Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
“All right now, lass,” Theo said, trying to pry Amber off his leg. He glanced at Lavina for help.
She darted to him in an instant and dropped to her knees.
“Ye can let go, darling,” she crooned.
Her voice was like bells to his ears. He could listen to her all day and never tire of the harmony in her tone.
Amber’s grip tightened on his leg, and she shook her head defiantly.
“Come now, the fox is gone. Ye can let him go.”
The sound of the dinner gong rang through the keep and spilled out into the garden. Theo’s stomach growled with hunger as he glared playfully at the girl.
“Looks like I’ve got a growth,” he grunted, shaking out his leg.
Amber burst into giggles; they sounded like gentle chimes.
Resigned to having her clinging to his leg, Theo proceeded to the kitchen. One leg in front of the other, he trudged up the garden path. Every step was a struggle, but the smile on her face made it all worthwhile.
He found comfort in their little game, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lavina smile. She beamed so brightly that it could have put the sun to shame.
“What do ye think about that?” she asked as he pulled the kitchen door open.
“Ask me again later,” he replied.
It wasn’t the answer Lavina had been expecting.
Theo watched as confusion flashed across her features.
“All right now, lass. Ye can get off. Ye’ll ruin yer dress if ye get dragged across the floor. I ruined many breeches as a lad, doin’ what ye’re doin’ now. So trust me, I ken what I’m talkin’ about.”
With a little hesitation, Amber unwrapped herself from his leg and stepped back from him.
Theo’s eyes widened as he noticed the rags she wore. His attention immediately shifted to Lavina.
“Are ye nae supposed to be tendin’ to the child’s needs?” he asked, his voice thick with accusation.
Lavina paused and folded her arms over her chest.
“It’s nae me fault. It’s the only thing the girl wants to wear. I’ve shown her other dresses.”
Theo grunted.
Lavina opened her mouth. But just as he put up a hand to silence her, Maisie emerged from the kitchen.
“Perfect timing. Maisie, will ye be so kind as to take Amber and get her something to eat? She needs some meat on her bones.”
Theo kept his eyes on Lavina, daring her to take a step past him. He watched as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her nerves rising under his stern gaze.
“I think I heard the cook mention bread pudding,” Maisie said cheerfully, taking Amber by the hand and leading her away from them.
“If ye’re about to tell me that I dinnae care for the girl or yell at me—” Lavina started to protest.
But before she could continue, Theo pulled her to a nook in the hallway, behind the tapestry. Then, he crushed his lips to hers.
How he had missed her, despite it only being a few hours since he had last seen her.
“And here I thought ye were goin’ to scold me,” Lavina huffed.
Theo realized his hunger had shifted. It was no longer food he needed, but pleasure only Lavina could give.
“The lass has been wearin’ the same thing since she came here. I ken she willnae give it up so easily, but she ran to me. Ye saw that, did ye?” he asked, the heat of embarrassment crashing against his steely resolve. “That was the first time she’d done that. She wouldnae have, were it nae for ye.”
“I cannae take credit for that,” Lavina murmured, twisting his hair around her finger.
The light tugs were distracting. It took all the strength he had not to bend her over the window, shove her skirts to her waist, and put his child inside her.
The thought rocked him to his bones.
He stepped back, wondering if she had enchanted him—or if he was making the choice of his own volition. Reaching up, he plucked a feather from her hair and realized it wasn’t just her. It was him as well.
It was far too easy to picture making a family with her. A child to bind them together.
The rumbling of his stomach masked his true desires, despite the increasing tightness of his pants. He couldn’t bear a moment longer without food.
“We need to get something in ye before ye pass out on me. And mind ye, I willnae hesitate to step aside and watch ye fall. Ye’re too big for me to even consider breakin’ yer fall.”
Theo laughed as he leaned in once again to steal another kiss.
If there was one thing he was starting to admire, it was his wife’s wit. She was more than a curvy, sassy lass—she was clever and witty. And one thing was absolutely certain: she was unlike any woman he had ever met.
His heart swelled as it dawned on him just how blessed he was to have a wife like her.
“And the barkeep slapped his daughter so hard that she went cross-eyed!”
Stephen howled with laughter, which caused Amber’s eyes to fly open.
“I think someone is ready for bed,” Lavina said with a smirk that Theo wished he could sear into his brain forever.
But she was right; the child was tired.
“Come here, lass,” he murmured, scooping Amber up into his arms.
Theo looked down at the girl in his arms. She could have been a doll. She was light enough to be one. Yet, as he marched down the hallway, she stirred and nestled into his chest.
He pulled in a long, deep breath. The feel of something so small in his strong, lean arms astonished him. Amber was fragile and skittish, but she was slowly coming around—and it was all thanks to Lavina.
Glancing over his shoulder, Theo half expected to find his wife following behind silently. To his shock, she was nowhere to be found.
Undeterred, he made his way through the foyer, up the steps, and down the hallway to Amber’s chambers. With each step, he couldn’t help but marvel at the small, delicate child in his arms. She was blood. His daughter. And despite the dirt on her cheeks, he could see the resemblance.
The door barely made a sound as he pushed through. Had it not been for the wooden blocks scattered about the floor, he wouldn’t have made a sound. He glared at the devious devices, hell-bent on twisting his ankles with each step he took.
Sweeping his foot in a wide arc, Theo brushed aside the traps before he could trip over them. Carefully, he laid Amber in her bed and kissed her on the forehead.
For a moment, he felt a pang of guilt for leaving her in the same dress, but the child refused to change. What could he do about it?
His eyebrow rose as a grin tugged at the corners of his lips. He’d get rid of the rags she wore and force her to wear something better. She was a McGowan, after all, and she had to look the part if she was going to dine beside him.
As he pulled back, the door creaked, and the nanny poked her head inside. Her eyes widened with shock the moment she spotted him. Her mouth opened to let out a yelp, but then recognition dawned in her eyes.
Embarrassed, she stepped back and closed the door. Theo moved swiftly to the door and pulled it open.
“Me Laird, I’m sorry. I didnae ken it was ye,” she started, her head bowed low.
Theo placed his hand on her shoulder and waited until she glanced back up at him. “Amber needs to bathe. She’s filthy in the rags she calls a dress.”
“I ken, Me Laird. We’ve tried—” She clamped her mouth shut when he fixed her with a glare.
“Ye’re to take Amber to the loch in the morning. If she refuses to change, then she can be dunked. We willnae have her stink up the whole keep.”
The maid bowed and swiftly craned her neck to steal a glimpse of Amber. She nodded and stood stiff until Theo removed his hand from her shoulder.
“And make sure the bed is changed while she’s gone. Nay point in comin’ back clean just to get things dirty again.”
“Aye, Me Laird,” she said.
With that, Theo stepped out, moving like a shadow through Amber’s room to the main door. The door barely made a sound as he opened it and stepped out into the hallway.
“Well, that was sweet.”
Lavina’s voice startled him. He turned around quickly to find her leaning against the wall, a huge smirk on her face.
His eyes narrowed as he gently closed the door behind him and stepped up to her. “I dinnae ken what ye’re talkin’ about.”
“Amber fallin’ asleep in yer arms like that at dinner. She really has come a long way from when I first met her. Next thing, ye’ll be readin’ bedtime stories to her.”
Theo shook his head. He couldn’t believe Amber would change so drastically just because of a fox. Yet hope sprouted and bloomed like ivy twisting around his heart.
“Aye, she has,” he agreed.
Lavina batted her long lashes and pushed off the wall. “And I think ye have as well,” she whispered, her fingers trailing down his torso.
Her finger was like a hot iron rod, searing his flesh through his shirt as it moved. She drew closer. The scent of wildflowers and sunshine swirled about him, enticing and enchanting him.
Lavina was like a siren as she moved around him, tormenting him with her lustful gaze.
“Tease,” he mumbled when her hand dropped to her side.
She glanced over her shoulder before flashing him a guilty smile and wagging a finger for him to follow.
Theo didn’t need to be told twice. He darted after her just as she took off down the hallway.
He found her vexing and adorable. She was like the rain he so desperately needed but could never get enough of.
Her laughter echoed through the corridor. They didn’t care who heard them. He engulfed her in his strong arms and backed her up against the wall. He let his hands roam over her curves.
Lavina didn’t protest but pressed her body against his eagerly, her fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck.
His hunger was all-consuming. He nipped her neck, savoring the little goosebumps rising over her skin. Her grip tightened on his hair, threatening to pull it out by its roots.
The sensation was thrilling and alarming. Comforting, as well as on the verge of sending him over the edge with desire. He nuzzled her ample bosom, enjoying the warmth and peace he found there.
She pulled his head back before he could settle and crushed her lips to his with a fierceness that fed the carnal need raging within him.
“Take me now. To our chambers,” Lavina breathed between kisses.
Theo reveled in her distress, but who was he to deny her anything she craved?
“As ye wish, Me Lady. But I must warn ye, I may nae be as gentle as I was last time. I dinnae think I have it in me to be so restrained,” he warned playfully, before throwing her over his shoulder.
Lavina’s squeal sent a shiver of pleasure through him.
“I’m yers to do with as ye please,” she said, her tone so trusting. “And I ken ye will never hurt me.”