Prescribed for Love (13 page)
Read Prescribed for Love Online
Authors: Mallory Moutinho
Alasdair
ran languid kisses along her jawline until he reached the corner of her mouth. He paused briefly, increasing the anticipation before letting his tongue sensually trace the small parting of her lips.
Nope, he’s
definitely not chocolate. I’m the one that’s freakin’ melting.
Opening her
mouth to his, she felt her knees
weaken as his tongue began to tease hers
.
And, he tastes waaay better than chocolate!
Fortunately, Alasdair seemed aware of his effect, because he drew her in closer, letting his body support hers.
Their tongues continued their sensual dance. Cat frequently tried to increase the tempo, but Alasdair did not appear to be in any rush. He continued to deny her until he heard her throaty groan of frustration. Backing her into the wall nearest them, he finally intensified the kiss as she desired. Cat let her legs separate a few inches to allow Alasdair full contact with her body.
Sadly, this did not lead to the desired
outcome
. Rather than continue their embrace, Alasdair backed away. “This isnae the time nor the place.” He placed a quick kiss on her forehead. “Later.”
Bu...aa…err…LATER? What the hell is that supposed to mean?
***
Having grown concerned at Catriona’s long abse
nce, Ailsa went to find their guest
.
She did not have to search long, for she found her brother leading the girl back inside.
“Catriona, there ye are
! I had
become
worried.”
“Sorry I took so long, I was making this,” replied Cat as she held up one
of the broken knitting needles. A
lthough
,
it
now
looked even more maligned. Catriona must have seen her confusion because she
continued, “It’s for crocheting.” This did not help
to enlighten Ailsa. “It’s kind of like knitting—
I’ll show you once we get insid
e
.”
“I thought she was making a
verra wee
weapon,” said
Alasdair
with a wink.
“
Of course this is a weapon,” replied Cat while rolling her eyes. “The next time a man attacks me, I’ll politely ask him to wait so I can make him a sweater with which to
restrain him
.”
“Aye, well, let us just hope ye
dinnae
need
to defend yerself from an attack
again.” She was glad to see Catriona and her
brother getting along amicably;
Ailsa wanted to ensure Cat felt welcome.
“
But, y
e will just have to show me how to crochet tom
orrow—tis
nearly time for supper.”
***
Seated between
Alasdair
and Ailsa, Cat
riona stared at the food
placed before her. There really had not been much variety in the food she
had seen. Tonight, there was coa
rse bread, and a stew of some sort
, and fish
.
God
, what I wouldn’t do for a pizza right now.
Cat was immediately ashamed of the thought when she recalled the MacLean’s current struggles. This was just another reason to get back to the twenty-first century.
She did not want to be a strain on their meager resources
.
Focusing her attention on
Ailsa, she was glad to see the
girl had not touched any bread;
she did not want the girl to get sick again. This
thought led
Cat to think of her
other patient. “Ailsa, do you think we could go visit
Lainie’s mother again tomorrow?
I would like to check in on her.”
“Aye, that is a wonderful
idea.
Alasdair
, may we borrow Branan again?”
“Nay
, I will go with ye
tomorrow.”
I wonder why he wants to go. Maybe this is the ‘later’ he was referring to.
Unsure what to make of Alasdair’s decision, but glad to have plans to revisit her patient
, Cat let
her
gaze wander
to
the other occupants in
the room.
She had always enjoyed people watching, so she was content to just sit and observe. She smiled when
she spotted
Branan and Lainie. The two were obviously in the
throes
of
new
love.
They smiled at one another almost incessantly and seemed to be
completely
e
ntranced by each other’s words.
Truly, it was almost disgusting.
Letting her eyes
drift over the rest of the room, Cat was amazed by the sense of camaraderie and friendship that seemed to permeate the room.
While the hall had dozens upon dozens of people in it, she had always imagined this was how a family dinner should feel. Dinners with Keith had been nice, but they had just never seemed whole with only two people.
Poor Keith! I wish I could let him know I’m okay.
Once again overcome with the need to return to her brother,
Cat said,
“I’m going to head to bed, it’s been a long day.”
She needed to try asking the book to send her home again.
“I will escort ye,” offered
Alasdair
.
“No, there’s no need.”
She did not need any distractions right now.
Once Cat reached her room, she
ran through
almost
the same routine with the book
as the night before. But
, she was still displaced by six hundred years.
Maybe once Lainie’s mother gets better this stupid thing will work…
***
Nothing! Absolutely nothing! It made no sense to Keith. How could Cat go missing with absolutely no hint as to her whereabouts? It was as if
his sister had simply vanished!
***
Alasdair
did not feel guilty taking the women
to the village
the next morning. While it was import
ant to train his men, he knew it was just as important to ascertain how the clan outside of the keep was faring.
Sadly, much of the dam
age from the night of the Camer
on attack
s
years ago was still visible. Many homes had never been rebuilt. He had hoped to begin repairs in earnest soon
; he wanted
to show his people he could be depended upon
—unlike his father.
But
, the recent events with the Camerons prevented him from focusing on the rebuilds.
Alasdair had insisted they ride to the village to waste as little time as possible. Letting his horse fall behind the women,
he let his mind wander
.
When he returned to the keep, Alasdair
wanted to ensure Niall was having no difficulties in leading the patrols. He also wanted to talk to Cailen about the younger guards
’
training. The older man
could no longer fight as he once had
, but he was
excellent
at
determining
when the younger men
were ready for more responsibility
. Alasdair needed to know
the capabilities of the men
at his disposal. Branan had been one of
Cailen’s
more recent wards.
So while the youth did not always appear to take his
assignments
seriously, Alasdair knew Cailen would not have recommended him if he was not dependable.
His train of thought ended as Catriona let her horse fall alongside his
.
“You are awfully quiet this morning
, Mac. What are you thinking about?
”
“Nothing
,” he replied.
He spent enough time worrying about his
keep;
he did not need to let his responsibilities
encumber
his interactions with Catriona.
She looked at him in an assessing manner before saying
, “
I don’t believe that. You looked too
contemplative
to be thinking about nothing.
”
H
e decided to tease her,
“
I was thinking about y
e
.
”
Catriona laughed
at his remark. “
I hope not—you looked
almost angry.
”
“Aye
, ye are most definitely the reason for my
current mood
,” insisted
Alasdair
,
almost too seriously.
“Well then, enlighten me. What
did I do to cause you such grief?” she asked.
“Why, ye wouldnae let me escort ye to yer room last night!” he said with a waggle of his eyebrows.
“Ugh, typical man—pouting when things don’t go his way.”
“I am nae pouting!” said
Alasdair
in mock offense.
“Sulking then.”
“Nay, I am definitely nae sulking.”
“Okay, I give up then, what are you doing?” asked Catriona.
“Why, I am pining.”
“Pining for what?”
“For a kiss,” replied
Alasdair
.
“Well as much as I would love to accommodate you,” said Catriona, “We have arrived and I must go see
to
my patient.” She then blew
him a kiss
before running
int
o the hut. Alasdair chuckled
as he
watched
her departure
. He
had never met a woman so unabashedly demonstrative.
“That is good to see,” said Ailsa to her brother when they were the only two left outside the hut.
“What is?” he asked.
“Yer smile,” she answered.
“
I have
nae seen it often enough lately.”
***
Catriona found herself in better spirits
after visiting with Lainie’s mother
. While she knew it had only been a day, it
already looked like
the woman
was on the mend
.
Probably just the placebo effect,
b
ut whatever, I’ll take it!
If all continued
to go well, maybe the book would let her go home soon.
On the return trip to the keep, Cat once again found herself
beside
Alasdair
. But, rather than teasing each other, they fell into a companionable silence.
Once again
content to just take in her surroundings,
Catriona let her eyes take in every detail of the scenery.
She had admired it before, but had thought it was a dream. It was amazing to see a world so untainted by technology. She swore that everything seemed just a little bit greener.
“At what are ye looking?” asked
Alasdair
.
“The scenery. Your land is very beautiful.”
“Aye,
it is. But,
there is one place
that is more beautiful than most
others. Would ye like to see it?” he asked.
“I’d love to
.
”
“Tis nae verra
far from the castle
, I will bring ye there as soon
as we return Lainie and Ailsa
to the keep
.”
A half
hour later,
Cat
found herself
overlooking the most picturesque pond she had ever seen. It almost looked as if it were protected by magic.
The trees surrounded it in such a way that you would never know it was t
here unless someone showed you. A small outcropping, the height of two people, rose over the near side of the water, lending the area great majesty. While on the far side,
flowers
gave
it an ethereal beauty. “
Alasdair
, this is beyond beautiful. Thank you for showing me.”
“Nay, yer
thanks is
nae needed, for
yer presence only makes it more beautiful.” Catriona blushed deeply
at his compliment
. Never in her life had someone said something so romantic. Granted, she knew this was not actual romance, but she was moved all the same.