made her hands itch to touch him.
With a loud impatient huff, Eliza floundered free from the depths of her overstuffed chair and hurried to Mairi’s side. She pinched the tender skin beneath Mairi’s arm and whispered, “Get on with it, gal. Do ye wish the man t’think yer impaired?”
The sting of the pinch effectively snapped Mairi free of her trance. “Sorry.” She scrubbed the still-stinging flesh of her arm as she smiled and reached for Ronan’s hand. “I’m Mairi Sinclair. Sorry if I seem a bit off. It’s been a very stressful day.”
As soon as her fingers connected with Ronan’s calloused palm, a delicious surge of erotically charged energy greeted her. The powerful sensation raced through every nerve ending, imploring her to never leave. Mairi’s senses shifted to high alert. Every instinct urged her closer. Her soul sighed in relief. Finally. Claim this one. Now.
Time slowed. Mairi grew more entranced as every sense sharpened. Ronan lifted her hand to his mouth and paused one long, breathtaking moment with his warm lips pressed against her skin. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear she felt the hot moist tip of the man’s tongue flick against the top of her hand as though he tasted her. She was left with the distinct impression he was promising even better tastings to come.
And his eyes. Mairi struggled to breathe between the ever-increasing thumps of her pounding heart. His eyes shimmered like bottomless pools of mercury. Unabashed hunger and I will have you shone in the depths of his liquid silver gaze. Mairi blinked hard and pulled her hand back, pressing it tight against her middle.
Mairi shook herself free of the heated spell and edged a step back. Thank goodness Eliza was in the room. If Mairi had met the man without Eliza looking on . . . Mairi blinked hard against the sudden image of them sprawled in an erotic knot across the pillows of the love seat. What the hell is wrong with me? Had Eliza accidently slipped one of her benefactors’ aphrodisiacs into the wrong box of tea? Mairi made a mental note to interrogate Eliza about that possibility later. She had been getting pretty absentminded of late.
“Uhm.” Mairi raced the tip of her tongue across her lips. Lord have mercy, her mouth had gone dry and her nether regions had gone so wet they ached. “Uhm.” Mairi took another deep breath. He was going to think she was an idiot incapable of stringing together a multisyllablic set of words. Mairi mentally shook herself. “I’m very sorry. It really is nice to meet you, but like I said . . .”
Mairi glanced over at Eliza’s smug expression. The woman looked as though she’d just gotten away with stealing the crown jewels. The victorious gleam in her eyes worked wonders toward calming the confusion currently holding her ability to speak for ransom. Eliza’s self-satisfied expression was just the libido dousing of ice water she needed. Mairi took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and turned her full attention back to Chieftain Sutherland. “As I said earlier, it’s been a very eventful day.”
Ronan nodded politely. “Rest easy, m’lady. There is nothing to forgive.”
What an odd way with words. Very proper. Very . . . different. This was not one of Eliza’s perspective benefactors. This man was . . . something else.
The chieftain’s eyes seemed so familiar. But how could they? Mairi was certain she’d never met this man. No way would I forget meeting you. So how could she feel so certain she’d looked into those eyes before? Mairi shook herself free of the inner turmoil and backed another step toward the door. I’ll figure it out later.
She forced her attention away from the enigmatic man and turned to Eliza. “I’m sorry I interrupted your visit. Could you step out in the hall for just a minute? I need to ask you a question.”
Eliza made the irritating clucking noise she always emitted whenever she had been pushed too far. “Absolutely not.” Latching onto Mairi’s arm, she turned her back toward the chieftain and held her firmly in place. “Chieftain Sutherland is no’ just my visitor.” Eliza tightened her grip on Mairi’s upper arm. “He’s my . . . distant relative.” Eliza bobbed her head up and down. “Yes. He’s one of m’few relatives. He’s traveled quite far to have a fine visit with us both.”
“How distant?” Mairi’s rooted seed of suspicion fully matured, sprouted accusing leaves, and threatened to bloom with full-blown distrust. What was up? Why was Eliza trying so hard? And what the hell did she mean by distant relative? Did she mean distant as in a distant time?
“A nephew.” Eliza fluffed the hot pink layers of taffeta zigzagging diagonally down the front of her tunic. “Of sorts.” She smoothed her hands down her ample hips and drummed her sparkling nail tips against her black sateen leggings. “The two of ye sit and chat while I prepare a fine tea for us to enjoy while we have our lovely visit.”
Without waiting for Mairi’s acquiescence, Eliza’s four-inch wedge heels thumped out happy quick steps as she turned and hummed her way down the hall to the kitchen.
I am going to wring her neck. Mairi turned back to Chieftain Sutherland just in time to catch the man trembling with silent laughter. So, he thought this situation was funny? Fine. Time to interrogate him and unravel Eliza’s obvious plot. Mairi waved him toward the monstrous wingback leather chair angled beside the bookcase, while she settled on the armrest of the love seat. “So, Eliza’s your aunt?”
Ronan sank down into the chair as though he owned it. His large hands draped comfortably over the ends of the rolled arms as he settled back and crossed his boots at the ankle. The man looked every bit the chieftain of a powerful clan. “I believe Mistress Eliza might ha’ stretched the truth a wee bit when she called us distant relatives. We have no shared bloodline, but she was quite correct when she said I had traveled quite a ways t’meet wi’ ye.”
“Why?” Mairi wasn’t in the mood for polite conversation no matter how deliciously lickable the man looked. She needed to be out in the streets of Edinburgh locating her lost dog. She felt sure Eliza had ousted the poor stray. It didn’t matter if she confessed it or not.
“Why?” Ronan repeated. He uncrossed his boots and leaned forward as though ready to spring from the chair. Did the man sense she was about to make a quick getaway?
“Yes. Why did you want to meet with us?” Damn, the man was sexy as hell, but she didn’t have time for sexy as hell—especially without any pertinent details, like who the devil he really was. She struggled against the strange pull of the chieftain. She had to find her dog before the authorities picked him up and sealed his fate with an ending she’d rather not think about.
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