Sizzle All Day (32 page)

"Delaney puppets?" Cole drawled, folding his arms.

"That's taking it a little far, don't you think? Christina has never been anybody's puppet."

"True. But Chrissy had an excuse. She's female."

"And I thank God for that every day," Cole solemnly replied.

Jake rolled his eyes. "I did what I was supposed to do, and I did it gladly. I'm proud of how I took care of Mother and Chrissy after my father died. It makes me feel good to know I was the kind of son he wanted me to be. But now I've fulfilled those commitments and I don't want any more. I want to see the Orient. I want to swim in an ocean that is bath-water warm. And I can do that now. Nothing is stopping me. Chrissy is married. Mother is... well... I don't want to go into that other than to say she no longer needs me around to support her. I am free. Finally, I am free."

"Hmm..." Cole rubbed the back of his neck. "Let me see if I have this straight. You are a free man. But you are married. And you have just bought a rather large house. And Gillian could already be carrying your child. That sounds like freedom to me."

Jake made an obscene hand gesture, and Cole's lips twisted into a grin. "Okay, maybe not freedom. How about something else? Love. That's it, Jake, my man. Sounds to me like you are in love,"

"Love?" A noose slipped around his neck. "I don't want to be in love."

"Why not? I have to tell you, Jake, I really like being in love with your sister And for more reasons than the obvious."

"Don't talk about sex. I don't want to think about you and Bug and sex."

"No, that's private. Spectacular, but private." Ignoring Jake's groan, he pressed on. "Pare this down to the nut, Jake. Why did you marry Gillian?"

"Because I owed her, and marrying her was the way to pay her back."

"That's bullshit. Why did you marry her, Jake?"

The sharp edges of rocks bit into his hand as he made a fist. "Because I walked into Rowanclere and that damned Maclean sonofabitch was asking her to be his paramour."

Cole walked toward him, looked into his eyes. "Try again, idiot. Why did you marry Gillian Ross?"

"Because I wanted to. I needed to."

"Because you...?"

"Love her, dammit. I love her!" He wound back his arm and hurled the remaining pebbles. They crashed and pinged into the trees. "I love her and it has turned my world upside down. I don't want to love her. I don't want to have here. I'm cold here. I don't want to be stuck living here in perpetual winter raising children who've never seen a longhorn cow!"

"Actually, they have some longhorn cattle in Scotland. Shaggy things. Don't you remember? Bennet had some stuffed ones in his country house."

"Forget the damned cows. What about Gillian? Grandfather released the money. The sale is completed. So, unless I find out this nonsense here today was something more sinister than we think, I can leave. I can head out right after this party Angus is throwing. But what the hell am I going to do about Gillian?"

"Nothing." Gillian's voice was the second bullet that had streaked from those trees this day. She stepped into sight and stared straight at her husband. "Cole, could you excuse us, please?"

Chapter 14

I love her, he had said.
I don't want to love her
.

They were not exactly the words a bride wishes to hear, but for Gillian, they were close enough.

"Uh, princess." Jake shoved his fingers through his hair. "Gillian, I didn't mean it the way it sounded. But no matter what, you shouldn't have been eavesdropping. Like my mama always told me, no eavesdropper ever hears good about himself. Didn't anyone ever teach you that?"

She arched a brow. Really, the man did his cause no good. Assuming she was angry about what she'd overheard, he obviously felt defensive, and in a natural, if misguided, masculine reaction, he went on the attack. "Dammit, woman. Don't act like a five-year-old about this. I swear, sometimes Robbie could give you lessons on maturity."

All right, now he'd gone too far. Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling, feeling more alive than she could ever remember, Gillian jumped headfirst into the game—by letting loose a small sob and turning and running for the castle.

As expected, he took off after her. "Gillian! Wait, come back here."

She lifted her skirts and picked up speed, confident she could outrun him. She gave free rein to her smile as she ran, tamping it down only when she entered the castle and dashed past the obviously curious Morgans.

She headed for the Maiden's Tower and hurried up the winding staircase. She knew exactly what she wanted, and how she wanted to get it. Upon reaching what she'd begun to think of as the Honeymoon Room, she darted inside, then slammed and locked the door behind her.

Bang! Bong! Bang!
Gillian hummed a song as she arranged pillows and blankets to suit her.

Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Gillian! Open this door!"

Knowing that her time was limited—her husband was quite good with locks—she hurried to complete her preparations.

Gillian Ross Delaney stripped naked and waited for her husband to break into the room.

She didn't wait long. She heard a scraping sound at the lock, then the knob turned and the door was shoved open. "Dammit Gillian," he cursed as he barged into the room, "nothing is ever sol—"

Jake swallowed his words and quite possibly his tongue. Gillian lifted her arms toward him and spoke the words in her heart. "All I ever wanted was your love, Jake Delaney. I love you, too. If you still want my company on your adventures, I will go along."

"Yes. Oh God, yes." His gaze never leaving her, he immediately began pulling off his clothes, "I thought you were angry."

"I know. You don't know me as well as I know you." When he looked like he thought to argue the point, she stepped up to help him with his clothes. When her hands brushed across his chest to slip his shirt off his shoulders, he sucked in a breath past gritted teeth. "I've been loved outdoors today already. I wanted you here, in this room, where I first realized how much I love you."

"Oh, princess." He bore her down upon the blankets and loved her with a fierce tenderness that both roused her to the heights of passion and wrung tears of joy from her soul. His warmth was her warmth. His heart, hers. She was complete, whole and happy and fulfilled for the first time in her life.

Still inside her, he rose above her and stared down into her eyes. Solemnly, he declared, "I do love you, Gillian Delaney. I love your heart and your energy and your spunk. I love your loyalty to those you love. I love the fire you bring to our bed." Then a quick flash of a grin. "And to our blankets."

He leaned down and kissed away the sweet tear that spilled from her eye. "I will make you happy, Gillian. You have my promise."

He kissed her lips, then, and kept on kissing her until his body hardened once again and her feminine core wept with need. She gloried in the intensity of his passion. Every touch, every taste, every sound a reaffirmation of the vow he made to her. When it was over, he cradled her against him. His hand brushed slow, soothing strokes across her heated skin and quietly, they spoke of the future they would share.

"I never thought I could convince you to come with me."

She smiled, though a bit sadly. "I thought I could open your eyes to all the adventure Scotland has to offer. I will be truthful with you, Jake. I dinna share your dreams of adventure, not the way you wish."

As his finger painted an imaginary swirl upon her stomach, she attempted to explain. "I have no ambition to see Egyptian pyramids or kangaroos in the Australian outback. My dream is different. I dream of tucking my bairns to sleep beneath the roof of my very own home. I dream of retiring to my bed each night with my husband who loves me to distraction."

His voice rumbled low and soft. "It doesn't seem to me that our goals are mutually exclusive. If we're willing to compromise a bit, I don't see why we can't both get what we want. I mean, you already have the husband who loves you to distraction and I'll be happy to work on getting you those babies any time you wish."

She smiled and stretched sinuously against him as his finger wandered upward to trace a path across her breasts. "That's what I realized. As long as I have you and your love, I dinna need the roof."

He rolled above her yet again, grinning wickedly. "I'll be your roof, princess. Anytime. Anyplace. Or your blanket. I'm versatile."

So saying, he set out to prove it. He accomplished his task admirably, then collapsed onto the floor beside her. "I think you've killed me."

Gillian wanted to reply, but couldn't catch her breath enough to speak. Minutes later, he said, "I hate to bring this up, princess, but I guess I'd better. What about Angus and Robbie? Are you all right about leaving them?"

She wondered if he purposely waited until she was completely exhausted to bring up the subject. "It winna be easy. But it is not like I will be leaving them to fend for themselves. Flora has long offered to see to their care-taking. They will be happy enough at Laichmoray."

"Good." He lifted his head and propped it on his elbow. "You wouldn't believe how often I've fantasized about you, me, and a Bora Bora beach. I can't wait, princess. Cole brought me the papers from my grandfather. The trust has been released, so I can complete the business about the castle with Angus. I'm not trying to rush you, but how soon do you think you can be ready to leave? As soon as this party is over?"

Gillian tried to ignore the sinking sensation in her stomach caused by his question. Glad to have something other than leaving her home and homeland to ponder, she sat up, pasted on a cheerful smile, and said, "Possibly. I've a task to complete, first. I've promised my help to someone, but I might be able to see it done by the foy. I will need to think of a plan."

"You and your plans. You scare me. Gilly. What is this task all about?" Jake followed her lead and reached for his pants. "Who are you wanting to help?"

Bracing herself for an explosion, she leaned over and pressed a kiss against his cheek. "Annabelle Maclean. She confessed to firing the shot that surprised us this morning. I've promised to help her win back David's love."

Jake Delaney's subsequent shout rocked Rowanclere's ancient walls.

* * *

It set the pattern for the days that followed.

To say Jake wasn't happy about Gillian's proposed meddling in the Macleans' marriage was like saying Scooter had trouble climbing up stairs. While he liked the general idea of a strong marriage between that damnable David and his wife, he despised the idea of his own bride being involved in the matter in any way, shape, form, or fashion. Though he'd never admit it to a soul, he felt a bit uneasy... well, more than uneasy. He felt threatened at the notion of Gillian having anything at all to do with Maclean.

It wasn't that he doubted her love or her integrity, because he didn't. Maclean, however, was another matter entirely. Jake didn't trust him any farther than he could throw him. Hell, any man who'd had a taste of the heaven to be found in Gillian's arms would be bound to come sniffing around for more. Especially when he wasn't getting his pistol oiled at home.

Such thoughts were part of the reason why, while the Lady of Rowanclere made plans for an assault on the wall separating David Maclean and his wife, the new laird of Rowanclere laid siege to his own castle, so to speak. Each day he fought a subtle battle with gifts and pretty words and acts of tenderness and kindness. Every night, he waged his war on the sometimes sweet, and sometimes stormy battlefield of their bed. And while the laird breached his lady-wife's defenses both physically and mentally, it was against his own fears and doubts that he waged war.

He worried that something would happen before they left. He worried that some catastrophic event might occur and prevent her from leaving.

The sooner they departed Rowanclere, the better. That particular certainty was the reason Jake agreed to participate in Gillian's latest bit of theater. It was the reason he was on his way to a strategy session in Rowanclere's library.

"Well, if it's not the Diabolical Duo," he said, spying his wife and sister with their heads together, giggling. "Where's your apprentice? I thought Quick Draw was supposed to be at this meeting."

Chrissy snorted. "If you're referring to Annabelle, then she'll be back in a few minutes. Robyn insisted on showing her the chariot y'all made for Scooter."

Jake nodded and poured himself a drink. Having already suffered two of these get-togethers, he knew he'd want a belt of good whisky sooner or later.

Judging by the first thing out of his bride's mouth after Annabelle joined them a few moments later, sooner was the applicable term. "Annabelle, I have considered your suggestion, and I believe you are right. I, rather than Chrissy, should be the one to pay particular attention to David at the foy."

Whisky burned a path down Jake's throat. "Wait just one minute. I thought the idea of this entire plan was to help repair damage to the Macleans' marriage, not cause more."