One Night with the Highlander (The Gilvrys of Dunross) Read Online Free Page B

innocent cousin.”
    “She will not care. I will tell her there is no truth to—”
    “Oh, but you see there is always a foundation of truth to rumors.” Annabelle shook her head wearily. “It will not do.”
    So it was at an end. She was going to walk out of his life again? Unfair. He was the one who’d left, called away on an errand for his father. Not that an offer from Gordon would have been acceptable. Nor was it now, with all his funds tied up in his investment. But he could not let her go. “And if I refuse to take no for an answer?”
    “Will you follow me to Edinburgh?”
    “If I must.”
    Her eyes danced with amusement. And a challenge. “Not a wise idea. For either of us, I think.”
    Reason had nothing to do with it. Passion did. Desire. It shimmered in the air. Sent tingles down his spine. Pumped hot blood through his veins. He clenched his fists to stop himself from hauling her up against his chest and kissing her till she succumbed to his will.
    Without warning, she stepped inside the garden gate and pushed it closed between them. Effectively shutting him out.
    She looked up at him with a brittle smile. “It was so nice seeing you again, Gordon. I wish...” She shook her head. “Wishes can’t change the past.”
    It wasn’t much, that unspoken wish, but it was all that he needed. He easily vaulted the gate.
    Startled, she stepped back. “What are you doing?”
    “Seeing you to your front door, as is my duty.”
    Huffing out a breath, she turned and walked up the path. At the door she turned to face him. “Thank you for walking me home.”
    The scent of roses filled the air. The scent of Annabelle. He gazed down at her, felt himself falling into those lovely dove-gray eyes all over again. “Annabelle,” he breathed.
    “Gordon,” she said softly. She reached up to touch his cheek with her gloved hand. He caught her fingers and brought them to his lips. Her face tipped up, her eyes watching him, drinking him in, her lips so close, so soft, so sweetly parted. Before he knew it, one arm was around her waist and the other hand cradling her nape. Secluded by roses, he dipped his head and kissed her. The feel of her satiny skin against his mouth only made him want more. Much more. And when she melted against him, he swept her mouth with his tongue, tasting her, wooing her with all the skill at his command.
    By the time he let her go, they were both breathing hard. She pressed trembling fingers to her rose-tinted lips for a second. “Are you trying to ruin me further?”
    He winced. “No. But I won’t just walk away. Not this time. Not unless you insist.”
    Concern filled her face and he felt guilty, but he would not let her go. Not yet. Not when he had only just found her again.
    “I cannot deny I would like to hear about your adventures in America,” she said wistfully. “To know more of your life.”
    “We owe each other that much,” he said, pressing as hard as he dared. “Let me call on you.”
    She breathed a long sigh, a sound of defeat, as if she had been engaged in some battle with her own inclinations. “No. No calls. Mother would hate it. There is an inn beyond the village. The Bell. It lies some ways east of the village, off the main road. Arrange the private sitting room at the top of the stairs from the side door. The landlord will know. I will meet you there tomorrow after midnight, once Mother retires.”
    An assignation. The suggestion went straight to Gordon’s groin. His mind emptied of rational thought. He could only stare at her.
    “I can think of no other way. Is it yes or no, Gordon?”
    “Yes,” he managed to reply.
    “Send word to my coachman if you change your mind,” she said softly. “I trust him with my life.” With a small dip of a curtsy, she opened the front door and disappeared inside.
    And what would he say to her, when he had her alone? Gordon wondered. Would he really be able to reconcile this seductive woman with the girl he had kept frozen in