Orick remained in the doorway, no doubt making sure that Adwen was safely inside his room and unable to harass me further before making his way to bed. I appreciated it immensely.
“Adwen, this is your room. Thank you for choosing to stay with us this evening and try to have a safe journey back to Cagair Castle. I’m so sorry that you have to spend the rest of your life living in a big, giant castle with loads of money and people to order around. Truly, my heart goes out to you.”
He glared at me and moved to shut his door but hesitated just before it latched, sticking just his head and hand out through the opening as he extended it in my direction.
“I offer ye my sincere apologies, lass. I dinna mean to offend ye so. Please take my hand so that I know ye forgive me. I willna be able to sleep otherwise.”
I rolled my eyes as I allowed my palm to make contact with his. It was warm, strong and soft, and I hated how nice his fingers felt around my own. Without me even noticing, he’d pulled me in closer to the doorway.
“Hey. What did I tell you about that? Quit jerking people around so. It’s not polite.”
He smiled, his eyes now level with mine as he hunched down, “I’m sorry, Jane. I only wished to ask ye a question. I’ve heard stories, though until now I doubted their truth, about lassies that enjoy the company of other…lassies. Is this why ye have denied me? I will keep yer secret if ’tis true.”
I laughed as I pulled my hand from his grip and stepped away from the door. “What? You think I’m a lesbian?”
Adwen frowned, pulling his door open once again. “I doona know what a ‘lesbian’ is, but aye, I believe ye must prefer lassies to have denied me so.”
His arrogance, not his accusation, angered me. Confidence was undoubtedly attractive, to an extent, but I’d never witnessed such utter self-assurance on this level before.
“I can assure you, I do not prefer ‘lassies’.”
“Say what ye wish, lass. I doona think I can believe ye.”
In that moment, something in my brain short-circuited. I didn’t want that foolish, self-obsessed man to go on believing that the only woman to ever have denied him only did so because her sexual preferences laid elsewhere. “Oh yeah, Adwen? Do you think I’m a lesbian now?”
I all but charged Orick, throwing my arms around him as I kissed him with as much passion as those bare-chested men in my most recent dreams.
CHAPTER 9
The sound of a deep, painful cough in conjunction with the soft smack of Isobel’s hand against Gregor’s arm stilled me as I moved myself against Orick’s all-too-willing lips.
“Ach, Gregor. Why canna ye ever kiss me that way? If ye did, we might have a few children by now.”
Humiliation set in quickly as my brain registered that we now had more of an audience than just Adwen’s disbelieving eyes. Slowly, I unhinged my arms from around Orick’s neck and peeled myself off him, turning first to look at Adwen.
He sat back with his arms crossed; complete aggravation etched his face.
Embarrassed and uncomfortable, I wiped my sleeve across my mouth and threw a hesitant glance in Orick’s direction to check on him. He seemed too pleased to feel embarrassed, nodding at me in acknowledgement before throwing Adwen one of the most unabashed eat shit grins I’d ever seen.
“Out. The both of ye.” It was Gregor’s voice. He was angry, and I could hear the weariness in his tone. “I doona know either of ye men, and I dinna leave Jane here so that she could be assaulted in such a way. I doona wish for business from men such as ye.”
I waved both my hands rather dramatically to gain his attention. As much as I liked the idea of Adwen being kicked out into the cold all night—it would no doubt do him some good to suffer one night of hardship in his life—I didn’t wish for either man to be punished for something they had no fault in.
“Wait, Gregor. They didn’t do anything. It was me…I kissed him. Let them stay.”
Isobel raised a brow and gave me a small smile, no doubt completely unsurprised by my forwardness.
“Ah—then perhaps ’tis what I need to do to ye then, Gregor. This poor lad seems to have enjoyed himself. Ye might, as well.”
“No, Isobel. I wouldna enjoy myself. Ye need do nothing but get yerself in bed. I’ll see to these lads and then send Jane on her way back home. Go to bed.”
I watched Isobel’s reaction carefully. She gave no sign of hurt or aggravation, instead understanding shown in her eyes as she nodded. Clearly, something had happened during their evening away that gave Isobel reason to understand Gregor’s short temper. Otherwise, I knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t put up with such snippy behavior from him.
“Fine, I’ll go to bed, but ye willna be sending Jane away alone. Ye shall escort her back.”