Page 47 of In Bed with a Highland Beast

Kayla scoffed, making a show of rolling her eyes. “Look at ye, defendin’ her honor. How very noble o’ ye.”

Alaric said nothing. There was nothing he could say to make the situation any better or soften the blow of his rejection. There was nothing he could say to excuse himself either, save for repeating that he had simply fallen in love without expecting it.

“I’m sure ye understand what this means,” Kayla said. “If ye expect me family tae have nae reaction tae this, then ye’re wrong. There will be ramifications, an’ ye best believe me braither willnae be pleased.”

“I am aware,” he said. He had given plenty of thought to the possible ramifications, and though none of them were ideal scenarios, he knew he would have Lucia and his family by his side. “An’ I will tae send me apologies tae yer braither an’ yer family as well. I truly mean nay insult tae yer clan. When I agreed tae meet ye and be wedded tae ye I could nae have kenned this would happen. It is nae right fer ye either, tae wed a man who loves another. Ye deserve better.”

“Dae ye think yer words change anything?” Kayla demanded. She sounded so cold, so cruel, so unlike the girl he had first met just the previous day that he couldn’t help but wonder again which one was the true Kayla. “It doesnae. This is still an insult. An embarrassment. Everyone will ken ye rejected me an’ everyone will ken why. What dae ye think they will say about me?”

Alaric wasn’t certain whether that was a rhetorical question, so he remained silent. Even if Kayla wanted an answer, he didn’t think he had one for her that would be satisfying.

“I’ll tell ye, since ye seem incapable o’ thinkin’ fer yerself,” Kayla continued. “They will all pity me. They will all laugh behind me back.”

“Come, now,” said Alaric, perhaps unhelpfully. “I’m certain nay one will dae that tae ye, Kayla. If they wish tae laugh at someone, they will laugh at me.”

“It’s Miss Sinclair fer ye,” Kayla said sharply. “An’ nay one will laugh at ye. Ye get tae have what ye want. Nay one will oppose yean’ nay one will comment on any o’ it. Well, unless they laugh at that lowborn. Then we can be the laughingstock o’ the Highlands together.”

Before Alaric could say anything else, Kayla stomped away without another word. Alaric watched her, her hands balled up into fists, her gait fast and full of rage.

A part of him was relieved, of course. He had told Kayla and there was one less obstacle for him being with Lucia. The lightness that came with it should have been substantial.

Instead, he couldn’t help but feel a gnawing guilt. He knew he had hurt Kayla’s pride, if not her feelings. He knew he had uprooted her entire future, everything she had planned for several months. After all, she had been sent to Castle MacGregor with the sole purpose of becoming his wife, and now she would have to return to her clan, rejected.

Alaric wanted to think that no one would laugh at her as she claimed. That no one would start rumors regarding the reasons of his rejection of her, but knowing how things worked in society, he had to admit it was far more likely than he would have liked. For all he knew, people would spread the rumor that there was a flaw in her Alaric couldn’t overlook, no matter how much he would deny it.

And for a woman like Kayla, public image was everything. Once it was tarnished, there would be no going back.

He hoped that wouldn’t be the case this time. He hoped Kayla would come out of this unscathed and that no rumors would emerge, but if they did, he would do anything in his power to put them to rest. She truly seemed like a kind woman and she didn’t deserve such a fate.

Alaric didn’t try to push his feelings away for the reality was that he had hurt someone and the guilt that came with that ought to be felt, he thought.

With Kayla disappearing into the distance, Alaric turned around and made his way back into the castle. He had not yet told Lucia about anything, for after his conversation with Evan, he had wanted to speak with Kayla first and ensure nothing stood between him and Lucia. Now that the difficult conversation was out of the way, he could finally deliver the good news to her.

Once inside the castle, Alaric made a beeline to Lucia’s chambers, knocking on the door and not bothering to wait for a reply before he entered. The sight before him, though, gave him pause and his heart skipped a beat when he saw her.

She was in the tub, steam rising from the water around her. Her hair was wet, cascading down her back and over her breasts, her cheeks were flushed with the heat, and Alaric couldn’t help but think she looked like a mermaid of the legends, like a beautiful, mythical creature capable of luring any man to his death with her beauty.

When she saw him, she made no attempt to cover herself. If anything, she sat a little more upright, her breasts peeking overthe water. Alaric gazed at her and suddenly his throat went entirely dry.

The look she gave him was one full of heat and desire. She smiled, the gesture so inviting he had a difficult time stopping himself from rushing to her and giving her anything she asked of him.

“Well?” Lucia asked, raising a curious eyebrow. “Will ye join me?”

Alaric didn’t know how he could possibly refuse such an invitation.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Lucia stared at Alaric with heat in her gaze. In fact, it felt as though her entire body was overheating, and she knew it wasn’t from the steamy water in which she was bathing. It had more to do with the way Alaric was staring at her, as though he could hardly get enough, as though tearing his gaze off her was a painful task.

She liked that look on him. She liked it when his desire for her was so obvious and he made no attempt to conceal it.

Slowly, as though in a trance, Alaric approached her and shed his clothes as he went, dropping each item to the floor until he was entirely nude. Lucia took a moment to appreciate the sight—the ripple of his muscles as he moved, the pale, scarred skin, his manhood hanging heavy between his legs. He looked as though he was carved from marble, and Lucia wanted nothing but to reach out and touch him.

And so, she did. She traced the contours of his stomach with the tips of her fingers, her touch light and teasing. She let her handsroam over his body, taking in every single detail about him that she could. And then, when Alaric trembled with the effort it took to keep himself still and let her explore his body, she leaned closer and sucked the head of his hardening manhood between her lips, instantly drawing a moan out of Alaric.

His fingers twitched as he buried them in Lucia’s hair, gently caressing it. As she took him deeper and deeper in her mouth, the trembling of his body only worsened, as it became harder for him to keep himself still. And yet, he persevered, letting Lucia set her own pace as she pleasured him.

As a reward, Lucia took him deeper, her hand closing around the base. Her tongue worked his shaft, licking the underside and curling around the tip. Hearing the moans that tumbled from Alaric’s lips only served to stoke the flames within her, her core burning with desire as she licked and sucked at his length, relishing in the silky feel of him on her tongue.

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