Chapter Thirty-One

 

 

 

ISA GAPED OUT THE window as the carriage rattled into a neighborhood built by Glasgow’s entrepreneurs. The streets were wide and clean, the paving stones smooth and perfectly horizontal. Lined with an abundance of bright, gas-lit lamps, few shadows remained, allowing residents to rest, assured of their safety. The houses themselves stood quite proud with their ornately carved stone façades, with tall windows stretching upward to peaked roofs where private dirigibles languished on roof pads. All the luxury made her a touch lightheaded.

“Our mutual grandfather made his fortune in shipping,” Mr. Black said, answering her unasked question. “Allowing our father, also a talented merchant, to indulge himself in many things, including travel. He’s rarely home.”

“Thank aether,” Alec grumbled. “The fighting becomes unbearable.”

His lips had flattened into a thin, bloodless line when his brother produced the ring upon her finger. It hadn’t been hard to imagine Mr. Black sporting a black eye by the time they rolled to a stop before their family home. His teasing tone had set her own teeth on edge. She’d already endured one engineered proposal. The humiliation of listening to such false words fall from Alec’s lips might break her. She’d snatched the ring from the box before he could pry his mouth open. Yet it made her stomach twist itself into knots. If only they’d arrived at this moment without any pretense.

The carriage turned down a narrow street and came to a halt beside the service entrance. The door cracked open, spilling light into a small garden. A beautiful, dark-haired woman stood in the doorway, waiting.

“My sister,” Alec said. “I expect you’ll take to each other like flames to coal.” He drew a deep breath.

“But if you don’t, steer clear of any food she offers you.” Mr. Black laughed, then excused himself to speak to the driver, leaving her alone with Alec.

“My brother presumes much. If‌—‌”

“It’s nothing but a small white lie,” Isa cut him off. “A quick, easy solution. If we cause a bit of social unrest, the company will shun us. All the better to speak with Maren.” She was rather looking forward to the confrontation. Better this than to be carted off to her brother’s home where her sister-in-law would wrap her up in a warm blanket and tuck her into a chair before the fireplace, an easy target for the matchmakers. Safe, perhaps, but no longer involved in stopping her uncle.

He nodded. “My sister will whisk you away the moment we reach the door. If there’s anything you need, you’ve only to ask.”

Need. She needed him.

“Will you come to me tonight?” She held her breath. The beds in a house such as this would be wide and soft. Unfamiliar‌—‌a welcome prospect for there would be no memories to crowd in the moment she closed her eyes. If he joined her, for a few hours they could push the nightmares of the past few days into dark corners and make new memories. The possibilities sent a shiver across her skin.

His eyes flashed with interest. “Are you certain you’re up for it?” he asked, his voice a low rumble.

With the situation diffused, she let her lips curve upward. “Are you?”

A spark flared in Alec’s eyes. “It wouldn’t be proper.”

Catching his hand, she pressed his palm to her flaming cheek. “Why start now?”

He grinned. “Try not to fall asleep again before I arise.”

“If I do, it’ll be your turn to wake me.” She winked, then climbed from the carriage.

“Aether!” Cait stepped forward, pressing a hand to her chest as she took in Isa’s appearance. “What on earth happened?”

Isa swept her hands down the front of her still-damp and bloodstained dress. Its skirts ended in tatters above her knees. Her hair fell in ragged, uneven lengths and her feet were bare. Her appearance certainly warranted an explanation, though the truth strained credibility.

She glanced at Alec, and he shrugged. “Easier to tell her than to wonder if she’s developed a truth serum.”

Cait swatted her brother’s arm. “If only.” She grinned at Isa. “You were saying…‌”

Why prevaricate? “An octopus attacked and dragged me into the ocean. I was forced to cut myself free from its grip.”

Alec‌—‌dressed in salt-crusted clothing, his face unshaven with ever-deepening dark shadows beneath his eyes‌—‌nodded, his voice weary. “It’s a long and convoluted tale.”

“I see.” Cait blinked. “In short, my brothers happened.” She caught one of Isa’s hands. “Come. Tell me while you soak in the tub. I want to know everything. Spare no detail about Lady Roideach’s involvement. Were you friends?”

“No.” A bitter taste rose to the back of Isa’s throat as her mind replayed Maren’s suggestion that any Finn men daring to challenge her husband be tossed in a tank with a biomech octopus. “We are, unfortunately, acquaintances of some duration.”

Cait led her up the servant’s stairs, down a long hall, through a large room with a four-poster bed, and into a grand bathroom. Water steamed from a clawfoot tub. French-milled soap rested on its narrow ledge. A stack of clean, white towels waited nearby upon a chair. A tall mirror‌—‌

“Don’t look. It’s nothing that can’t be fixed. If you want, I’ll trim your hair.”

Relief flooded her. “Please. I submit to any and all repairs.”

Cait spun Isa about and unfastened the hooks and ribbons that held the remnants of her bodice in place, before tugging the whole sodden mass loose from her skin and over her head. “Impressive scars,” she commented. “What happened to your legs?”

“Corpse fish.” Bruised and battered, Isa sighed with relief as she sank into the hot water, reaching for the bar of sweet-smelling soap.

“Really?” Cait’s voice rose with her eyebrows. She dropped the towels to the floor and dragged the chair close. “Start talking. Begin with why you’re wearing Alec’s grandmother’s ring. I never thought to see it on another woman’s finger.”

“A temporary ruse to unsettle your mother and a woman named Patsy.” Tiny hairs on the back of her neck lifted. She hadn’t thought to ask. “Alec never led her to believe‌—‌”

“Never.” Cait laughed. “But Mother has schemed for years, thrown them together at every opportunity. Logan’s instincts are unerring. This will be most entertaining. Now, begin at the beginning. How did you meet Alec?”

Isa told her everything‌—‌leaving out the attraction that drew her to Alec as certain as the moon pulled on the sea. Eyes wide, Cait leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees and her chin on her fists, interrupting only for clarification.

Nearly an hour later, as the water grew cold, Isa ran her fingers through her hair, tugging ruefully on the uneven ends. “Can you even them?” she asked.

“Of course. I nearly forgot.” Cait lifted a pair of scissors, and snippets of red hair began to fall, floating on the surface of the bathwater. “Such a beautiful color, a golden red.”

Isa twisted her lips. “It irks my mother to no end that I refuse to dye it brown like a proper Finn.”

“What?” Cait shook her head in disbelief. “I’d kill for such hair.”

She snorted. “And I for yours. My grandfather was Scottish, and red hair marks my bloodline as polluted.”

“Polluted.” Cait’s laugh was bitter. “That I understand. I am a child of spite. When Mother learned of Logan’s existence, she took a lover.” She waved a hand at her face. “Society disapproves of my complexion, one that whispers of the Indian subcontinent. But that’s neither here nor there.”

Isa reached out and squeezed Cait’s free hand. She could only offer sympathy, not solutions. “I struggle daily to accept that I needn’t fix what’s not broken.”

“A most excellent position to take.” Cait set aside the scissors. “Now, tell me more about this Lady Roideach we’re to interrogate.”

Discovering a fast friend in Alec’s sister was unexpected, but so very welcome. For once, Isa did not feel judged and found wanting. “I knew her as Maren, the only daughter of the town’s matriarch. Every inch of her is Finn perfection. An excellent swimmer. Bright. Beautiful. Spoiled. But nothing was ever enough…‌”

~~~

A rusty “coo” echoed through his bedchamber. Giving his wet hair a final rub, he wrapped the towel about his waist and padded barefoot across the floor. Stepping over the salty, sweaty clothes he’d peeled from his aching body and dropped to the floor, he nabbed the bird perched in his window.

He unrolled the message attached to the skeet pigeon’s foot and scanned the words of Shaw’s report before crumbling the paper in his hand.

Jona was stable, but still unconscious. Nina’s fever had abated. Sinclair was out of surgery and expected to make a full recovery. After confirming that Mr. Black had set every water skimmer on high alert for the megalodon, Shaw had made his way to the makeshift BURR marine biology laboratory where Miss Lourney had stabilized the biomech octopuses. Not only were they no longer showing signs of distress, but‌—‌after polishing off a meal of several lobsters‌—‌they had become rather intent on climbing out of the tanks in which they’d been imprisoned.

In short, there were no pressing emergencies. He could finally rest. Catch a few hours of sleep. But not here, not in his own bed alone. Not when Isa’s invitation beckoned.

Why then did he hesitate? She was everything he looked for when selecting a lover. A stunning woman, a widow who professed no interest in marriage, a woman who could heat his blood with a single glance. Except she was more. Intelligent. Loyal. Brave. What he felt for her was far, far stronger than lust. He wanted more. Was it really too soon to contemplate a future with her in it? Permanently.

Dragonflies slammed into the walls of his stomach. His parents were miserable together, happier apart, and their poor example had rather soured his opinion of marriage. But Alec no longer felt complete without Isa by his side. Their bond strengthened daily, as feelings between them shifted and changed. Was this how it felt to fall in love? He rather thought the answer was yes. If he wanted her, he had to renegotiate the terms of their affair. He needed to propose.

Fiancée. The term touched a match to his heart. It pounded, sending warmth rushing through his veins. He slapped on the hated knee brace, buckling it in place. Dressing quickly, he strode from his room with purpose. Not a soul caught him walking down the hallway, save Munro, whose wire eyebrows lifted with disapproval as he cracked open Isa’s door.

Legs curled beneath her, she sat in a wingback chair set before the fireplace. Firelight flickered, setting the soft copper waves of her stunning hair aglow, hair that now brushed the tops of her shoulders. She wore nothing but a dressing gown and, as she smiled her welcome, its lace edges parted, caressing the inside curves of her breasts. A clear invitation.

But instead of scooping her into his arms, he hesitated. Resting on the table beside her was his grandmother’s ring. They weren’t truly engaged, he hadn’t spoken the words, so why the ache in his chest?

He picked it up. Holding the worn gold band between this thumb and forefinger, he dropped into the chair across from her and met her gaze.

“It felt wrong,” Isa admitted. “No worries. I’ll wear it for tea tomorrow.”

Damn his brother and his meddling ways.

“Too big? Too small?”

“Too presumptuous.” She lifted her shoulder and the silken sleeve slid down her arm, exposing the delightful and distracting curves of her collarbone. “I invited a lover to my bedchamber, not a suitor.”

The smoldering heat in her eyes nearly made him abandon his plans in favor of the suggested activities. No. Not yet. He wanted to make his intent clear. “We agreed to renegotiate the terms of our affair.”

Pain rippled across her face. “Not tonight. Not now.”

“Why not? For once there is no pressing crisis.” A deep sense of rightness settled over him as he lowered himself onto his good knee. “Marriage to a Navy man is never easy. BURR assignments will drag me away.” A fact he’d once relished, the better to keep grasping, social-climbing women at an arm’s length. He couldn’t be caught and trapped if he wasn’t around. Couldn’t be forced into a marriage of convenience wherein he would risk repeating his parents’ many mistakes. Pledging himself to Isa was not at all the same thing. She would complicate his life in all the best ways. “As will your own work, your own career. But never before have I met a woman with whom I wished to build a life. Will you‌—‌”

Her quicksilver eyes flashed, and she leapt to her feet. “Stop. Please.”

~~~

Heartache tore through her as she turned and walked across the room. Away from Alec. Hand pressed to her stomach, she tried to still an upwelling of doubt and uncertainty. Silk slid over her skin and her bare feet sank into the thick pile of the carpet beneath her. Luxury surrounded her. It defined the room. A soft down-filled mattress. A mirrored dressing table. Brocade curtains. A marble mantle. The list went on and on. They might be merely things but, nonetheless, they reminded Isa of all that separated them.

“We come from such different worlds,” she said, tracing the flocked pattern of the wallpaper with a fingertip. “Finn and Scot. Merging our lives might prove impossible.”

The pearl ring clinked as he set it down upon the table, and then his warm body pressed against her back with firm evidence of his growing physical desire. “Even though we share so much? A love of the sea. An interest in medicine. Equally messy families.” He swept her hair aside and kissed the top of her ear. “An array of scars.” He tugged at the collar of her robe and brushed warm lips over the curve of her neck. “A fierce attraction.”

“All true.” She wanted him, there was no denying that. Did she love him? She rather thought she might. But marriage? The thought scared her. How much of her hard-won independence was she willing to surrender? How much would he expect her to bend and shape her life to fit his?

His hot, wet mouth trailed down the column of her spine, peeling the dressing gown from her shoulders, from her arms, until she was bare to the waist. She tugged the bow at her midriff free and let the silk pool on the ground. Alec growled his approval.

Good. Let his primal instincts take over. She didn’t wish to discuss a wedding. Not now.

He swept strong, rough hands over the curves of her hips and nipped at the rise of her arse. “So pretty,” he whispered.

His words made her flush. She glanced over her shoulder, and his eyes flashed such heat that her blood began to simmer. What would happen when it boiled?

With one large hand, he caught her wrists, lifting her arms over her head and pressing her palms to the papered wall. Nibbling at her neck, he cupped her breast, brushing the rough pad of his thumb over her nipple. Only his touch could set her skin on fire, only he had ever sent ripples of pure pleasure from her head to her toes, until every nerve quivered with need. She was in danger of losing herself to this man.

“Please, Alec,” she begged, wanting him inside her. “More.” The bed was only a few feet away.

Instead of sweeping her off her feet, he nudged his knee between hers. “Open for me.”

Here? Against the wall? She let her legs part, and he slid his hand downward over her stomach. A soft moan escaped her lips when his fingers found her damp curls, parting her folds to stroke and tease the small, sensitive nub at her core.

“Aether,” she breathed, her knees growing weak as he slid one finger, then another into her wet channel. Her hips bucked against his hand as he stoked her, driving her to a dizzying height of pleasure. She threw her head backward onto his shoulder and cried out as she climaxed, her body convulsing with pleasure. If he’d pressed her for an answer now, she would be unable to deny him.

Hands on her waist, he turned her around and pushed her back against the wall. Her heart pounded. Would he ask again? But his eyes held an entirely different question than the one he’d begun to ask earlier. This she knew how to answer.

“Yes,” she whispered. She plucked the buttons of his shirt free and shoved the garment from his broad shoulders. “Don’t stop.”

Leaning forward, her still-sensitive breasts rubbed against his chest as she dealt with the problem of the trousers that hung on his narrow hips. With them unfastened, a most impressive erection stood proud. Hastily, she pushed at the material until they fell away. He kicked them aside, standing before her in all his glory. Such a magnificent physique. He hesitated a moment, then caught at her hand, tugging her forward. Toward the bed.

But she’d seen a certain desire in his eyes. She crooked her finger. “I rather thought you wanted to stay.”

His grin took on a devilish glint. “Are you sure?” he breathed, nuzzling her neck. “Here?”

So it could be done. “If you think you can manage it,” she teased.

“Oh, I certainly can.” His hands cupped her thighs, spreading them as he lifted her. With her back pressed to the wall, Alec bent down and caught her lips with a hungry mouth. She welcomed his tongue, giving herself over to the desire that stirred anew and coursed through her veins. But it wasn’t enough.

Hooking a leg behind his thigh, she yanked him flush to her body. Their bodies met in a firestorm of heat and need, and she writhed against his hot, hard erection, her own arousal growing more insistent by the second.

She wrapped her arms about his neck and nipped the edge of his jaw, desperate to feel his thick length buried inside her. “Now!” she demanded, lifting her gaze to his and staring into such blue depths she feared she might drown. “Take me.”

~~~

Exactly what he’d hoped to hear. Alec notched himself against her wet opening. Before, he’d been afraid of hurting her, but remembering what made her scream, he plunged into her with a single, deep thrust.

She cried out with pleasure as he pinned her to the wall, as she squirmed against him.

But he didn’t move. Instead, he nipped at her jaw, letting her desire swell. He wanted her to beg, to plead, to realize how very right they were for each other. What she’d be giving up if she didn’t say yes. Gently, he kissed the edge of her mouth, brushing his lips softly over hers until she fisted her hands in his hair and dragged his mouth to hers, thrusting her tongue deep.

Still‌—‌though heat gathered and coiled at the base of his spine with an intensity he’d never before experienced‌—‌he did no more than kiss her. The woman he would always want to find in his bed. He nibbled her lower lip. Against his wall. Above his chair.

“Alec!” She tore her face away with a gasp. Wild passion flared in her eyes. She flexed her hips and his will shattered. With a growl, he pulled back, then gave her what she wanted, driving into her.

“Aether!” Her legs wrapped about his hips, and she dug her heels into his arse, driving him mad as she urged him deeper still. “More!”

Need built to dizzying heights. The coiled tension at the base of his spine grew tighter with each thrust. Over and over, he drove into her burying himself to the hilt.

With a cry, she bent forward and sank her teeth into his shoulder as yet another climax ripped through her, squeezing his length. Blood roaring in his ears, he battered into her, slamming their bodies together. With a shout, he spilled his seed inside her, hot and wet.

Alec dropped his forehead against the wall. Heart pounding, chest heaving, he held her, unable to find the words to express how very right she felt in his arms. He could have stayed like this forever, but gravity and his knee insisted otherwise. Reluctantly, he pulled free and carried her to bed.

Beneath the covers, he wrapped an arm about her waist and dragged her soft, naked form close. She was everything he ever wanted, everything he needed, and he was lucky to have found her. Damned if he intended to let her go without a fight.

“Think about it,” he whispered. For now, he would let his interrupted proposal stand, let her contemplate the possibility of a real future together.

“Alec, I don’t‌—‌”

“Shh,” he murmured. “Don’t make any decisions yet. Answer me when this is over. Until then, wear my ring, stand beside me as my intended. Will you promise me that much?”

“Very well.” She snuggled closer, planting a seed of hope. “Provided you honor your original vow.”

Passion seemed to have addled his brain. “Remind me?”

“I was promised a torrid affair.” She sighed with mock disappointment. “It’s possible I’m wrong, but I’m fairly confident two such encounters don’t meet the minimum requirements.”

He laughed softly into her hair. No woman was her match. He could be patient. Wait for her to grasp how perfect they were for each other, both in and out of bed. “Sleep, Isa. If you insist upon keeping count, we’ll work at remedying that problem as soon as I’m able. At a minimum, I anticipate doubling our numbers before dawn.”

“Only twice more?” She turned her head upon the pillow, throwing him a sultry look over her shoulder. “That’s disappointing. I thought you might be up for more.”

His groin stirred. “Strike that.” He slid his hand to palm the weight of her breast. “Challenge accepted. Sleep can wait.”