Chapter Forty-Two

Catriona

The sun beams through the windows into our room at Dùndubhan, muted slightly by the sheer curtains, and spills over Alex's face and bare chest. He's sleeping on his back, his mouth curved into a faint smile, like he's dreaming of something wonderful. I want to wake him, but I also don't want to do it. He looks more relaxed than I've ever seen him, asleep or awake.

So I lie on my side next to him, hands tucked under my cheek, and watch him sleep.

A few minutes later, his eyes open. He yawns and glances my way. "Good morning, Catnip."

"I love it when you tease me, but I still don't like that nickname."

"All right. I'll stick with Cat."

"Thank you. Should I call you Alexis?"

He winces. "Please don't. That's what Julia always called me."

"You mean your mother."

"No. My mother is Imogen Bennett." He rolls onto his side, lying so close to me that our noses almost touch. "What should we do today? It will be hard to top yesterday."

"Why don't we just relax? Lie in bed for a long time and then have a huge late breakfast."

He kisses me softly. "That sounds perfect."

I run my finger along his jaw, loving the rough texture of his morning stubble. "What were you dreaming about? Something good, by the look on your face."

"You, of course. I always dream of you." He slides a hand up and down my arm. "I heard a rumor your brother Rory once got his kit off in the Loch Fairbairn town square."

Why are we talking about that? It seems like a strange shift in the conversation.

"He only got his shirt off," I say. "Emery stopped him before he could unbutton his trousers."

"Jack told me Rory was trying to impress his wife with an outlandish public display, to convince Emery of how much he loves her."

"That's true. He sang an old Frank Sinatra song too."

"Did he? Hmm." Alex gets that look, the one I know means he's plotting something. After a few seconds, he sits up. "Let's commandeer the ground-floor bathroom like we did before. We can have lots of fun in there."

He's giving me his naughty look, and I never can resist that.

We rush downstairs completely naked. No one else seems to be awake yet, so no one sees us, but I still feel decadently wicked racing down the steps to the vestibule and down the main hallway to the large bathroom. We have a shower and a bath, splashing water everywhere. Luckily, the tile floor has a drain in it, so we aren't causing a flood. I don't even try not to make noise while Alex and I enjoy poke after poke after poke.

My brothers and cousins go home after breakfast. That leaves only me and Alex in the castle, though the Brodys are in their cottage beside the garden.

In the afternoon, Alex and I relax in the sitting room, on the sofa that faces the big windows. I decide it's time to bring up the subject he's been ignoring since Rory broke the news to him yesterday.

"Are you going to contact your brother?" I ask.

He bows his head. "I don't know."

"It's been a shock to find out you have a brother. But don't you want to meet him?"

"What if he's like my parents? Or me?"

"Oh Alex." I twist around to sit sideways to him and lay a hand on his cheek. "Grey Dixon would be lucky to be like you. From what Rory said about him, he's not a criminal."

"If he's really a good man, he won't feel lucky to have me as a brother."

"You are a good man."

He lets his head fall back against the sofa. "I realized yesterday that I'm not the grifter I used to be. Reginald conned me for almost three years, and I never suspected a thing."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I suppose I was…lonely. Reginald seemed like a kindred spirit, but I imagine that was all an act. He was running a very long con on me." He raises his head, smirking at me. "It's all your fault."

"My fault?"

"Yes. Those two years with you convinced me life can be all sunshine and kittens." His smirk fades away, and he brushes his fingers through my hair. "After you left me, I didn't know what to do with myself. I got a different job in a different town, but it didn't help. So I got another job in another town. By the time I met Reginald, I'd fully committed to being a cynical bastard with a 'who gives a toss' attitude toward life. I suppose Reggie realized I was damaged in some way and exploited that weakness."

"No one is immune to being tricked. Reginald Hewitt must've been very good at it."

"Oh, he was." Alex sighs, shaking his head. "I can't believe I fell for his act for so long. He embezzled from me, but I think I mentioned that before. He emptied the household account, which was only used for buying groceries and whatnot."

"What you need is family, Alex. People who support you and love you no matter what."

"I have you—and Henry and Imogen. That's all I need."

"You have more family than that. You have mine."

His lips quirk into a sly smile. "I suppose threatening to beat me to death is how your brothers show their affection."

"Aye, it is." I pat his cheek. "But you have more family than that. You have a brother and cousins of your own."

He puckers his lips, then the expression softens into a small smile. "Very clever, Cat. You worked your way back round to that like an expert grifter."

"Are you going to contact your brother?" When he makes an annoyed face, I climb onto his lap, straddling him, and loop my arms around his neck. "Do it for me, Alex. Please."

"Just because you have a family that's as tightly woven as a Persian rug doesn't mean my relatives will want me in their lives."

"You won't know unless you try." I lean into him, my breasts mounding against his chest, our lips millimeters apart. "Please, Alex, I'll do anything you want if you do this for me."

I push my hand between our bodies to cup his cock. It's already stiffening.

"Sex isn't the way to convince me," he says. "But your sweetly stubborn determination has done it."

"You'll ring your brother?"

He grasps my bottom. "Yes, Cat, I will."

"Thank you."

Alex kisses me slowly, deepening it until I'm moaning and plastering my body to every inch of his, feeling his shaft hardening against my sex. Then he pulls his head away.

"Let's go out on the green," he says.

"Why?"

"Don't you trust me? It's a surprise." He squeezes my bottom. "I've got something very special in mind for you."

"Cannae wait."

He kisses me again, but this time he doesn't stop with my mouth. He strips my clothes off and kisses me everywhere. Alex keeps his clothes on, but he uses his very talented mouth and tongue to give me the sort of kisses that make me writhe and cry out his name.

After that, I get dressed, and we go out on the green.

"Where's the surprise?" I ask, glancing around at the empty lawn.

"Right here."

Alex backs away from me several steps. "Afraid I can't sing, though I can outdo Rory in another way. We're doing this on the green because I don't care to be arrested. But I do want your entire family to know how much I love you."

"My family? What—"

He nods at something behind me.

I turn around.

My whole family is descending on the green. I see my brothers and sisters and their spouses, along with my cousins and their wives. Evan and Keely are here too, and so is Serena. They must have all flown in via MacTaggart family jets to get here so quickly. Everyone gathers behind me, and I wonder if they know what Alex plans to do.

Logan winks at me. He must know. Logan probably helped Alex plan this.

"Catriona," Alex says. "Look this way, please."

I do, but I'm still confused. "Are you going to throw more cabers?"

The cabers are still lying in a pile on the other side of the green.

Alex chuckles. "No, love, I have something more creative in mind."

He whips his shirt off over his head and tosses it away.

The shirt lands near my feet.

"Alex?" I say. "What are you doing?"

His lips curve into a self-satisfied smile as he kicks off his shoes and unbuttons his trousers.

From behind me, Logan shouts, "Cover your wives' eyes!"

I want to glance back and see if Logan is actually covering Serena's eyes, but I can't tear my gaze away from Alex. Logan's sarcastic tone suggests he's not doing anything of the sort.

Alex lets his trousers fall to his ankles, then he kicks them off and sheds his socks too. One hundred percent naked, he stands there with his arms spread wide. "I love Catriona MacTaggart!"

His voice booms across the green, echoing off the castle wall and the trees.

Someone whistles, and I suspect it's Emery. More whistles follow, probably from other members of the American Wives Club.

I gawp at Alex, still having no idea what he's about. He's gone off his head, for sure. Stripping in front of my family? I can't believe he's done this. Well, all right, I can believe it. The man is shameless. But getting his kit off in front of my family? I never knew until this moment exactly how shameless Alex Thorne is—and I love it.

Alex saunters up to me and drops to one knee.

My heart stutters. Every hair on my body goes stiff as a wave of excitement shivers over my skin.

He clasps my hand. "Catriona Sorcha MacTaggart, will you marry me?"

"Yes, Alex, yes." I fall to my knees in front of him and throw my arms around the man I love. "Of course I'll marry you. I've only waited fourteen bloody years for you to ask."

"Sorry. I can be rather slow to figure things out. I've wanted to marry you since the day we met, but yes, it took me fourteen bloody years to get round to it."

"Don't apologize. It was worth the wait." I bend closer to whisper in his ear, "We've been forgetting to use condoms."

"Have we? Are you…"

"Too soon to know. But I wanted to prepare you for the possibility."

"Let's make sure you are."

I grin and kiss him.

And the crowd cheers.