Page 69 of The Highlander's Twisted Deal
She swallowed hard, not sure whether she wanted to laugh, cry, or skip around. Maybe all three at once.
“Aye,” she managed. “I’ll give ye a go.”
A slow smile broke out on his face, and he extended a hand. “Come with me, then.”
Ava didn’t hesitate for even one second. She took his hand.
EPILOGUE
“Where are we going?” Ava laughed, letting Callum tug her along by the hand up a narrow, winding flight of stairs. She climbed up and up until she thought they must be going up to the roof.
“Me old room.”
“Wait—we’re going to yer childhood bedroom? Whatever for?”
“To be alone,” he said, laughing. “We’ll be disturbed in mine, and it’s nae proper for a laird and lady of a keep to lie together before marriage.”
“A wee bit late for that, do ye nae think?” Ava commented, but her heart was beating fast with excitement.
She felt that tantalizing ache deep inside her, longing for something primal and all-encompassing. Some of the tiredness in her limbs eased up, and she found herself bouncing up the stone steps a little faster than before.
They reached a small, round landing. The steps continued up and up, spiraling round beyond the landing, but Callum stopped at a low, arched doorway and laid his hand on the doorknob. Hesitating, he glanced back over his shoulder.
“Are sure ye want to come in? If ye are tired or not feeling like—”
“I want to go in,” Ava said, more breathless than she had intended. “We can go in.”
He held her eyes for a moment and then smiled a little nervously.
It was odd, seeing Callum of all people with a tinge of nerves. He opened the door and stepped inside, ducking his head to get through the narrow doorway, and Ava followed him.
The room was small, with a slanted roof. A bed, covered with a patchwork quilt, was pushed into one corner. No grand canopy, no tapestries hanging on the wall. Just bare walls, a few pieces of furniture, and a brightly colored hand-woven rug on the floor. There were a few wooden toys scattered around. Ava picked up a wooden horse on wheels, smoothing back its woolen mane.
“I had one of these as a child,” she said absently. “That was all I had, though. Did… did Marcus make these for ye?”
He shook his head. “Nay, me faither made these for me.”
A flash of sadness crossed Callum’s face, so intense that she wished she hadn’t brought it up. Setting the wooden horse aside, Ava crossed the room, sliding her arms around his neck.
“It’s just ye and me in here now,” she said quietly.
He nodded, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. “I kept telling ye that ye were mine,” he said, voice low and deliciously raspy. “And ye certainly are.”
She gave a bark of laughter. “Hey, hey, let me remind ye that I can make some fine teas to settle ye down if ye keep up with all this talk ofownership.”
He snorted. “I guess I deserved that, eh?”
Sliding his hand around the back of her neck, Callum pulled her close for a searing kiss. Ava closed her eyes, letting herself sink into the sensations, enjoying the pleasant throb and tingle through her body. When they finally pulled apart to breathe, she was sure that she saw the same dazed, happy expression on Callum’s face that she knew was on her own.
“I love ye, Ava,” he murmured. “Me wee healer. Where would I be without ye?”
“Well, ye would have wonky stitches in yer side, I’m sure.”
He chuckled at that, leaning down to kiss her again. Ava felt the warmth of his hands on her waist, sliding around to press her firmly against him. Heat jumped in her chest, and she dropped her hands to the ties on his linen shirt, tugging until she could touch a triangle of bare skin.
He hauled her up into his arms, and Ava wrapped her legs around his waist, not breaking the kiss. She felt his hands sliding everywhere, on her bare knees, her back, her waist, her breasts, all the while holding her up firmly.
It never occurred to her that she would fall, that he would drop her.
