The Trouble With Kilts (The MacLarens of Balmorie) (6 page)

It'd be awkward as hell.

And maybe once she did see him, things would change. Maybe she'd built him up so much in her mind that she was bound to be disappointed when they did come face to face. And come face to face they would. Little Piper MacLaren was home from the hospital and ready to receive visitors.

"Stop fidgeting. My God, what is wrong with you?" Grammy Lin said with a huff as they bounced along in the back seat of Ian's Rover. From the front passenger seat, Lucy glanced over her shoulder, a questioning look at Riley.

"I can't help it. We've been sitting for hours."

"And you've bitten your fingers nails down to nubs and your knee is bouncing a mile a minute. Do we need to stop for a potty break?"

Riley frowned at her grandmother. "No. I don't need a potty break. I'm fine." Gram shook her head, obviously not buying it. And Lucy was looking awful curious. "Really. I'm fine. Just want to get there. See the baby…"

Lucy's face instantly softened. "Wait til you see her. Prettiest baby I've ever seen. A head of black hair and big blue eyes. Devin is completely in love with her. He even cried."

"He's gonna love you spreading that around," Ian said.

"I don't think he cares. He's too immersed in all things baby. Besides, a full grown man crying over his child isn't a weakness. It's hot." Ian took his eyes off the road to give Lucy an incredulous look, which she ignored. "Oh, and you should see her with Jamie. She adores him. She doesn't cry much, but if she does and he's around? Forget about it. All he has to do is pick her up and she stares up at him in wonder. It's so cute."

Riley's chest went tight. She never asked about Jamie, but she savored every time he was mentioned over the last six months. She'd wanted so many times to talk to him, to share the things that had happened in her life since Lucy's wedding. She never called. He never called. In May, he'd said. Oh, she'd turned those words over in her head a million times, his tone of voice, the look in his eyes. She questioned what it meant over and over every night as she lay in bed.

Finally they turned onto the road that led to Balmorie Estate. "You got a new sign," she commented as they passed.

"Like it?" Ian asked.

"Yes. Very classy."

An Olympic somersaulting event was going on in her stomach and light airy zings kept breezing through her chest. Doubts started to sink in as the five story castle came into view. "This view never gets old," Grammy Lin commented on a reverent breath, staring up at the old stone tower.

"Our reviews have been really great so far," Lucy said. "All the cottages are restored now and renting well. And this summer we'll be able to use a lot of the farm produce in our meals, and to sell."

Jamie's truck wasn't in the driveway. Relief rolled over her in a continuous wave. Thank God she didn't have to face him just yet.

"We'll get you both settled," Ian said, "and then I'll drive you out to the lodge when you're ready."

And there went her nerves again because it was highly probable that Jamie was at the lodge with Devin and Kate.

Her room was the same one she'd had for Lucy's wedding. It was spacious, and Riley loved the old stone wall with the Gothic window. After staring at the view, she turned on the shower in the adjoining bath, unpacked, and then stood under the hot spray.

The hot shower didn't perk her up as she'd hoped. In fact, it made her even more exhausted. After drying off, she wrapped the towel around her and crawled under the covers for a quick twenty minute snooze, knowing it'd take Gram at least that long to unpack and redo her make-up.

The knock at the door woke her.

Riley sat straight up with a start. It took a moment for it to register that the room was dark. Crap. She'd been asleep for hours.

Extracting herself from the bed, she hurried to re-wrap the towel around her body before opening the door, an apology already on her lips. Gram was probably fuming by now. Not that Gram couldn't have gone without her. "Sorry, I—"

Her stomach dropped. And her jaw went slack.

Jamie MacLaren stood in the doorway.

With one hand braced on the door frame, one corner of his mouth twisted into a lop-sided grin, those blue eyes ate her up, branding her from head to toe. Riley's knees went weak in appreciation of that rugged face and hard body. Yeah, her worry about building him up and being disappointed? Totally unfounded. She almost laughed. He was more striking than she remembered.

"Remember me?" he asked, his Scottish brogue thicker than last time, his words laced with humor.

Her mouth had suddenly gone dry and her brain couldn't figure out how to form a reply. His hand dropped and he moved closer. Riley stepped back, clutching the towel tighter. He shut the door behind him. Her heart hammered. Her breathing went shallow. The lock clicked and a zing of lust shot straight through her belly.

He continued his pursuit. And Riley continued backing up. Her skin tingled, every nerve alive and electrified. She hit the wall.

Jamie parked a hand over her head. "It's May."

Riley nodded.

"Six long months."

She swallowed. "Uh huh."

"Thought about you every day, New York. And every night. We both had things to work out. To get over."

He hadn't moved and her body screamed for him to lean into her, to touch her, to do something. Him towering over her, gazing down at her fiercely, but not touching. It was the most erotic thing she had ever experienced. Six months worth of emotion, attraction, dreams, and fantasies were manifesting right then.

"You good now?"

She knew he meant with moving on, with healing from the crap Mark had drug her through. But all Riley could think about was that she was damn good, damn ready, and damn impatient.

Her fingers flexed on the front of her towel. "Yeah." She drew in a deep breath and released the towel. "I'm good."

"Dear God," Jamie breathed, stunned. He scrubbed a shaky hand down his face, his gaze going down. Naked. Riley was naked. And perfect.

She reached up, slid a hand behind his neck and pulled him down as his heart tumbled and his body melded against hers.

He'd been waiting for what felt like centuries. He'd never been so turned on in his life. He was rock hard and aching. He paused, his lips hovering over hers, savoring the feel of her shallow breath on his lips, savoring the fact that he was finally going to kiss her. His eyes closed.

A loud knock at the door jarred through him.

"Riley honey, time to wake up," Gram called from the other side. "Ian's waiting downstairs. Chop, chop!"

"Oh, God," Riley whispered, her tone husky and disbelieving. She cleared her throat and drew in a deep breath. "Coming!"

Her sexy bedroom eyes gazed up at him still clouded with desire. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and bit down. Christ. The door knob rattled.

"Riley? The door is locked." The concern and confusion in Gram's tone came loud and clear. She wasn't used to being shut out. The knob rattled again.

"Shit." Riley grabbed him by the hips and pushed him backwards and into the bathroom where the door slammed in his face.

Jamie blinked, in total shock. He heard her muttering, heard rustling, and guessed she was pulling on her clothes. The door unlocked. Gram's voice became louder.

"Must've locked it by accident," Riley said. "You didn't have to wait for me."

"Haven't been waiting long. I fell asleep, too. You look a little flushed."

"From the nap. I just woke up."

Gram muttered something and then said, "Ready to go see that precious baby?"

"Yeah. Just let me get my shoes and find a clip for my hair." More rummaging, and then the door to the room closed.

Jamie let his forehead bang softly on the bathroom door. Un-fucking-believable. He wasn't sure how their reunion would go, but it sure as bloody hell wasn't this. He hadn't pictured her opening the door in nothing but a towel either. That had changed everything. His approach had gone right out the window when he saw her standing there with all that loose copper hair and those sleepy bedroom eyes…

He'd almost kissed her. Again.

Third time was damn sure going to be the charm.

Leaving the room in a state of frustration, he nearly collided with Hamish in the hallway. The old man's eyes went from Jamie to Riley's room and back again.

"Don't ask," Jamie said, moving past him, and then stopping to add, "And don't meddle either."

Hamish went all blustery. "Why, I wouldn't dare."

"Uh huh." Jamie was well aware of Hamish's addiction to matchmaking. "Hamish," he called, thinking of something else.

"Aye, Jamie?"

"If Riley should happen to go missing. Don't call the authorities."

Hamish's eyes went wide. Then, a slow, ridiculously pleased smile burst through his beard. "Planning a good ole fashion highland abduction are ye, lad?"

"I just might."

He laughed. "Oh, yer Scots down to the bone, Jamie MacLaren. Ye do us all proud." Chuckling, Hamish went on his way.

Well, he hadn't quite meant abducting her—just when he got his hands on her she might not surface for a while. But maybe it wasn't a bad idea. They needed to be alone, away from distractions, and interruptions. He didn't want to take her away from her time with the baby, though. All he needed was a couple hours, just to sit her down and lay it all on the line.

As he made his way downstairs, his thoughts churned. How to get her alone. He knew she'd be at Kate and Dev's for a few hours at least… Plenty of time to make a plan.

Chapter 9

Spending time with her family erased some of Riley's lingering jet lag. Seeing Kate as a mom and meeting baby Piper was amazing. Holding the tiny girl in her arms did funny things to Riley's heart. She could practically feel it expanding with love as she coddled and kissed the gorgeous infant. And yet there was a pang of yearning she hadn't expected. Piper seemed content to rest her head in the crook of Riley's neck and nap. Riley patted her bottom gently and closed her eyes, surprised at how much she liked the feeling.

But soon her turn was over and Gram laid claim yet again.

"I'm gonna head outside for a bit," she said, standing and carefully handing the baby over.

In the kitchen, Riley patted Devin on the shoulder as he stood at the sink washing out a bottle. Seeing him there, a big rugged man doing something so domestic and caring for his little girl gave Riley yet another pang. He glanced over and smiled. "She's something, isn't she?" he asked, pride lighting the depths of his eyes.

"Yeah. Gonna be a stunner, that one. I'll be back inside in a sec."

"Everything okay?"

She nodded. "Just getting some air. Last time I was here it was winter…"

"Ian's out there. Send him in if you see him."

"Will do."

Riley stepped onto the back patio and drew in a deep breath of the cool spring air. The sky was so dark, the stars vivid, so different than what she was used to seeing back home. She shoved her hands into her jacket and walked toward the creek that ran behind the lodge. The sound of it running past soothed her mind.

She wanted a family. Wanted what her cousins had. For the last six months she'd thought a lot about her life, her work, and her hang ups. And she'd come to terms with her mistakes and Mark's. Now she was back. James was as magnetic and sexy as she remembered. More so. He looked healthier, his hair had grown some, taking on a more rugged outdoorsy look that she was particularly fond of. Those eyes were just as riveting and intensely blue as before, and he still made her stomach flip and her fingers itch to touch him.

It was odd, another cousin falling for another MacLaren brother. But maybe it was meant to be. Maybe like attracted like. They'd both been through tough times, both brought into the same realm because of their families. Riley bit on the inside of her cheek as she tried to work out her feelings. She'd developed a huge crush on Jamie, so big it felt monumental and detrimental that he feel the same. From the way his gaze raked her, and the torrid expression in his eyes, it appeared as though he did.

Of course, that might just be because she'd dropped her towel and stood there naked in front of him.

An embarrassed sigh escaped her. She just wanted it over with. Wanted to know where the cards fell, what he felt.

The unknown made her jumpy and annoyed. And they were probably wondering where she'd gotten off to. Riley turned to make her way back to the lodge. As she drew closer to the patio a figure separated itself from the shadows near the corner of the house.

Jamie walked through the shaft of light emanating from the kitchen window. Her breath hitched and the butterflies in her stomach started going nuts again.

He stopped several feet away as though not wanting to get too close. "You want to go for a drive, New York?"

That deep, even voice set her blood on fire. Riley swallowed. He looked dark and dangerous, his large form outlined by the light. The guy had presence in spades.

"I already told Ian to let the others know..." His head tilted a fraction. "It's just a drive."

Said the spider to the fly.
"All right. Sure." She could do this. It wasn't like she'd throw herself on him once they got into the truck. Well, she'd better not. Retaining a little dignity after the towel-dropping incident would be nice. No need for him to think she'd pined after him for the last six months. Because she hadn't. Not totally. Nor did he need to know that their moment earlier had caused such a huge firestorm in her body that the flames still lingered. One little spark now and she was pretty sure she'd light up like a damn firework.

As they drove away from the lodge, Riley focused on calming her nerves and putting a lock on the attraction she felt for the hunky Scot. But it was hard. He was within touching distance. His scent filled the cab. Hell, she could even hear him breathing. And even that was a turn on.