Greer nodded and mounted his horse, his mood suddenly lifting a bit.
Saidh dove under the water and swam for a distance, then surfaced again. The water had felt ice cold when she’d first entered the loch, but she’d adjusted rather quickly and was now enjoying herself. She’d come here because it had seemed a better idea than staying at the keep and knocking her brothers’ heads together. If she had to listen again to them chuckling about the fine trick they’d played on Greer last night, Saidh thought she could happily run at least one of them through. The bastards had deliberately set out to leave him an unconscious mess. Had he succeeded with Rory as he had with Dougall, then Geordie had intended to challenge him next. Saidh was not sure how they’d phrased the challenge to ensure he accepted, but whatever it was had apparently been effective.
“Ye should ne’er swim alone. If nothing else, Allen’s death should tell ye that.”
Saidh spun in the water to peer to shore, her eyebrows rising when she saw Greer sliding off his mount.
“Aye? And so ye ne’er swim alone then?” she asked dryly as she watched him tether his beast next to her own at the edge of the clearing. He then walked over to set a clean plaid and shirt on a boulder by the edge of the water.
“Oh, aye, all the time,” he admitted with amusement as he began to remove his plaid and shirt from last night. “But I should no’.”
“Then I shall make a deal with ye,” Saidh offered. “You ne’er swim alone and I will no’ either.”
“Done,” Greer agreed easily, tossing his plaid and shirt aside and pausing to prop his hands on his hips and contemplate her. “Are ye naked lass?”
“No more naked than ye are,” she assured him, her gaze sliding over his body. If the man was standing there posing in the hopes of raising her lust with his magnificence . . . well, it was working, she admitted to herself with derision. Really, God had gifted him with a fine body. “Are ye just going to stand there all day, or will ye be coming in?”
“Oh, I’ll be coming,” he assured her with a wicked smile and started into the water. He walked out until the water was just above his knees, then raised his arms and made a shallow dive under the water’s surface.
Saidh watched the water between them, trying to spot his approach, but didn’t see him until he suddenly splashed up out of the water directly in front of her.
“Good morn,” he growled and she felt his arm slide around her waist under the water, and then he dragged her against his chest and claimed her lips. Saidh smiled against his mouth and wrapped her arms and legs around him to keep from swaying in the water. Feeling his erection bob against her bottom, she pulled back from his kiss and arched an eyebrow.
“How are ye feeling this morn, me laird?” she asked sweetly.
“Better now,” he said with a grin, shifting his hands down to clasp her bottom and squeeze gently.
“And did ye enjoy playing with me brothers?” she asked dryly.
“No’ nearly as much as I enjoy playing with you,” he assured her, shifting her slightly. Saidh’s eyes widened when his erection rubbed against her and then was caught between them.
“How did they convince ye to play their drinking games?” she asked a little breathlessly as he shifted her to rub against him again.
“They said ye could drink all o’ them under the table and surely I wanted to prove I was a better man than ye,” he admitted wryly.
Saidh chuckled and shook her head. “I have drunk all o’ them under the table, all but Aulay,” she added. “And only one at a time.”
“Ah,” he said dryly and then shrugged. “If nothing else, they seem to hate me a little less now. At least only one o’ them threatened to kill me this morning.”
“Aulay?” Saidh asked with amusement.
“Aye,” Greer said wryly. “Although he did include the others in the threat, saying they’d all come after me if I hurt ye.”
Saidh tilted her head and eyed him with interest. “Ye do no’ appear to be overly concerned by the threat.”
“Because it’s no’ a worry, since I ha’e no plans to hurt ye,” he assured her solemnly.
Saidh stared at him silently, and then tightened her legs around his waist and stretched up to kiss him.
Greer kissed her back briefly, but then pulled back to point out. “Ye ken we’ve yet to consummate the marriage?”
“That is no’ my fault,” she pointed out dryly. “I was waiting patiently abed last night when me brothers carried yer drunk arse in and dropped ye on the bed, antlers and all.”
“Antlers?” he asked with a start. Greer had been carrying her toward shore, but paused now to peer at her with amazement.
Saidh nodded. “Ye had antlers strapped to yer head. The strapping was tied under yer chin like a bairn’s bonnet. Ye looked quite ridiculous,” she added.
“Yer brothers must ha’e done it,” he said grimly as he continued out of the water, and then added, “They do no’ seem to like me much.”
Saidh nearly laughed at his confounded expression as he said that. She managed not to though, and simply pointed out, “Ye seem surprised.”
“Aye, well, e’ery one likes me usually . . . except mayhap the men I’ve killed,” he allowed thoughtfully.
Her eyebrows rose. “Ha’e ye killed many men, then?”
“Oh, aye,” he said as if it was of no account. “I would ha’e had to be verra bad at what I did to earn me coin if that were no’ the case.”
“Oh, aye, ye were a sword fer hire,” she recalled as he stopped in the middle of the clearing. Saidh waited until he’d set her on the plaid he’d discarded earlier, and then leaned back on her elbows and asked, “What was that like?”
Greer was silent for a minute, his gaze sliding over her naked wet body. Once he’d looked his fill, he turned his attention back to her face and arched an eyebrow. “Would ye rather I talk or get to the consummating?”
“Can ye no’ do both?” she taunted.