Chapter 20
It was several hours later when Bex stumbled into bed, giggling.
After the hangover that had followed Roddy’s proposal, she had been incredibly restrained, with only two glasses of champagne and plenty of food to line her stomach too.
Although the hangover was only part of the reason she didn’t want to drink too much.
Every time she picked up a piece of jewellery, she was terrified she was going to drop it, or break it, or get one of the rings stuck on her finger so it had to be cut off.
Thankfully, that hadn’t happened, although Eilidh had been right about the watches, too.
Two boxes of men’s, one of women’s. Thirty-six in total.
Bex had put a ban on any googling after Eilidh informed her that one of the watches was worth over thirty thousand pounds. A watch worth more than a family car. How was that even possible?
‘Sounds like you three had a lot of fun,’ Duncan said, sweeping his arm around her and pulling her closer into him under the duvet. ‘And don’t worry – I’ve asked one of the men in the village to come over and catalogue everything. Although he said one of us has to be there for security reasons.’
Bex had told Duncan about the discovery when she’d gone downstairs to fetch the champagne, and though he didn’t show it, she could tell he was nervous about having that type of wealth just lying around upstairs, not even in a locked drawer.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘This means we’re rich, doesn’t it?’
‘I think we were rich before. But aye, it does.’ He combed his fingers through her hair. ‘Did you have a good night?’
‘We did,’ she said, snuggling close. ‘We really did. I don’t know why I was so worried about it.’
‘Got some nice outfits to wear?’
‘I’ve got nice outfits and diamond jewellery, too.’
‘Obviously.’ He grinned, kissing her lips. She breathed in his scent of fresh pine.
‘And that’s not even the best bit,’ Bex added, grinning.
‘No? What’s the best bit?’
‘I’ve sent some photos to Amanda and she says they’re beautiful. Amanda said that. To me.’
Duncan rolled over, so that he was facing her. ‘Wow. You might be allowed to plan your own wedding now.’
Bex lifted up her head to kiss him, although she was clearly a little more tipsy than she’d realised when her lips landed on his chin. ‘I’m still planning on eloping.’
‘Can’t happen, my love. I’m sorry.’
She let out a long sigh and dropped back down. ‘Oh, I know, but I can imagine, right?’
‘Always.’
‘And guess what,’ she said, running her hand down his back.
‘I don’t have any meetings in the morning. So I get to lie in bed with my fiancé and kiss every part of his body.’
‘Is that right? You know… you could kiss every part of his body right now.’
‘I think I’m a bit drunk for that,’ she said as Duncan rolled onto his back, ‘but not too drunk. I made sure I was sensible and didn’t get a headache.’
‘That’s very sensible of you.’
She smiled, curling into his side. The moonlight was the only illumination in the room, its milky haze filtering through the thin curtains. And yet she could see everything she needed to. All the love in Duncan’s eyes as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. That was all she needed.
‘I love you,’ she whispered.
‘I love you very much too.’
‘And we’re gonna have the best wedding ever.’
‘I’m sure we are.’
‘Sorry about today, with the truck and everything,’ she said, a sudden solemnity sweeping over her.
‘It’s you I care about,’ Duncan replied, squeezing her a little tighter. ‘I hate seeing you like that. I dinnae care if you forget about things. I care about you. Just you.’
It was true. She knew that. All the jewellery and galas and insane wedding planning didn’t matter.
As long as they had each other. But in the back of her mind, something niggled.
Like the marquee wasn’t the only thing she was supposed to have remembered.
Yet as her eyes began to sag with tiredness, she brushed the worry off. It was just the alcohol, that was all.
Bex was woken by birdsong, but it was a sign of how sensible she’d been with the champagne and wine that she enjoyed the sounds the way she normally did.
As nature’s early morning music filled the room, she considered how ridiculous it was that there had been a time when that had annoyed her.
When she would’ve been grumpy about being abruptly awoken by loud chirping and actually preferred the harsh buzz of her phone alarm. How times had changed.
Now, she loved it. Loved lying here. Listening to the birds. Especially when she was wrapped in the warmth of Duncan’s arms.
‘Hey, sleepyhead,’ Duncan murmured, his lips tracing a lazy line of kisses down her neck. ‘How are you feeling?’
Bex rolled over. ‘Like I promised you a morning in bed together.’
‘I wondered if you’d forgotten?’
‘Absolutely not,’ she said, rolling over and planting a kiss on his lips.
‘Good, because I’ve already let the dogs out, which means you and I are all alone in here.’
‘At last.’
Before Duncan, she’d never known what real love was like. Never realised it was possible to love someone as much as she loved him. And she did. She loved him with every inch of her body.
* * *
‘You make my life better in so many ways,’ Duncan said softly, his voice rumbling against her skin as they lay next to one another, hearts beating hard.
It had been far too long since they’d had time together, but it was always good to remember how incredible it was when they did.
So incredible, it was a wonder that they ever got any work done at all.
If she had her way, she could easily have spent an entire week in this bed with him and only left to pick up takeaway.
Though she could imagine the list of chores that would await her if they took even half that time.
‘Well, I’m not sure that’s entirely true,’ she teased, recalling the day before. She definitely hadn’t made his day better then.
‘It is, 100 per cent,’ Duncan responded.
A soft smile curled her lips. ‘I feel the same.’
As she went in to kiss him again, he spoke. A question she didn’t want to hear.
‘What time’s your first meeting?’
Frustration with reality struck, but she tried to quash it. After all, it wasn’t like she didn’t love her job, and she’d certainly had the best start to her day. ‘Another hour,’ she replied with a glance at her phone. ‘And I need coffee first.’
‘Well…’ Duncan ran his finger up her collarbone. ‘An hour is a pretty long time, how about I come downstairs with you, we make coffee, and then we entertain one another again?’
‘Really, and what do you mean by entertain one another?’ she said, already slipping out of bed.
‘I think you know exactly what I mean.’ Duncan grinned back.
It took all her restraint not to jump straight back into bed, but then a little flirting with the man she loved never hurt.
And so Bex moved over to the drawers and pulled out a little nightie.
One of those completely impractical types that offered no warmth, hitched up when you least wanted it to, but looked very, very good.
‘You know, dressed like that, you’re not going to manage to get me out of bed,’ Duncan said, watching her.
‘Then come downstairs with me. Make coffee. See if I can entertain you down there.’
His eyes widened.
‘What?’ she said innocently. ‘We have all these rooms, maybe it’s time we had fun in some of the others.’
‘Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse.’
He slipped out of bed behind her, and Bex took a moment to admire him, her eyes lingering over his tall frame and tousled hair. It didn’t matter how many times she saw him; he really was a magnificent specimen of a man.
And while she never anticipated them struggling for money again, if they did, maybe she’d suggest he take up modelling.
‘You need to stop looking at me like that,’ Duncan said as they reached the landing.
‘Like what?’
‘Like you don’t want to let me out of your sight.’
‘Maybe it’s because I don’t want to let you out of my sight.’
They reached the ground floor, padded down the hallway, but instead of heading to the kitchen, Bex turned to face him.
‘You know… I think the coffee can wait.’
‘Is that right?’ he asked.
She kissed him.
At some point, surely, they had to lose this intensity. It seemed only inevitable that the kisses would become perfunctory, casual, ordinary. But that time was not now.
It didn’t matter that they’d just been in bed together. She wanted him all over again with even more urgency than before.
Her hands slid down his chest as he hooked his around the small of her back. Giggling, Bex jumped up and wrapped her legs around him, only for him to spin her around and cause a squeal of laughter to erupt from his lungs.
‘Did you hear that?’ Duncan said, stopping suddenly.
‘Hear what?’ Bex said.
‘I’m not sure.’ He frowned, still holding Bex in place on his hips. ‘I thought that—’
Before he could finish talking, the front door swung inwards to reveal a young woman dressed in a flowery outfit.
‘And this, ladies and gentlemen,’ her voice boomed, ‘is the front door of Highland Hall. The castle where the laird and his lovely fiancée live.’