Page 15 of Her Scot of Yesteryear
I left it at that, thankful he didn’t ask any more questions because right now, my father was the last person I wanted to talk about. Instead, I wanted to take everything in because every moment with Broderick made the awe of being in this castle in this era feel like it should have from the beginning. Unbelievable. Glorious. Far better than any research or even my imagination could have painted it.
And it only got better the higher we went.
I knew the castle was on a cliff butdamn. When we entered another chamber missing a wall, I got a taste of just how high. As if Broderick prepared ahead of time and likely did with telepathy via his servants or magic, given I sensed he was as powerful as his mother, an intimate setting awaited us.
Or at least I found it intimate.
Others might consider it inclement and hazardous.
A fire crackled on a hearth carved into one stone wall, and a small wooden table was set with a single thick candle, plates of succulent meat, seasoned vegetables, and a few pitchers and mugs. Like the last chamber, there were no other furnishings or tapestries, likely due to exposure to the elements. With what sounded like a bagpipe trilling on the wind, thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed over the sea, making for an outstanding backdrop. One which drew me that way, not in confrontation this time, but because it thrilled me, filling me with a sense of excitement I hadn’t felt back home.
“Yer draw to it will only get stronger if ye’re anything like me,” Broderick rumbled, catching me off guard when he came up behind me and draped a warm fur cloak around my shoulders that smelled deliciously like him. “And I feel more and more that ye are.”
While I meant to say something properly flirtatious, I had never been the flirting type. Willow was much better at it. If anything, I usually befriended guys rather than dated them, so I was pitiful at this. Grasping at straws, I did my best. “I noticed you sometimes say ye and other times you. What’s up with that?”
I cringed at how unflirtatious that sounded, but Iwasgenuinely curious.
“’Tis something MacLeod men have long done for time travelers.” He stood beside me, a bemused expression on his face. “A means to make them feel more comfortable.”
“It does,” I agreed. “Or at least easier to understand.” Narrowing my eyes, I couldn’t help but meet his small smile. “What’s so amusing?”
“You.” His smile only grew, making him that much hotter. “Your thoughts...they are...” He seemed to search for the right word. “Refreshing.” He winked. “I have never been all that attracted to flirtatious women, so I urge you to simply be you.” He shook his head. “Never be anything but that with me.”
“I think this whole mind-reading thing is going to take some getting used to,” I murmured, not nearly as embarrassed as I should have been that he was catching such personal thoughts. “How do I block my thoughts from people anyway?”
“Why would you want to?”
“Because I value my privacy.”
“Even from me?”
“Especially from you.”
His gaze wasn’t troubled as it lingered on me, but compassionate. “The more your dragon surfaces, the more you will learn to block your thoughts.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Though I suspect I will soon be the last person you wish to block them from.”
That same rush of anticipation I had become so familiar with blew through me again. “And why is that?”
His answer didn’t just surprise me but made staying afoot as difficult as it had been after I nearly plummeted to my death.
CHAPTER EIGHT
–Broderick–
“YOU WILL NOT want to block your thoughts from me because we are undoubtedly fated mates,” I said to Aspen when she wondered why I would be the last person she would want to block her thoughts from. As she’d requested, and despite the stormy weather, we stood in a chamber overlooking the ocean at the castle's highest point. “Not just that, but I sense you will soon become my wife and mistress of this castle, and I look forward to itverra much.”
“Wife?” she mouthed, her eyes rounding. “You understand how that’s too much too fast?”
“Yet you have been imagining me for years, have you not?” I rather liked that. Moreover, I liked that I outdid her expectations in person. It would have been unfortunate had my appearance not suited her. As for the rest of me and my behavior prior to this, I intendedto make it up to her.
Until then, I looked forward to hearing what Storm had said about me.
Better still, Aspen’s interpretation of it.
Aspen was about to speak but hesitated as if something had occurred to her, and she eyed me warily. “I’ve been able to sense things since arriving here. More so than usual. Could I be catching your thoughts? Because I just sensed your curiosity about what Storm said about you.”
“Aye, those were my thoughts because Iamcurious,” I confirmed. “’Twill be easier to know they belong to me the longer we’re around each other.” I wished I could touch her again, even just to cup her cheek and lend her comfort, because our situation had been nothing less than awkward thus far, but I refrained. “And allow me to make things verra clear. My interest in Storm’s words has solely to do with knowing what you thought of them rather than any lingering desire for her.” I shook my head, surprised by how differently I felt now. “She will always be a dear friend, but I dinnae crave her anymore. Not in the least.”
“So it seems,” Aspen said softly, searching my eyes as if she could discover how truthful I was being. “Yet you understand why I might be hesitant? From loving another woman to just about proposing to me in under an hour is probably a record.”
