Page 12 of The Castle of Carnal Desires

“Could he be separated from his ghostly clothes? Did he ejaculate ectoplasm? Was he corporeal the whole time?”

I just stared at him with incredulity. Horror I had been prepared for, but twenty questions on the physiology of ghosts I was not.

“Err, I don’t know. I wasn’t paying much attention to that kind of thing. The problem is, after we were done, he just disappeared. Poof. I couldn't feel his presence, he wouldn't come when I called, it’s like he just disappeared from this plane of existence. Like he was dead for good.”

The thought that I’d forever lost Durell hurt more than I was willing to admit.

“He is already dead Aili, I doubt getting his rocks off would make a difference. If so, what a way to go.” He smiled and I punched him in the arm.

“This isn’t a laughing matter, Harris. What if he's forced to wander in darkness for all eternity?”

He sobered. “Then that was a choice he chose to make. There is nothing to be done about it now.”

I nodded, but it didn't help the anxiety that crawled along my skin.

“There’s something else. I think I, umm..” I stuttered to a halt. Should I tell him I thought he was sexy? That I imagined him in bed with me and Derek, and they were making love to me with identical hands, mouths and cocks? In the end I chickened out. I met his curious gaze.

“I know that ye and Derek have, uh…” he shifted a little uncomfortably. “How about some whisky, lass?”

Nothing bad ever sounded so good. He walked to one of the new cabinets and pulled out a bottle amber gold and two crystal tumblers. He poured us both a dram. He held his in the air. “Slainte.”

“Cheers,” I replied and downed my drink in one gulp. He huffed out a laugh and poured us both another. “So, tell me more about this ghost sex,” he said, a grin spreading across his face. That grin went straight to my panties. Damn, I was in trouble.

When Derek wandered into the kitchen a few hours later, I was well and truly hammered and on an epic rant.

“I wish I knew what if was about this country, but it's like all rashamal thought skips my brain and goes straight to my lady bits.” I pointed to the offending parts of my anatomy, my words slurring together a little. “I'm not liked this at home. I'm a good girl. Just me and my hand and a hot shower, you know?”

Harris raised an eyebrow. “I'm not sure I do know, lass, why don't you explain it to me in detail?” He laughed.

I poked out my tongue and ignored him. “But as soon as I got here, you were there being all hot and brooding, then I found out you had a twin and my brain began to short out and I had all these fantasies where you both had your mouths on me at the same time…” I looked over at Derek, and grinned widely. I felt like my face would crack and I squinted one eye on the hopes it would stop the room from moving. Then I realized I was seeing doubles, or was it quadruples? I giggled. All four of the McTavish's were looking at me with heat in their eyes. “Anyway, what kind of sane person has those kinds of thoughts? I'm a good girl,” I repeated. I wanted them to know I wasn't just some horn dog that flitted from man to man. “But I mean twins is understandable. Who doesn't have a fantasy of two hot guys doing… well you know. But then I went and had sex with Durell, and he's a dead man. And I don't even know his real first name. And now he's gone forever.”

Derek's mouth swung open. “She had sex with Durell? Could he-”

Harris hushed him. “I'll explain later. Continue, Lass.” Harris was drunk too, judging by the way he was holding up his head with his hand, and it was swaying precariously.

I held up my empty glass. “But first more drinks.” Somehow, I dropped the glass and it shattered all over the stone floor. “Oops.”

Harris began to giggle and Derek decided that enough was enough.

“Okay, you two. I think it's last call for ye both. It's four in the morning and it’s getting drafty down here, not that either of ye would know with that much whisky in your bellies.”

I pouted. “We could always take the party to my suite.” It came out sounding way more seductive than I intended. Well, at least consciously. Freud would have a field day with me right now. Harris raised a finger.

“That sounds like a grand idea,” he growled out, his voice sending shivers of heat to my belly. Or maybe that was the whisky, like Derek said.

Speak of the devil, Derek smacked Harris in the back of the head. “No it isn't, because our Mam raised gentleman. Da would kick ye arse all the way to Edinburgh, Harris McTavish.” He turned soft eyes to me. “Come on, Aili. Ye’ve had an eventful day. I'll lift you over this glass and we'll clean it up tomorrow.”

His kindness made my eyes mist over and a tear rolled down my cheek.

“Och, I just cheered up the lass and now you've made her cry. Well done genius.” Harris reached over and wiped the tear away.

Derek hooked my arm around his neck and lifted me as if I weighed nothing. He stepped around the glass and I couldn't resist the urge to bury my face into his neck and breathe him in. Harris followed along behind him, complaining about not being carried, and then singing that Whitney Houston song from the movie ‘The Bodyguard'. The man was hotter than sin, but he sounded like someone was torturing a cat when he sung.

“I think I’ll stay in the room next to yours, if that's okay.” My face fell a little, but I nodded. I kind of wanted him to want to stay with me. That was definitely the whisky talking though. Derek placed me down on the edge of the bed and then moved away, clearing his throat uncomfortably. Harris poked at the fire, not really doing much but keeping himself entertained all the same. “I’ll go move some furniture around up there now and settle in. Come on, ye big girls’ blouse. Time to put you to bed, though it's tempting to leave you on the brae for the fair folk to snatch.” He tsked as he herded his wayward twin out the door. Harris turned at the threshold and gave me a lopsided grin that made my heart race.

“We'll talk about your twin fantasies tomorrow, Aili. I will nae forget, Lass. I've got a memory like elephant.”

“And the drinking ability of a bairn,” Derek scolded, but not before he gave me a curious look and took in my heated cheeks.

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