Chapter 14 It’s Only Lust
IT’S ONLY LUST
I sit up on the bed and stare at the door Lachlan walked through. It’s closed and water sounds from inside. A bathroom.
I need to wash off Lachlan’s Scottish—no, English—no, English and Scottish cum from my body. It’s drying and feels sticky on my neck. I don’t want a reminder of anything pleasurable with him.
I can’t believe he just left me here.
The water in the bathroom turns off.
I climb from the bed, snatch my clothes, and sloppily pull on my dress.
I’m in a historically designed bedroom. Regal with its rich red and gold fabrics and wood furniture.
This is how I pictured Scotland. The room is big with a view of the sprawling sea.
I walk to the windows and stare at the blue ripples.
Calm isn’t how I’d describe the choppy ocean.
Below a narrow path of lawn, similar to a hole on a golf course, follows the cliffs to an even thinner strip of land. Grass and rock fight for ownership down the cliffs edge. Waves crash into the coastline with white splashes that spray in different directions. So many rocks.
I can’t see much else, like what’s to the right or left. If I really want to get a lay of the land, I should go to the roof and try to see from one of the turrets.
That will have to wait until I find my bedroom, shower, change, and then figure out how to get to the kitchen. My stomach grumbles with hunger. When was the last time I ate? The hotel? That was eleven or so hours ago. No wonder I’m starving.
With no sounds coming from inside the bathroom, I open the door. It’s empty. There are three other doors in the large space. One must lead out. There is no sign that Lachlan used so much as a hand towel.
When I glimpse myself in the mirror, my appearance shocks me.
My hair sticks out like straw. Mom would kill me.
My cheeks are flushed, and my eyes are bright, despite my new sour mood.
An orgasm looks good on me, my disheveled state aside.
I open my dress to put on my bra and notice my pink nipples are now red like they’re covered in hickeys. I suppose they are.
Wow. He went to town, which means he liked feasting on me. On my boobs. My worst feature. If he liked them so much, maybe someone else will too. This is nothing I’ve ever entertained, thanks to Pippa.
After what I’ll call a little mishap with Lachlan, I’m not as afraid to share myself with a man. Maybe someone in the future will find my breasts attractive too.
My lips curl with a smile of hope only to drop with the memory of how that future is off the table for me now. Lachlan made it clear I am his and only his. He’s not going to seek sex from anyone other than me.
Not if I can help it.
And I will have to help myself with serious restraint because the way he kisses and pleasures me is hard to resist. I can fight my desire. It’s only lust. And if I resist Lachlan enough, he’ll get frustrated and give up on trying. That’s how it works. Right?
With my dress open and my chest bare, I take a washcloth and wipe myself clean.
My nipples are so sore, even the brush of the cloth hurts.
I tuck them into my strapless bra with a wince and fix my dress so I look decent.
The material is wrinkled and bunched in some areas, and my shoulder is a bit sore. Lachlan couldn’t have caused all this.
The attack at the airport jumps to the front of my mind, stealing my breath. The memory had faded when I arrived, but with my head clearer now, the ordeal seems even scarier.
Someone drugged and tried to kidnap me. I’ll never use a public bathroom again without a buddy or being afraid.
Thanks for that, Lachlan. I scowl. And for leaving me when I don’t know how to navigate this castle.
I stomp back into the room and snatch the coat he gave me from the bed.
Lachlan’s rich scent almost has me tossing it back, but this castle isn’t exactly warm.
It would also hide my rumpled dress. With it draped over my shoulders, I exit the room into a hallway with high ceilings.
Wood panels with molding and ornamental flourishes cover the walls.
Paintings of historic-looking people—ancestors maybe—are on display.
Rug runners soften the rich wood floors.
I half expected to see stone walls and armored knights with swords.
This is cozy compared to its massive size.
The hallway splits in three directions. Which way to go? I turn right in search of stairs. Calling for help is not an option. Lachlan would like that I’m distressed or might even bargain sex favors for his help. Definitely staying quiet.
Eventually, I come to a square spiral staircase framed by thick wood columns and ornately carved paneling. It leads both up and down, with a wide opening in the center revealing every floor. The view from the bottom must be impressive, and, from the top, a bit terrifying if you fear heights.
I have no idea which way to go, but I’m betting down will lead to people.
A woman suddenly appears in the hallway I just left.
She looks about Lachlan’s age and is pretty and elegant in a Catherine, Princess of Wales, way.
She even has brown hair and blue eyes that almost sparkle.
A splatter of light freckles adds a touch of sweetness to her sophisticated appearance.
For stupid reasons, I’m jealous that she’s beautiful and proportioned in a way I could never be.
No ridiculous boobs to stuff into her cream blouse and navy blazer, which are paired with tan, fitted pants, and sleek heels.
She stares at me as if she’s seeing a ghost. After a few shocked blinks, her gaze tracks down my outfit. I want to hide from embarrassment. She’s judging me. It’s there in her eyes, even though nothing else about her expression is readable.
“Hi,” I say to break the weird silence. “I’m Emery.” I put out my hand in greeting.
She studies it as if looking for something, then her gaze shifts to my other hand where it holds the jacket to my shoulder. She zeros in on my wedding ring.
I snatch my hand back and say, “I just got here and I’m a little lost. You wouldn’t happen to know where my room is? Or a concierge?” I add as a joke.
“Emery?” she asks in a gentle voice as if she never raises it. Her features soften with a kind smile that seems a bit forced. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kat.” She offers her hand in greeting now, and we shake. “Forgive my shock, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
She’s obviously as thrown by this as I am. “That makes two of us. I hadn’t planned to come. However, my husband—” Did I just say that? “—decided otherwise.”
“Husband,” she muses with a hint of sadness in her eyes. “It’s hard to believe Lachlan is married.”
She talks about him as if she knows him intimately. She’s in his house, which suggests she does.
It shouldn’t stir jealousy in me. Nothing about Lachlan should. Yet, I can’t keep from asking, “And how do you know him?”
Her lips pucker as if she’s fighting a grin that says I know him better than you.
She clears her throat, and her features relax into what I know now is a very practiced expression.
“Lachlan has been a family friend for years. We met back in England when he was at Eton. Seems so long ago.” She pauses as if caught in the memory.
“Time slips away so easily.” She blinks and her vision regains focus.
“My apologies. You were searching for your bedroom?”
I nod.
“I can help with that. Follow me.”
The part of me that’s desperate to change wants to ask if she has something I can wear, but my pride won’t let me. With her tall, slender figure, I doubt I’d fit into her shirts or dresses anyway.
I follow her up two more sets of stairs and have to stop to catch my breath. Meanwhile she’s fine.
“I just…” Pant, pant. “Need a second.”
“Of course. You’re probably not used to this. Castle life.” She gestures to the grand staircase that has finally reached the top.
That makes this place four stories. Wow. My estate back home is long like a football field but only two stories. Three, if you count the finished basement.
“Lachlan should invest in an elevator.” I lean against the large wood newel post.
“There is one. The servants use it for laundry and food and such. You’re welcome to use it as well. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”
Servants? Is that what they call them here, or does she just call them that? “No, thanks. This is great for my ass. I’ve been meaning to focus on it more at the gym. Now, I won’t have to.”
She doesn’t need to know I don’t work out—not really.
Kat smiles again but with obvious disgust. “Well, then. Shall we continue?”
I’d rather drop to the floor and rest longer and have someone bring me a snack while I rebuild my strength, but I’m determined to prove I’m not as out of shape as I appear. “Sure thing.”
She leads us down another wood paneled hallway. “There are a few rules we oblige to here at the castle,” she says, confusing me.
“We? How many people live here?”
“He didn’t tell you?” She stops and gives me a pitying look. “Hmm.”
That hmm holds weight.
“Well, there’s Lachlan and now you. His brother, Rory.
His best friend and business colleague, Wes.
His aunt, Moria, occasionally, as well as myself when I’m needed.
And the staff, which I believe has ten people.
Lorna is the head housekeeper and Lachlan’s favorite.
She was his mother’s favorite too. God rest her soul.
” She puts her hand over her heart. “This was her castle after all. Lachlan only inherited it upon her death, and that has caused its own feud as I’m sure you’ve already heard. ”
“Of course,” I say, although the version he gave me was short. Had I not been kidnapped, I doubt he would have shared it at all. I’m not about to admit that to her. Nothing about Kat says she’s genuine.
“You said there were rules?” I ask and add, “Lachlan got called away when we arrived.” I can’t admit he left me stranded after giving me my first orgasm.
She nods. “No guests without approval from Lachlan, and Lorna must be informed beforehand. Dinner is at 8:30 sharp with proper attire.” She rubs under her nose, making me think I smell.
Like sex and Lachlan maybe. And whatever filth I picked up in the airport bathroom. Oh god, I probably do stink.
“The gentlemen retire to the cigar room after dinner, no ladies allowed. The distillery is on the property but restricted to employees only.”
Distillery. So that’s the factory. I bet he makes scotch.
“Each floor has a gallery that you’re welcome to linger in.
The kitchen, indoor pool, and ballroom are on the first floor.
The wine cellar is in the basement, though it’s something of a labyrinth.
Best stay clear, unless you fancy being lost for days.
The formal dining, and gathering room, are on the second floor as well as Lachlan’s study.
That, too, is off-limits unless he invites you in, of course.
That floor also has a library if you read.
There’s a second library in the highest tower, but it belonged to his mother and is strictly forbidden. ”
His mother liked books. Suddenly, I miss a woman I’ll never get to meet. We might have gotten along, if only for our love of reading. I wish I knew more about her and how she died. Those answers will have to wait.
“The third and fourth floor are mostly bedrooms.” She walks a few steps and passes under an archway that leads to a single door. “And this is Lachlan’s bedroom. I assume he wants to share it with his… wife.”
Is she asking me? Honestly, I don’t know.
My guess is he doesn’t, but I don’t want to tell her that.
I also don’t want to invade his personal space.
He doesn’t seem like the type who’s okay with that.
I can’t stand here in front of Ms. Perfect though, like I’m not Lachlan’s real wife.
I am his legal wife, but I don’t know what I am otherwise.
Should I play the part in front of her? Is this castle considered public?
He shouldn’t have left me. He should have explained what I needed to know. Like these stupid rules, although they’re not much different from what I grew up with.
“Thank you, Kat.” I give her my sweetest, fake smile. “I appreciate your help.”
“My pleasure.” She stands there for a moment as if she’s waiting for me to go in.
I turn toward the door and try the handle, praying it isn’t locked. How dumb would that make me look?
To my relief, the knob turns. “Thanks again,” I say over my shoulder, wondering why she’s not leaving. I close the door behind me and take in my husband’s bedroom.