Page 31 of Wicked Highland Wishes
“Tonight?” she asked, her voice trembling with excitement.
“Nae tonight,” he said. Nor ever in truth. The flag was guarded by Tormod, a descendant of Clan Tormod Vic Vurichie. It was kept in a locked chest in Tormod’s house behind a loose stone, and it was watched over by Tormod and his seven sons—it was that important to their clan. Lachlan had no fear that Helena would somehow obtain it.
“Lachlan, please,” she begged and then took him by surprise as she pressed up to her tiptoes and kissed him.
Disgusted yet unable to show it, he did not jerk away as he wished but kissed her in return. Finally, she pulled back and stared at him. “Please? Tonight?”
“The flag is in Iain’s room,” he lied again and watched as unguarded frustration swept across her features. “I’m certain Marion and Iain are now to bed,” he continued, sinfully enjoying vexing Helena. She deserved so much more than a mere irritation for plotting to destroy his clan. He was quite sure that tomorrow Helena would once again sneak into Iain’s room in search of the flag. Let her waste her time for a bit searching fruitlessly for it. Perchance by the time Helena grew tired of searching, he would have his potion.
She twined her arms around his neck. “Shall we go to the bedchamber and learn each other?”
The request momentarily stunned him. He’d assumed that Helena would no longer wish to join with him once she learned the location of the flag. He reached behind his neck and unlaced her hands.
“What are ye doing?” she demanded, her tone high.
He pressed her hands toward her, released her, and took a step back. “Make haste to my bedchamber, and I’ll join ye shortly. I need to ensure the guard is at watch.”
Helena frowned but ran a hand down his chest, making his skin crawl. “Dunnae tarry long.”
“I’ll nae.” But he didn’t intend to go to his bedchamber at all. He’d sleep in Cameron’s tonight and offer an excuse tomorrow.
After Helena departed, he stood in the courtyard, staring off into the loch below. His thoughts started to drift to Bridgette, but movement behind him distracted him. He turned around, surprised to see Lillias was there. Before he could even offer a proper greeting, she threw herself at him, grasped him around the waist, and crushed her mouth to his.
For one moment, he prayed lust would hit him, but irritation did instead. God’s teeth, his desire for Bridgette was turning him into a celibate. He turned his head away, removed her arms from around his midriff, and set her firmly away. “Lass, ye ken I have given pledges to Helena that bind me presently.”
Lillias snorted. “Ye dunnae want that woman. I ken it by the way ye look at her. There is nay fire in yer eyes when ye gaze upon her.”
He scrubbed a hand across his face, suddenly weary and trying to find the words to lie convincingly.
Lillias molded her body to his and kissed him again.
He untangled himself once more. “Ye are a lovely lass, but I vow to ye that ye deserve better than a man like me.”
“Am I undesirable?” she asked, her bottom lip trembling.
“Nay.” He brushed back a lock of her hair, feeling terrible for the hurt he had caused her. “There is someone else.” It was the first time he had ever admitted it aloud, and that he had done so to Lillias struck him as oddly humorous. She would not dare to question further as anyone close to him would have done.
“Well, if it dunnae keep ye happy, ye ken where my bed is…”
“I ken it. Now off with ye,” he replied.
Once Lillias had departed, he turned to make his way to Cameron’s chamber, but a motion near the tower wall caught his attention. High above, standing on the walkway overlooking the courtyard, was Bridgette. How long she had been standing there, he could not say, but he was aware of a fervent prayer in his head that she had not been there long. If so, what must she think of him to be kissing one woman and then seemingly another? He would appear to be a man with no honor, and it clenched his insides into a tight ball to realize she may see him as such now.
