Approaching the cave entrance, he scanned the surrounding area, searching for signs of intrusion. There were none. He’d hoped the Mackays would be waiting, for he felt the need to crack some heads.
He could hear Kathy behind him, but she said nothing. Did she realize how close she’d come to completing her fantasy whether she wished it or not?
Striding down the tunnel, he paused before entering the main chamber. He must live with this woman until he seduced her. Seduced, not tricked into passion using a favorite fantasy. Then he would find a way to send her home. ’Twould not be as simple, though, as he’d thought in the beginning.
“Is everything okay?” She spoke from behind him, but not too close. She’d learned caution with him.
“Aye. I was but checking that none had been here in our absence.”
He walked into the room and lit several candles from the glowing embers of the hearth fire. She followed him and put her things near her bed, then picked up the nightgown Mary had given her. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She disappeared down the tunnel to the pool.
“I loooove you.” Suzy Sunshine blinked her eyes, waved her leaves, and wiggled her stem in greeting.
He frowned at her. “Ye’re bold for a flower, but then all seem so that come from yer land.”
He exhaled sharply, allowing himself to relax for a moment. Never had a woman tested him so. He enjoyed being with women, but he’d never wanted one so badly that he’d lost sight of his purpose. Tonight he’d lost himself in his own pleasure, his own desire. Kathy of Hair was the most dangerous woman he’d ever known.
Even deep in his brooding thoughts, he knew when she’d returned. He sensed her like the wolf did his prey. Or his mate. The last thought left him uncomfortable. The Pleasure Master needed no mate.
He turned to gaze at her. She looked clean and beautiful. “I’ll wash. If ye wish to sleep, ye may put out the candles. I dinna need light.”
She met his gaze. “But it’s early yet.”
Mayhap ’tis too late. He shrugged. “Do what ye wish.”
He strode to the pool, flung off his clothing, then waded in.
The cool water flowed around him, sliding past him like the smooth glide of her skin under his hands. But other women’s skin had been just as smooth. Why did she affect him so?
He gazed into the water, watching it grow still, the ripples dying away as he stood without moving. It would stay thus, placid, if not disturbed. The pool had no wind, no currents, no storms to disturb it. The pool would never prove a danger to him. Such were the women he’d known. They’d acted and thought as women were expected to act and think.
But Kathy. He sometimes went to stand on the cliff overlooking the sea as a storm approached. His excitement would build as the waves crashed against the shore, then fell back into dangerous whirlpools and eddies, only to re-form and fling themselves against the rocks again. He’d close his eyes, letting the wind whip seaspray against his face, listen to the song of the waves. It was a Siren’s song, and much like Kathy. Strong, unpredictable, exciting.
He washed quickly, then returned to the chamber. Kathy would test him as the sea would. But if he stayed on shore, secure in who and what he was, then she could do no harm.
She was seated in front of the hearth, peering intently at a game she’d placed in front of her. “Play with me, Ian. I think I’ve figured it out.”
He wanted to refuse. ‘Twould be best if he retired to his bed and tried to forget what he’d almost done tonight. But she looked up at him, smiling, challenging, and he couldn’t refuse.
“What must I do to play this game?” He sat across from her.
“This is a hockey game. You use these buttons to control the figures. The idea is to get the puck in the net. It’s pretty basic.”
“Puck?” He frowned at the strange thing. “What do ye earn if ye win?”
“You get to push this red button. I don’t know what it does because I haven’t gotten that far in the rules. But I hate reading rules, so let’s just start.”
He blinked as she started pushing buttons on her side of the game, making the figures zigzag back and forth across the flat surface. He’d barely reached for his buttons before she knocked the puck into his net. A loud buzz sounded that almost made him leap away. Why must every toy either make a noise or soak you? At least this one wouldn’t leave him wet.
“I won. I won.” Her eyes shone with delight, and for a moment he forgot all about the game. “I get to push the button.”
She pushed the button with enthusiasm, and a stream of water hit him in the face. His curses were varied and colorful. “God’s teeth, woman, are all yer toys made by minions of the devil?”
Uh-oh. “Not really. I think this one was made by Linden Toy Company.” She glanced at the box. “Yep. No devil’s minions on the box.”
He sat with water dripping down his face and a thunderous expression that probably would have driven a hundred Mackays back to their castle, but she couldn’t help it. She started to giggle, let it build to a laugh, then lost control as it deteriorated into roll-on-the-ground guffaws.
A part of her responsible for protecting life and limb warned that her response was not receiving favorable reviews. Her laughter died away as she wiped the tears from her eyes, then chanced a glance at him.
His glare was silver fury. “Are ye done laughing at me?”
“Sure. All finished. Won’t need to laugh for at least another month.” He didn’t look mollified. “Besides, I wasn’t laughing at you. Not exactly. Okay, sort of. But if you could’ve seen your expression . . .”
“I wouldna have found it amusing.”
“You know, Ross, you have a rotten sense of humor.” Good. Now he was making her mad.
“I would play that game again.” Wiping the moisture from his face, he gazed at the buttons with narrow-eyed determination.
“No.”
He looked at her with the same expression he’d had when he first heard Suzy Sunshine.
An important revelation hit her. “People don’t often say no to you, do they?”
His gaze softened, grew coaxing. “I dinna give women a reason to say no.” He grinned at her, looking wicked, give-me-what-I-want enticing. “Play wi’ me, Kathy.”
She drew her breath in at his suggestion, his underlying meaning. “No.”
He leaned back and studied her.
“Why will ye not play another game?”
“Because I bet you always have to win, don’t you?”
“Aye.” His smile suggested that losing to him wasn’t such a terrible thing.
“Why can’t you lose?”
His smile disappeared, replaced by a steady appraisal.
“I was trained to win. In all things. Ye dinna understand that ’tis the strong who survive.”
“Okay, so you’re competitive.” There was more to this than winning; she knew it in her gut. “But it’s not about winning, is it?
“You don’t trust anyone enough to let them see weakness in you because trust is only a step away from those pesky human emotions, need and attachment. And human emotions make the Pleasure Master vulnerable.” She narrowed her gaze to bring the truth into focus. “The Pleasure Master may not need emotions, but Ian Ross sure does.”
“Ye know all this from the game we played?” His words were teasing, but his expression had turned wary.
She shrugged. “Hey, hairdressers know things. Talk to your hairdresser and you’ll never need a shrink.”
“I dinna know what this ‘shrink’ is, but ’tis not something I’d wish to need.” Reaching across the game board, he placed his palm flat over her heart, and she felt the push of her breast against his hand with each breath she took. “I allow women power over my body when ’tis needed, but I trust no one. Trust is often betrayed. I am strong here.” He increased his hand’s pressure, and it felt as though her heart was beating into his palm.
Leaning forward, Kathy placed her hand between his legs. “No, you are strong here. A heart isn’t strong with no trust.”
He looked startled. “I dinna understand all yer blather about trust.” His lips curved into a smile. “But I know that ye must take yer hand away if ye wish to rest easy tonight.”
She moved her hand. “You’re changing the subject.” She cocked her head to study him. “When was the last time you trusted someone?”
“I trusted my mother, but when my father came for me, she didna say a word to stay him. She was pleased to see the last of me.”
Kathy looked down at the game, afraid her expression would show how his answer affected her, how badly she wanted to learn more.
He paused, and she thought he wouldn’t continue.
“I didna trust myself tonight.” He sounded as though the admission had been dragged from him.
She let out her breath. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding it. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. The night had its up side.”
He lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “I willna lose control again.”
There was one more thing she had to know. “Could you ever learn to trust someone, Ian?”
“Never.” His answer was immediate, decisive. “I could no more trust another than I could cease being the Pleasure Master.”
“I guess it would be admitting someone was important to you. Wouldn’t want to do that.”
He didn’t comment.
She slowly started to put the game away. “I learned something important tonight, Ian.”
“Ye willna tell others yer fantasies so easily again. ‘Twas a lesson hard learned.” He watched narrow-eyed as she slipped the game into its box.
“My husband was my first real love, and when I couldn’t reach satisfaction with him I thought I was . . .” Even now the word froze in her throat. “I thought I was frigid. And after my husband told me I was, well, I believed him. I mean, he said he was an expert. But tonight I came close enough to realize I could . . .”
His attention was riveted on her. “Ye’re a warm, passionate woman, and yer husband was a fool.”
She knew her smile was wavery. “For a manipulative guy, you say some really nice things. But what I meant was that I could, with you. I know my response was because of your . . . special gift, but maybe I can learn to have the same feeling with someone I love.”
“Aye, wi’ someone ye love.” He didn’t seem pleased at her confession. “And all people try to bend others to their will when ’tis needed.” His smile turned calculating. “Or when it will get what they desire.”
“I don’t manipulate people.” After what she’d gone through with old PMS, she’d never try to manipulate someone.
“Mayhap ye’ve ne’er wanted something badly enough.”
Leaving her with that cryptic comment, he rose and blew out the candles. Sighing, she crawled beneath her furs. She had a lot to think about.
She listened as he lay down, then silence settled around her. Just when she thought he’d fallen asleep, she heard his soft chuckle.
“And we will play that devil’s game again, lass.”
She awoke to a babble of voices.
“I would speak wi’ Coco. I have made myself look as she wished, and I can tell her how much I like her French restaurant.”
Neil.
“I must speak wi’ Kathy of Hair. Mad Mary willna allow me near her. How must I woo her?”
Colin.
“You’re not too smart, are you? I like that in a man.”
Peter.
“Enough. Ye’ve filled my dwelling wi’ the blather of fools.”
Ian.
It was nice to have the whole gang together again. She raised one lid to find four pairs of eyes peering down at her.
Neil looked frantic. “I must speak wi’ Coco before Ian wins. I dinna worry about Colin. Mad Mary willna be won by such as he.” He ignored Colin’s angry grunt. “Ian hasna seduced ye yet, has he?” He cast her a suspicious glance.
Kathy glanced at Ian. His expression wasn’t encouraging. For just a moment, she considered lying and ending this whole challenge thing. Because no matter what Ian thought, she had been a willing participant in her fantasy last night, even if he’d manipulated the situation.
“Umm. Not technically.”
He won’t need you anymore. If there were no challenge, he wouldn’t need her to live with him; he might even send her to live with someone like Mad Mary. Mary was fine, but Kathy wanted to stay with Ian until she found a way home. She’d done some heavy thinking last night. There was something she had to do before returning to New York, and she had to be around Ian to do it.
Neil looked relieved. “Ye must be a strong woman. Ian hasna e’er taken so long to win a lass.” He picked up her purse and pulled out her phone. “I will call Coco now.” He walked to a far corner.
Kathy wanted to talk to Coco when Neil finished, but Colin grabbed her attention. “Ye’ve helped Neil, so ’tis only fair ye help me. What can I do to win Mary? I’ve cleaned myself and tried to woo her wi’ soft words, but she willna listen.”
“Why don’t you ask Ian? He’s the expert.”
Colin didn’t even glance at his brother. “Ian would be foolish to help me win the challenge.”
Kathy shifted her gaze to Ian. He looked thunderous. She thought about refusing Colin, but he was right. She’d helped Neil, so it was only fair she help Colin.
“Have you tried playing your bagpipe outside her window?” Kathy couldn’t control her smile. She could almost picture Mary’s expression at being woken by the wail of a bagpipe.
Colin shook his head. “I only play the pipes when the laird leads us into battle. ’Tis meant to give us courage and strike fear in the hearts of our enemies.”
“But wouldn’t you make an exception for someone you loved?”
Colin looked at her as if she were crazy. “Aye. I would play for one I loved, but I dinna love Mary. I want only to seduce her.”
Well, that was pretty specific. “Why don’t you talk to her about her herbs? Women like to have something in common with a man.”
“I dinna understand why we canna just go to bed and have sex.” He looked truly puzzled.
“Have fun storming the castle.” Peter didn’t sound confident in Colin’s abilities.
Ian looked amused. “Ye ken that Colin doesna yet have all the skills of a Pleasure Master.”
Colin glared at him. “I’ll learn.” He looked back at Kathy. “I will talk to Mary as ye advised.” He strode from the cave.
Kathy sighed. One down and one to go. She looked over at Neil.
“I dinna care what place ye choose to eat, but it must have good red meat. A man must keep up his strength.”
Neil listened to Coco’s response, then smiled. A sexy smile. “A man needs his strength to pleasure a lass all through the night.”
Coco’s response widened his smile. “The men of yer New York dinna have the endurance of a Scotsman. I would last until ye were so tired ye couldna lift yer head, nor any other part of yer body.”
His expression grew puzzled as he glanced down to the part of his body that was obviously in question. “A lass has ne’er asked me such a question. I havena e’er measured it.”
Peter’s lights flashed. “We’ve got wee, not so wee, and frickin’ huge.”
Kathy grinned. So I Married an Axe Murderer. Great quote.
Neil glared at Peter, then turned away. “Let me tell ye some of the things I would do to ye.” He lowered his voice so they couldn’t hear any more.
Ian studied Kathy. “Ye’ve ne’er told me what these movies are that Peter speaks from. I ken they tell tales, but ’tis all I know about them.”
Kathy shrugged. “They’re large moving pictures with sound that tell a story.” She felt frustrated. Movies were so much more than that. She wished she could show him one. Uh, uh. It’ll never happen. Don’t even think about it.
Ian looked intrigued, but said nothing more about the movies. “As soon as Neil finishes speaking wi’ Coco, I’ll get rid of him so ye may dress.” His gaze grew thoughtful. “Ye thought of telling my brothers I’d won the challenge. Ye didna. Why?”
“Technically, you didn’t. We didn’t actually . . . You didn’t . . .” I wanted you to.
His gaze slid over her, and even though she was covered up to her chin, she could feel the touch of his fingers, remember the pressure of his body, the coiling want in the pit of her stomach.
“But we will.”
“If you’re so confident, then why’re you taking so long? If you wait, one of your brothers might win.”
His lips lifted in the smile that turned her insides to mush. “Mayhap I enjoy the challenge. Mayhap I deny the pleasure so ’twill be sweeter when finally tasted.” He glanced over at his brother.
“Ye would do what to me?” Neil looked truly shocked.
Ian returned his attention to Kathy. “I dinna need to worry about my brothers for a while yet.”
Neil’s laughter caught their attention. “Ye sound like a bonny lass. I would meet ye. When Kathy of Hair returns to her land, I will go wi’ her.” His voice lowered, grew husky. “Tell all other men they willna be welcome any longer. Ye’ll need only me to warm yer bed.”
Kathy glanced at Ian. “You can officially start worrying.” She motioned to Neil. “Bring me the phone so I can talk to Coco.”
She took the phone as she watched Ian guide Neil toward the tunnel. “What’s the date, Coco?”
“And hello to you, too. It’s January twentieth. I lied to the police and had your car towed to Mel’s. He says you need a new radiator. You don’t want to know how much. I called your job and put them off for a while with a story about you being called away because of a sick relative. I’ve been going to your apartment and watering your plants. Your ivy looked lonely so I talked to it for a while. Your mom left a message on your machine from one of her cruise stops. I figured you didn’t want their trip ruined with the piddling news about their only daughter disappearing to Scotland and living in a cave with a primitive Highlander. Did I forget something?”
“Sounds like you’ve covered all the bases. Thanks.” She watched Ian crouch to stir the fire and enjoyed the flex of muscles across his back, the long line of his spine, the strong curve of buttocks and thighs. And thought about last night.
“So what’s Neil look like?” The eagerness in Coco’s voice surprised her. Coco’s contempt for men was legendary. That was why Kathy had wanted her to take care of the divorce. Coco was like a piranha where cheating husbands were concerned.
“He shaved off his beard, and he’s . . .” She cast Ian a worried glance. He didn’t seem to be paying attention. “He’s gorgeous. Dimples, green eyes, knife-edge cheekbones. Real model material.”
“Hmm.” There was a world of interest in the comment. “You know, I haven’t had an alpha male in ages. Bring him along when you come home.”
“Sure.” Right. Like she didn’t have enough trouble figuring out how to get herself home. “Talk to you later.”
“Wait, Kathy.” Coco’s voice grew serious. “I don’t know why you’ve made up this story, but I guess you need some time to yourself. If you decide to chuck the time-travel tale, give a yell, and I’ll come get you.”
“Thanks.” She blinked back sudden tears as she put her phone back in her purse, then looked up to find Ian staring at her.
“What did Coco say?”
“She thinks Neil sounds like a really fine man. That spells trouble for you. By the way, how do you decide when someone wins? Coco wants me to bring Neil back with me.”
“She must tell all that she will lay wi’ him.” He didn’t seem overly concerned.
“That’s not really fair. She won’t know anything until she meets him in person.”
His smile was wicked. “’Tis a hard task I’ve set Neil, but if he is worthy, Coco willna need to see him.” His smile softened. “Would ye not wish to take me home wi’ ye?”
“Don’t play games, Ian. I know you’d never come.” She wanted to go home, but to go home without even a snapshot of Ian left her with a hollow feeling in her stomach.
“I know you don’t believe I traveled from another time, but just for a moment assume I’m telling the truth. Help me brainstorm ways to get back. You don’t think it was just a random blip in the universe, do you? Sort of like God burping?”
“’Tis a wondrous moment when ye ask my opinion on any matter.” His smile was open, a hint of humor glinting in his eyes, and Kathy wondered how often he allowed himself to speak with a woman just for fun, with no agenda.
“I believe all things happen for a reason. I believe ye came from a distant land, but I dinna believe ye came from a distant time.” He shifted his gaze to where Malin was taking his usual position atop Peter. “And if ye dinna remember traveling here on yer own, then someone or something brought ye.”
“You think Peter’s responsible.” Not Peter, really. There had to be some intelligence, some life-force guiding Peter. But why?
Ian shrugged. “All yer toys seem strange, but only Peter speaks words that make sense wi’ what’s happening.”
She nodded. “And there has to be something keeping my cell phone working. Talk about roaming charges.”
Ian’s puzzled frown reminded her how really far apart they were.
“Okay, suppose Peter is responsible for this whole thing. How do I convince him to send me home? I’ve already come right out and asked him.”
“Tell me exactly what ye said right before ye found yerself here.” He lowered his gaze and she studied the contrast of thick sooty lashes against tanned skin.
She guessed there was no way of avoiding the words if she wanted his help. “I wished for warmth, peace, conveniences, and a subservient man. At least Peter could’ve given me one of those.”
“What does subservient mean?” He lifted his gaze, and she reacted just as she did every time he looked at her.
“It means a man who’ll do anything I want him to do, but won’t want anything back.”
His laughter startled her. It was deep and joyous, and it made her feel good all over. She would have said nothing could make her feel good all over right now. Go figure.
“Ye’ve come to the wrong place to find a man such as this.”
He was making her grumpy. “Like I didn’t know that already? Are you going to help me think of a way out of this mess or not?”
“Dinna fash yerself, lass. Mayhap ye need to tell Peter the opposite of what ye want. ’Tis what he seems to have given ye.”
Kathy raked Ian’s strong body with a considering glance. Maybe not.
Then she looked at Peter. She took a deep breath. She’d say it quickly before she could think of consequences, of how she’d feel if she never saw Ian Ross again. “I don’t want to go home, Peter.”
Nothing. She wondered at her small sigh of relief. No way did she want to stay in this time with a man whose whole purpose in life was to seduce her so he could win a contest. “I guess that wasn’t it. So what do I say to him next?”
Ian looked distracted. “Ye seem to assume Peter’s male. He has the contrary nature of a woman.”
She narrowed her gaze. “He’s aggravating and manipulative. Definitely male.”
Laughter shone in Ian’s eyes, lifted the corners of his expressive mouth, flipped her heart like an overdone pancake.
“Mayhap we should speak of something else ere we come to blows.”
She shrugged. “Fine. Let’s talk about you.”
He shook his head, and his hair fell into another fascinating pattern across his shoulders. Just thirty minutes. She’d kill for just thirty minutes with her hands in his incredible hair. “What’s to talk about? And don’t ask me to explain all the words you don’t know. I’d be old and gray before I finished.”
“What do ye miss most about yer land?” His gaze grew intense, as though her answer was important to him.
“My parents.” She could feel tears gathering at the thought of never seeing them again. “They live over in Jersey. Dad loves working in his garden, even if his tomatoes are never as big as Clyde Wilson’s next door, and Mom is the world’s best cook. No one makes a meatloaf like she does.” She smiled through her tears.
He seemed uneasy with her emotion. “Aye, but I mean what things do ye miss.”
She thought. Her car? Electricity? Hot water? “It’s funny, but I don’t really miss some of the big things I thought I’d miss. I think I miss some of the small things.” The realization startled her.
“I miss the things that have sentimental value.”
“I would hear an example.”
“I miss . . .” The answer popped into her head. “I miss my shell necklace.”
It seemed silly, but there it was. “When I was about six years old, Mom and Dad took me to the beach. I lay in the sun too long and got the mother of all sunburns. While I was busy sniffling and whining, Dad went into a shop on the boardwalk and bought me this necklace made from pretty shells. He came back with it and told me that whenever I wore it, whatever was hurting would stop, that it would make me strong.” She grinned. “I was six years old. I believed him. But that old necklace has always been special to me.” Her smile died. “I hope I get to see it again.”
He said nothing, simply stared at her. She glanced away, embarrassed. “I guess you never bothered with sentimental stuff.”
“Nay.”
Just the one word, but it said a lot about Ian’s life. She felt sorry for him, and the feeling bothered her. On the surface, he seemed like a man who had it all. But what do you have if you don’t have any emotional connections?
“Right. It was a silly story.” She climbed from her bed and busied herself gathering the things she needed to get dressed.
He nodded toward the room that held the Pleasure Master’s bed. “I’ll be in there when ye finish dressing.”
She dressed quickly, making sure Peter wasn’t paying attention. For some reason, she was thinking of Peter as almost human. A manipulating male. And she didn’t dress in front of strange males. She glanced in Peter’s direction. A very strange male.
When she finished dressing, she wandered over to pat Malin’s head. He greeted her with a friendly growl. She glanced down at Peter.
“You know, Peter, you’re really messing up my world.”
His amber lights flashed, a sure sign he was getting ready to mouth off.
“I am not under any orders to make the world a better place.”