“Thank ye, m’laird,” Alpin whispered and turned to hurry toward the stairs.
“That was kind,” Saidh commented quietly as Greer watched the boy go. “Most lairds would no’ share their beds with their squire.”
He smiled wryly and shrugged. “The lad is a good one. I’d ha’e let him sleep at the top o’ the bed, but he kicks in his sleep.”
Saidh bit her lip briefly, but then could not help it. “The boy nags like a fishwife.”
“Aye, he does,” Greer agreed with a grin. “But he’s brave and hardworking and he grows on ye.”
“Hmmph,” Saidh said dubiously.
Greer chuckled at her obvious disbelief and began, “So, this scorp—” This time he was the one who was interrupted when the stable master appeared beside them.
Saidh dropped back in her chair with exasperation, but then stood and headed for the stairs. She no longer wanted to tell the tale of the scorpion and the frog anymore. Besides, she suspected she wouldn’t ever get to finish the tale, but would be constantly interrupted again and again and, frankly, she was out of patience.
Chapter 7
“Where are ye going?”
Saidh was halfway up the stairs when that question and Greer’s sudden appearance beside her gave her a start. Gripping the rail, she scowled at him for the scare, and said, “I’m going to me bed, m’laird.”
“But what about the scorpion story ye were going to tell me?” he asked, following when she continued up the steps.
“I shall tell ye tomorrow. ’Tis obvious I’ll no’ be allowed to finish it tonight with all these interruptions anyway,” Saidh muttered as she moved toward the door to her chamber.
“There’ll be no more interruptions,” he assured her.
“Ye do no’ ken that,” she argued, pausing at her door and turning to scowl at him.
“Aye, yer right,” Greer admitted, then suddenly reached past her and opened her door.
“What the devil are ye doing?” she asked with surprise when he urged her quickly inside and then turned to close the door.
“No one would think to look for me here,” he pointed out, then glanced around the room before catching her hand and leading her to the chairs by the fireplace. The fire was lit, though Saidh had no idea who had lit it. She had no maid to do it anymore. Yet, every night her fire was lit. It made her wonder if her maid had ever actually lit the fire at home or she’d just been wrong in assuming it was the woman who did it.
“Here, we shall sit here and ye can finish yer story,” Greer said cheerfully, dropping into one of the chairs, and then tugging her to sit sideways in his lap.
“There is another chair where I could sit,” she pointed out with a small smile.
“Aye, but this is nicer, is it no’?” he asked, running one hand lightly down her back, and the other catching her hand and beginning to toy with it.
It was, actually. Saidh liked it when Greer touched and held her, so she relaxed against his chest, and brushed a kiss over his cheek, and then whispered, “Aye,” against his ear.
Greer’s hand tightened on hers and then he growled, “Tell yer story, lass. If ye can.”
Saidh sat back with surprise. “Why could I no’ tell it?”
“Because I’m going to do me best to distract ye,” he assured her with a slow, wicked smile.
Her eyes narrowed. “And jest how do ye plan to do that?”
“How do ye think?” he asked huskily, and ran his fingers lightly up the sensitive inner curve of her arm. “Why do we no’ see if ye can tell the tale and finish it ere I make ye scream yer pleasure?”
Saidh shivered, her body already tingling and a heavy wetness beginning to pool low in her belly just at the suggestion. Voice a little breathless, she asked, “What do I get if I win?”
“Ye’d do better to ask what I get when I win. Because I will,” he assured her, running his fingers along the top of her neckline now. Leaning forward, he whispered against her ear, “I like to win.” His lips brushed the edge of her ear as he spoke, and were followed by a light nipping that made Saidh gasp and squirm on top of him.
Greer groaned at the action, his hands moving to her hips to still her. She didn’t understand why until she became aware of the hardness suddenly poking the bottom of one thigh.
“Greer?” she whispered, staring down at his hands on her hips.
“Aye, lass?” he growled.
“I’m going to enjoy this game,” Saidh breathed, raising her head to smile at him as she added, “And I like to win too.”
He stared at her blankly for a minute, then threw his head back on a loud laugh, but Saidh covered his mouth to muffle it and shook her head as she muttered, “Ye’ll ha’e ’em all up knocking on the door do ye carry on like that.”
Greer sobered and pulled her hand away, murmuring, “Aye, and we would no’ want that.”
“No’ if ye want to continue the game,” she warned, and then rushed on, “So the scorpion wanted to cross the river, but could no’ swim so he asked a passing frog to swim him across. But the—”
“Frogs jump, they do no’ swim,” Greer interrupted, beginning to lazily undo her lacings.
“Aye, they do so swim,” Saidh argued, trying to ignore what he was doing.
“Prove it,” he demanded, leaning forward to nibble his way up her neck as he continued to work on her lacings.
Saidh frowned and tried to think of a way to prove that frogs could swim, and then gasped as his lips found her ear and began to toy with it. “They . . . er . . .” she breathed, tilting her head toward him as he nibbled and licked at her ear. “That is . . .”
Her gown fell apart under his busy fingers and Saidh bit her lip as he pushed the cloth to the sides to get at her breasts.
“Lady MacDonnell said so,” she gasped as his hands closed over her flesh.
“That is no’ proof,” he argued on a laugh, kneading gently.
“ ’Tis her story, so if she says they swim, they swim,” Saidh panted, twisting her upper body toward him and clutching at his shoulders as he tweaked her nipples and cupped her breasts by turn.