Love Beyond Compare (Book 5 of Morna’s Legacy Series) (7 page)

Orick’s deep laughter seemed to echo off the walls. I feared he was close to the point of having stew come out of his nose. Adwen seemed to be unable to hear it.
 

“Aye, always. There has never been a time when it has no worked for me. Can I ask ye something, lass?”

In truth, I felt rather sorry for him. The look of shock and hurt on his face at my laughter and rejection was so genuine that I couldn’t help but pity him. I’d not intended to hurt his feelings, but I’d sincerely thought him joking.
 

I pulled myself together and resumed my stance of leaning against the wooden bar. “Of course. Ask away.”

“Have ye been in recent contact with a man named Griffith? He’s a young lad, no more than seventeen. Did he agree to pay ye to deny me?”

I closed my eyes, pinching my lids together as I shook my head in astonishment. “What? No. Of course, not.”

“Ye swear to me, lass?”

“Yes. I swear it. I have never met this man Griffith, and I am denying your offer of sex wholly without the incentive of payment.”

Orick stood, finally gaining control over his own laughter as he walked to stand near us. He clasped his hand on Adwen’s shoulder, seemingly as pleased as he could be.
 

“What did I tell ye, Adwen? She is too smart for ye. She willna fall for yer sweet, meaningless lies. She is no so desperate to fall into bed with a fellow like yerself.”

“Fine.” Adwen brushed Orick’s hand from his shoulder, stepping back a pace to regard me at a safer distance. “Perhaps she’s not like most lassies I’ve come across. I shall have to try honesty with her then.”

“Honesty?” I looked back and forth between the two men, waiting for further explanation. “About what?”

“Lass, ye must allow me to bed ye.”

I tried to keep my face as straight as possible. “Oh? And why exactly is that? Not that it matters, because my final answer is a resounding no.”

“Ye must, lass. If ye willna do so, ye sentence me to a lifetime as laird. I doona wish to be laird, Jane. I can assure ye that ’twill be a pleasing experience for ye, and I can see by the look in yer eyes that ye want to bed me as well. Ye show modesty for Orick’s sake, so as no to embarrass the lad. Let me assure ye that there is no need.”

I wasn’t following anything that he said, so I chose to direct my attention to Orick. “What the hell is he talking about?
 

“Well, I doona ken what he meant by the last part. Yer eyes look fair disgusted with him by my sight, but ’tis only that yer rejection has placed him in such shock, delusions have found him. What he means by the other part is that his brother made him a wager that he couldna sleep with a lass in every territory that we visit. If he is able to, his brother will return in five years time to serve as laird in Adwen’s stead.”

“You’re joking? That’s the stupidest and most disgusting bet I’ve ever heard of.”

“Aye, ’tis, but he’s a damned fool, lass.”

Adwen stepped in between Orick and myself to silence him.
 

“Shut yer mouth, Orick. Do ye no see that I’m standing right next to ye? I can reason with the lass myself. Jane, there’s no need to be shy with me. If ye wish to bed me, there’s no harm in that. I’ll treat ye well and willna tell a soul.”

I shook my head, thinking back on the past many months I’d been in the seventeenth century. I’d not had sex in, by my count, more than eighteen months. My dreams had been so inundated with bare-chested men and chiseled abs, I knew I was very much in need of a good roll in the hay. Before this strange, twisted evening, I would have sworn I’d have jumped at the chance to sleep with a man as handsome as Adwen, especially if he was so adamant about sleeping with me. But, as I stood before him, all I could think was, what a crazy, stupid fool.

“I am not being shy, Adwen. I don’t wish to sleep with you at all.”

He surprised me by suddenly reaching forward and grabbing onto my apron, pulling it toward him. I reached up and slapped him hard in the face before backing away to point a stern finger in his face.
 

“You get your hands off me right this instant or I swear to you, I will shove your balls so far up your ass that you will never be able to ‘bed’ another ‘lassie’ for the rest of your life, do you understand me?”

He backed away guiltily, fear in his eyes as he held both hands up in surrender. “I was no going to touch ye, lass. I only meant to cut a piece of yer apron off.”

“Why would you want a piece of my apron?”

“To take back to my brother, so that I can lie to him and tell him I bedded ye.”

I reached down and covered the edges of my apron. “Nope. I’m not going to let you win that shameful, lowly bet that way. And a word to the wise—maybe ask a girl before you yank her toward you like that, especially if it’s just after you asked her to sleep with you a half a dozen times.”

“Ohhh…I like ye, lass. He’s needed someone like ye to cross him for a verra long time.” Orick stood to the side of us, grinning like a child on Christmas morning.
 

“Thank you, Orick. I’m finding myself to be very fond of you as well.” As I smiled in his direction, fatigue seemed to suddenly catch up with me. I was done—physically, mentally, emotionally. I’d not had a day this stimulating in years.
 

“Now, I think we’re done here, fellows. We’ve established that I like Orick, and Orick likes me and that you,” I nodded in Adwen’s direction, “Mr. Crazy-Horny-Douchebag, aren’t getting any sex from me, so I think it’s time we all call it a night. Come this way, and I’ll show you both to your rooms.”

*
 
*
 
*

I led them upstairs to the second floor, deciding to place them in the two rooms near the end of the hallway so that when Gregor and Isobel returned, they wouldn’t be disturbed. I wanted Orick, at least, to have a restful night’s sleep.
 

“You go in here, Orick, and I’ll bid you goodnight. I’ll head back to the castle once the innkeepers get home. It was such a pleasure meeting you, really. I’m so sorry you have to put up with this one all the time.”

He reached forward to take my hand and tenderly brought it up to his lips before bowing his head to me. “I canna say that I have enjoyed meeting a lass more in a verra long time. I have no had such a pleasurable evening in years.”

Orick remained in the doorway, no doubt making sure that Adwen was safely inside his room and unable to harass me further before making his way to bed. I appreciated it immensely.
 

“Adwen, this is your room. Thank you for choosing to stay with us this evening and try to have a safe journey back to Cagair Castle. I’m so sorry that you have to spend the rest of your life living in a big, giant castle with loads of money and people to order around. Truly, my heart goes out to you.”

He glared at me and moved to shut his door but hesitated just before it latched, sticking just his head and hand out through the opening as he extended it in my direction.

“I offer ye my sincere apologies, lass. I dinna mean to offend ye so. Please take my hand so that I know ye forgive me. I willna be able to sleep otherwise.”

I rolled my eyes as I allowed my palm to make contact with his. It was warm, strong and soft, and I hated how nice his fingers felt around my own. Without me even noticing, he’d pulled me in closer to the doorway.
 

“Hey. What did I tell you about that? Quit jerking people around so. It’s not polite.”

He smiled, his eyes now level with mine as he hunched down, “I’m sorry, Jane. I only wished to ask ye a question. I’ve heard stories, though until now I doubted their truth, about lassies that enjoy the company of other…lassies. Is this why ye have denied me? I will keep yer secret if ’tis true.”

I laughed as I pulled my hand from his grip and stepped away from the door. “What? You think I’m a lesbian?”

Adwen frowned, pulling his door open once again. “I doona know what a ‘lesbian’ is, but aye, I believe ye must prefer lassies to have denied me so.”

His arrogance, not his accusation, angered me. Confidence was undoubtedly attractive, to an extent, but I’d never witnessed such utter self-assurance on this level before.
 

“I can assure you, I do not prefer ‘lassies’.”

“Say what ye wish, lass. I doona think I can believe ye.”

In that moment, something in my brain short-circuited. I didn’t want that foolish, self-obsessed man to go on believing that the only woman to ever have denied him only did so because her sexual preferences laid elsewhere. “Oh yeah, Adwen? Do you think I’m a lesbian now?”

I all but charged Orick, throwing my arms around him as I kissed him with as much passion as those bare-chested men in my most recent dreams.

CHAPTER 9

 
The sound of a deep, painful cough in conjunction with the soft smack of Isobel’s hand against Gregor’s arm stilled me as I moved myself against Orick’s all-too-willing lips.
 

“Ach, Gregor. Why canna ye ever kiss me that way? If ye did, we might have a few children by now.”

Humiliation set in quickly as my brain registered that we now had more of an audience than just Adwen’s disbelieving eyes. Slowly, I unhinged my arms from around Orick’s neck and peeled myself off him, turning first to look at Adwen.
 

He sat back with his arms crossed; complete aggravation etched his face.
 

Embarrassed and uncomfortable, I wiped my sleeve across my mouth and threw a hesitant glance in Orick’s direction to check on him. He seemed too pleased to feel embarrassed, nodding at me in acknowledgement before throwing Adwen one of the most unabashed eat shit grins I’d ever seen.
 

“Out. The both of ye.” It was Gregor’s voice. He was angry, and I could hear the weariness in his tone. “I doona know either of ye men, and I dinna leave Jane here so that she could be assaulted in such a way. I doona wish for business from men such as ye.”

I waved both my hands rather dramatically to gain his attention. As much as I liked the idea of Adwen being kicked out into the cold all night—it would no doubt do him some good to suffer one night of hardship in his life—I didn’t wish for either man to be punished for something they had no fault in.
 

“Wait, Gregor. They didn’t do anything. It was me…I kissed him. Let them stay.”

Isobel raised a brow and gave me a small smile, no doubt completely unsurprised by my forwardness.
 

“Ah—then perhaps ’tis what I need to do to ye then, Gregor. This poor lad seems to have enjoyed himself. Ye might, as well.”

“No, Isobel. I wouldna enjoy myself. Ye need do nothing but get yerself in bed. I’ll see to these lads and then send Jane on her way back home. Go to bed.”

I watched Isobel’s reaction carefully. She gave no sign of hurt or aggravation, instead understanding shown in her eyes as she nodded. Clearly, something had happened during their evening away that gave Isobel reason to understand Gregor’s short temper. Otherwise, I knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t put up with such snippy behavior from him.
 

“Fine, I’ll go to bed, but ye willna be sending Jane away alone. Ye shall escort her back.”

“Isobel, ye must be mad if ye think I will leave ye under this roof with these two scoundrels.”

“Scoundrels?” Isobel’s tone was amused and pitchy. “Ye dinna listen to a word Brenna said earlier, did ye? We are clearly in the company of the new Laird MacChristy, Gregor. I assure ye, I’ll be safe enough with the both of them.” She glanced confidently in Adwen’s direction. “Aye?”

“Of course ye will.” Adwen stepped forward to reach for her hand, all smooth manners and façade. It was nauseating.
 

Gregor, who still seemed to be taking everything in, said nothing. I took the opportunity to intervene.
 

“Gregor, you stay here. Please, I’ll be fine. I’ve ridden the way back dozens of times.”

Gregor looked apologetically my way, his voice strained and worried as he spoke. “No, lass, I agree with my wife. ’Tis no right for me to allow ye to travel back alone, but I willna bring ye myself. I canna leave my wife. I willna do so.”

It didn’t hurt my feelings in the slightest that he refused to serve as my escort. If anything, it endeared him to me. I couldn’t help but respect how fiercely he loved Isobel. There was no one in the world he would ever place above her.
 

“That’s fine. That’s what I want you to do. Truthfully, I can see myself back, but if you insist, I’m sure Orick will escort me.” I twisted to look at him in question and immediately, he took a step forward to stand by my side.
 

“Aye, o’ course, I’d be happy to see ye back, lass.”

“No.” Gregor seemed to raise himself a good inch as he stood up straight and pushed his chest out, giving us all his most authoritative stature. He pointed at Orick. “I willna be letting ye go anywhere with the lass.”

“Gregor, he’s fine. I kissed him, really. He’ll be a perfectly good escort. I’d rather go with him than Adwen.”

I’d only seen Gregor’s scary stance of authority a few times down in the kitchen, when he’d get frustrated and, as usual, I’d get argumentative. Eventually, he’d pull himself up and get all puffy like a pissed off penguin, and I knew immediately there was no use arguing with him further. It was exactly how he stood now.