Kilt Trip by L.L. Muir

Author:L.L. Muir [Muir, L.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-03-19T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

Rory was roused by raucous laughter. He had been unconscious for only a moment but felt surprisingly refreshed. Still, his friends were a bit heartless if they laughed at an injured man, so he lay still to determine if they were amused by something other than himself.

“Do you suppose he’ll be alright?” Bridget asked, the worry in her voice not completely disguised by her light tone.

Ian scoffed. “He’ll be fine. Now tell us what happened.”

Rory listened while Bridget made him out to be her hero for carrying her bleeding body up the stairs and staunching the flow of blood with his square of wool. She left out her wee rampage though he had hoped to learn what had lit her tail afire. As he remembered it, he’d been prodding her, waiting for her admission that she wanted another kiss, which she had. The way she’d stared at his lips could have meant nothing else. But instead, she’d called him to task for kissing her in the past. It had gone all to hell from there.

Yes, he’d kissed her. And he’d enjoyed it both times, even though she was English. In his mind, he’d been generous to set aside the circumstances of her birth. In hers, she’d been insulted. Two points of view that would never align. Reason a’ plenty to avoid each other for the rest of the journey.

She’d imagined his disdain, but he’d realized disdain was the best way to keep his obsession in check. However, in spite of the way he’d treated her since her injury, she still defended him to the others.

When it sounded like Bridget had gone into the trees to see to her needs, Mallory spoke in hushed tones to the rest. “I took one look at her face and was sure that he had taken liberties with her.”

“No. Rory would never…”

If Connor was so quick to defend him, why, then, hadn’t he believed Bridget’s account?

“Shhh. I think he’s coming around.” Vivianne’s voice sounded very near, like she might have been bending over him, so he forced himself to relax completely.

“What did Bridget say?” Ian’s voice.

“She insisted he hadn’t.” The woman had straightened away from him again. He was tempted to peek, but he didn’t.

“You don’t suppose she told him about the quest,” Mallory hissed.

“Shhh. Careful, Mal,” said her friend. “These men made a wager on which of them will be the first to learn our secrets. Mind your tongue.”

“I just wondered if… Perhaps that’s why the man was so foul today. Perhaps he caught her trying to…” Mallory said no more.

“Oh, fer pity’s sake! Trying to what?”

Ian’s outburst would have woken the dead. None would believe Rory could have slept through it.

“Rory?” Connor bent close. “Can ye hear me man?”

Rory answered Connor with a fist to his face.

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