Page 26 of A Scottish Lord for Christmas
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. “What are you up to, Kenna?”
“Up to? I’m not up to anything. Rowena’s a lovely lass and I simply think a formal dinner would be best.” His sister’s gray eyes were wide and innocent, but he knew she was scheming. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to play along.
“If you desire it, then why not go tell the kitchens to prepare it for this evening.”
I can suffer one dinner and not be distracted by Rowena and how much I want to take her to bed, can’t I?
He didn’t like that he couldn’t seem to find the answer to that question. All afternoon she’d been on his mind. The sight of her tears, the feel of her lips on his, the soft, silky tendrils of her hair. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her, but it would only be cruel to pretend there was something more between them, at least for him.
“I’ll go speak to the cook. See you this evening.” Kenna stood and was halfway out the door when she paused, her fingertips tapping on the door frame. She glanced over her shoulder at him.
“You aren’t the only one who misses Maura, you know. She wasn’t the sort of person who would want you to be unhappy. Find your joy again, Quinn.” She tapped the frame once more and vanished from view.
Quinn rested his elbows on his desk and covered his face with his hands, suddenly weary. Kenna was right. He’d been too cruel today to Rowena in his attempt to keep his distance. Standing, he walked around the edge of his desk and rested his hands on his hips, debating.
I should apologize. That would be the right thing to do.
It took him half an hour to find Rowena. None of the servants seemed to know where she was. By the time he thought to check her bedchamber, he was startled to find her asleep on the bed, her body shivering. No fire had been lit and no tea brought to her…He gave a mighty tug on the servant’s bell cord by her bed and waited. For a long while nothing happened. No maid came rushing to the door. With a little growl, he tugged the cord again. It was clear no one was coming. A problem he would deal with later. He checked the time on the clock above her fireplace. It was an hour until dinner would be served.
Quinn approached the bed, his hands itching with the urge to touch her. The invisible pull she had on him was unsettling. What made this young English woman so irresistible? She was undeniably pretty, but looks hadn’t mattered to him before, not as much as other things anyway.
“Rowena, wake up.” He surrendered to the temptation to touch her and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.
When she still didn’t stir, he gave her shoulder a delicate shake. She sighed, rolled onto her back, and exposed the swanlike curve of her neck and the soft swells of her full breasts covered by the gown she wore.
“Five more minutes, Milly,” she murmured sleepily. “I’m having the most wonderful dream.” She wriggled her body and smiled, her eyes still closed.
Fascinated, Quinn leaned over and whispered in her ear, “What are you dreaming about, lassie?”
In response, her nose wrinkled and she sighed again. “The most wonderful man. He wants me to dance…”
Dance? He’d not yet danced with her, which meant she might be dreaming of someone else. That thought brought him up sharply. She was his wife, and while he had vowed not to love her, he was not going to let her fall in love with another man, even in her dreams.
Quinn bent and pressed a kiss to her lips. She tasted sweet, too sweet. It made him think of Christmases when he’d been a lad and he’d eaten candied chestnuts by the fire and Kenna crawled around on blankets, playing with toy dolls.
The kiss deepened as Rowena responded, her arms coming up to curl around his neck. For such an innocent creature, she knew how to kiss. It was something that came naturally to women. Men had to learn.
“Heaven,” Rowena signed as his lips moved to her cheek, then along her jaw and down to her throat. She made a little purr of pleasure that sent a bolt of arousal straight to his groin. He could get lost in her kisses. She gave him a whole heart when she came alive like this.
“Quinn,” she moaned his name, and he froze. Her mouth teased his a moment longer before her dark brown lashes fluttered up. He was still leaning over her, she still clutching him in an embrace, yet neither of them seemed to know what to say.
“Quinn, I’m so glad to see you.” The genuine joy in her smile tore at his heart.
Clearing his throat, he sat down on the bed beside her. He knew he should keep his distance, but he didn’t want to, at least not now that he’d stopped kissing her.
“Why is there no fire lit in your room? And why has no one brought you tea?”
She glanced down, her cheeks turning a bright pink. “I don’t know. I rang for the maid but…and then I was so tired and no one came…”
He didn’t like the idea of her staying in a room that did not have a working cord.
“You’re freezing, love. Why not come over to my rooms for a while to warm up. Dinner is in an hour.”
Rowena nodded. “Could I take a bath? It might warm me up before we eat.” She nibbled her bottom lip in a way that was fast becoming a huge distraction for him.
“Er…yes. You may use mine.” It would be warmer there. That was the lie he told himself as he curled an arm around her waist, led her to the door, and walked her down the hall.
“Our rooms are not connected?” She raised her brows, and he saw that all-too-familiar gleam of pain in them.
