Page 68 of Priceless
“So like Jacob,” I said. “Always wanting me to come to him.” Cool and calm, I deserted Jess and started walking. If I wasn’t in borrowed shoes, I might have run. I didn’t slow until I crashed into him and slid my hands up to his shoulders. “You are late, Mr. MacKinney.”
“Ye’re a soft sight, Miss Harris.” He kissed me briefly, then pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “I have yer things in the boot.”
“They can wait. Are you hungry?”
“Aye, for all the wrong things.” He slapped my ass lightly, kissed me again, then took my hand and twirled me around before we marched off to join the others, most of whom were a lot younger than we were. But in that moment, holding hands with one of the finest looking men to ever wear a kilt, I didn’t feel old at all.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
It was a night I would never forget, but not for the reasons I expected…
The fire was big and exciting and far too hot to stand near. I met dozens of pretty, happy women and some shockingly pretty men, and I couldn’t blame it all on the kilts. Thanks to the dancing, I caught sight of some muscular thighs and more than one bare butt. I wished one had been Jacob’s.
The food was gourmet. The band was silly, wild, and talented. And thankfully, they played plenty of slow tunes so couples could hang onto each other in public—Jacob and me included.
Out of breath and weak in the knees, I was grateful to have his arms around me, holding me up, giving me a warm, powerful body to lean against. He’d swung his leather pouch around to the side, out of the way, and I tried not to dwell on how perfectly our bodies fit together.
We’d moved to the far side of the fire, away from other dancers, and swayed back and forth, holding time tight in our fists, trying to keep it from slipping through our fingers.
“It’s hard to believe we were up so early this morning, aye?” His low voice made me shiver.
“Was that today?”
“Only so many hours ago.”
“Yes, but I had a good nap.”
“I might have as well.”
“But you didn’t.”
“I didnae. But I have a good dozen hours left in me.”
“Yeah, right.”
“If I do nod off, stay close and keep me warm, will ye?”
“Just try and stop me.” Then I laughed. “But try to nod off somewhere comfortable.”
“I will. These bones dinnae care for night air anymore.”
The music stopped. We kept swaying in silence, and eventually, it started again, though it didn’t really matter. One of the drummers had a white beard two feet long and looked close to eighty years old. I wondered if he was running out of juice, since the tempo seemed to slow with each song.
Jacob growled in my ear. “I want to hold ye like this forever.”
“And I want to be held like this forever.”
“I ken I promised not to make things harder for ye, but I do mean it.”
I forced a laugh. “You don’t even know me. You’d be sick of me in a week.”
“I know enough.”
“You might hate the way I brush my teeth.”
“I promise not to care how, only that ye brush ‘em.”
“Everything you like about me now would drive you nuts later. Isn’t that how it always works?” I was trying to lighten the conversation. He ignored me and squeezed me, nice and firm, then so tight I couldn’t take a deep breath.
