Page 65 of Sinful Scottish Laird
“Ah,” Lady Mackenzie said. “What will the poor man do without a ship to captain?”
Marry me,Daisy thought, and felt a tiny swell of misery. But she smiled and shrugged. “You must ask him, I’m afraid.”
“Indeed I will,” Lady Mackenzie said, putting aside her untouched dram of whisky. “Arran? Perhaps we ought to go and have a look at the field.”
“At the what?” her husband asked, startled.
“We discussed it earlier today,” she said, giving him a pointed look.
“But the games willna start for two hours more,” he said, sounding confused.
Lady Mackenzie rose from her seat.“Arran.”
Whatever the laird saw in his wife’s face made him change his mind. “Aye. The field,” he said.
Lady Mackenzie smiled and put her arm around his waist. “Cailean, you will see Lady Chatwick safely returned to the hall, won’t you?”
“Of course,” he said pleasantly.
“Please take your time with the whisky, Lady Chatwick. It is quite good,” she said as she and her husband began the arduous walk to the door. “We will see you shortly.” The two of them went out.
When the door closed softly behind them, Cailean looked at Daisy and smiled a little lopsidedly, and her pulse began to flutter all over again. “You may no’ have guessed it, but my mother is in the midst of matchmaking.”
“You must be terrified,” Daisy said smartly and stood up. She was still annoyed with him. Still loved him. Still felt so at odds with herself about everything, but most of all, she could not look at his eyes, at his smile, and not want to melt into him.
He chuckled. “There have been many attempts in the past. I’ve grown accustomed to it.”
“I can rather imagine that at your advanced age there have beenmanyattempts. I would do the same were my son still unmarried as he entered his dotage.”
Cailean’s smile deepened, and he slowly raised a brow. “What has you cross,leannan?”
Good God, the man was insufferable. He knew very well what had her cross. “It doesn’t matter,” she said and turned away from him, crossing her arms as she moved aimlessly across the room. “How long must we remain here before your mother is convinced she’s done her duty?”
“Five minutes ought to suffice,” he said. “The impropriety of leaving you alone with a notorious bachelor will undoubtedly trump her desire to see me wed.”
Daisy groaned. She moved to the window and peered out at the bailey. Cailean joined her there, standing shoulder to shoulder with her. His fingers touched, then tangled with hers. The spark shot up her arm, and she sighed inadvertently. Daisy leaned her head against his shoulder. She ought to slap his fool hand away...but she didn’t. She ought not to rest her head on his shoulder...but she did. Her desire for his touch tugged at her heart more than her exasperation with him.
He touched the small of her back, then slid his hand around to her waist and drew her into his side. No, it was too much—it only served to ratchet up her longing to make it unbearable. Daisy pushed away and turned to face him. Cailean turned, too, his blue eyes moving over her face, lingering on her lips.
“What do youwantof me?” she whispered.
His gaze moved lower, to her décolletage, and he traced a knuckle over the swell of her breast. “That is a dangerous question and one I canna answer.”
“I don’t understand you, Cailean,” she said plaintively.
He winced. “Aye, it’s complicated.”
She expected him to explain himself, or to try to convince her that there was nothing to understand.“Complicated,”she said irritably. “You say things that make me want to despise you, and yet I think you want to kiss me right now.”
“I do,” he murmured. “In the most violent way. I am, in fact, besieged with want.”
She tilted her head back and lifted her chin, so that her mouth was a breath from his. “Then why don’t you?”
His breath was warm on her lips. He cupped her face with his hand, caressed her lip with his thumb, and she could feel her heart softening. “For the love of God I donna know why no’, but I willna kiss you, Daisy. I want only to help you...but I canna help that I desire you, as well.”
She couldn’t bear this. She couldn’t bear all the longing for him when he wouldn’t reciprocate, when he wanted her to marry Robert and be done with it. She jerked her face from his hand and stepped back. “You are tiresome, Cailean. Help someone else.” She walked across the room and opened the door, sweeping out of it. She’d only taken a step or two when she realized she had no idea how to return to the main hall. She stepped back inside the room.
Cailean was still at the window, still standing where she’d left him. His head was down, and he’d folded his arms tightly across his chest.
