No Risk Refused

His body seemed to be growing even harder. She was intensely aware of every plane and angle, and the thrill of lying there beneath him was so much better than she’d ever imagined in her fantasies. His mouth was close, too. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her lips.

Panic spurted. She had to do something. Push him away. But her muscles seemed paralyzed. And her brain wasn’t doing much better.

She was going to have to rely on her mouth. “Get off of me.”

When he rolled away and rose to his feet, Adair realized that she’d never said anything more contrary to her desire. She’d wanted him to continue to lie on top of her; she’d wanted his mouth on hers. She’d wanted him to touch her the way he had in the dream she’d had a few hours ago. She’d wanted…

Stop, she said to herself.

Get back down here, she wanted to say to him.

“I’m going to have a hell of a headache in the morning, Princess. Are you all right?”

The easiness of his tone and his use of the nickname he’d given her helped her to gather her thoughts. So did the fact that he’d backed a few steps away and didn’t offer her his hand as she stood up. If he had…

Don’t go there.

“I’m just fine.” That was a total lie. She still couldn’t feel her legs, but she managed to fist her hands on her hips. “I’ll be a lot better once you answer some questions. First, what are you doing breaking into the castle in the middle of the night and into Angus’s secret cupboard? Second, how did you even know about that cupboard? It’s a MacPherson secret. Last, but not least, where is the earring?”

The barrage of questions made Cam smile. Even in the dimness he could see the flash of fire in her eyes. The heat they’d generated together a few seconds ago threatened to erupt again. He’d been right about the hair-trigger effect she’d have on his senses. It had taken all of his control to get up when she’d told him to. Every cell in his body had been focused on kissing her. And he’d have wanted to do a lot more than that. He still did. He was a man who trusted his impulses, went with them. In two quick strides, he could…

As if she sensed his intentions, she took a quick step back. “Are you going to answer my questions or not?”

She was close to the stairs and if his memory was correct, she was fast. If she ran she might get away. He might be able to let her.

It took a wise man to know when his first impulse wasn’t his best one.

“Well?” She tapped her foot.

He held up a hand. “It’s taking me a few seconds to process all of the questions. If you ever decide to give up the wedding destination gig, the CIA will hire you. They can always use a good interrogator.”

“I could use some answers.”

“I’m here because your dad and my mom called Reid. They thought that one of us should check out the earring and the security system. I made much better time than I expected to, and I didn’t want to wake you.”

“So you broke in?”

“I decided to check out the security system and the earring without bothering you and your aunt Vi. The system is pretty good. It would take a pro or someone with a buddy on the inside to get through it. And since your dad mentioned that you’d put the earring in Angus’s secret cupboard, I just wanted to check and see if it was still there. It was.”

“How did you know about the secret cupboard?”

“My brother and I convinced your sister Nell to show it to us years ago. And I was a bit worried about how ‘secret’ it was.”

For a moment she said nothing. He felt the pull between them even more strongly than he’d felt it seven years ago, and he knew she felt it, too.

She turned and started up the stairs. “I’ll show you to your room.”

“Wait.” He turned to pick up his duffel, and his hand collided with something else. A stoneware pitcher. It had to have been what she’d clubbed him with. “Way to go, Princess. I’ve never been taken out by a pitcher before.”

“My pleasure,” she said as she led the way up the staircase.

“I’ll bet.” But he didn’t say it out loud, nor did he let the chuckle escape as he followed her.

* * *

“YOU’RE WILLING TO share your recipe for these delicious scones?” Bunny Maitland sprang from her chair, excitement clear in her voice.

“I’ll do more than that,” Vi said. “I’ll demonstrate. Follow me.”

Adair watched her Aunt Vi usher Bunny Maitland out of her office right on schedule and willed away the headache that was throbbing at the back of her skull.

Then she shifted her attention to Rexie. The bride-to-be hadn’t talked much during their meeting.

There hadn’t been much chance for anyone to talk while Bunny was sharing the good news like a weather reporter on a sunny day. The wedding would go on as scheduled. A good night’s sleep with all that magic mountain air and quiet—blah, blah, blah—had settled Rexie’s nerves.

Adair sorely wished the “magic” air had settled her own. Fat chance of that after her run-in with Cam, which had fueled more fantasies than the ones she’d already written down.

She hadn’t been able to catch more than a few winks of sleep. Not with her mind racing at full speed, imagining what might have happened if she hadn’t let him up from the foyer floor.

Thank heavens her arms hadn’t been working.

Too bad her arms hadn’t been working.

Adair pressed a hand to her stomach in an attempt to quell the heat that had centered there, but it was already radiating out to her fingers and toes.

Cam had clearly felt nothing at all. According to Aunt Vi, he’d left her a note that he’d left the castle early to visit the library in Glen Loch. Research on the missing sapphire jewels. He was obviously totally focused on his purpose in coming to the castle.

And she had to focus on hers. Reaching for her mug, she took a long swallow of her cooled coffee and shifted her full attention to Rexie. She wasn’t sure how long Vi could distract Bunny, and this might be her only opportunity to discover what was bothering the young girl.

The best description Adair could come up with for the expression on Rexie’s face was resignation.

So she asked the question that she might not want the answer to. “Rexie, do you want to marry Lawrence?”

“Of course.” The answer came quickly but Rexie didn’t meet her eyes.

Not good.

“Why do you want to marry him?”

Rexie’s eyes lifted to hers. “Because I want to do something right. I messed up my first marriage because I didn’t choose the right person. Lawrence is perfect for me.”

The fact that Rexie’s answer sounded memorized only increased the intensity of Adair’s headache. “How is Lawrence perfect?”

“My father and mother like him—he’s been such a good friend to them. And our marriage will help solidify the merger between Maitland Enterprises and Banes Ltd. This is my chance to help with that. My duty. Lawrence has already bought a beautiful estate for us on Long Island. He has memberships in two very prestigious golf and tennis clubs nearby. He’s going to hire a pro to help me improve my game. And his estate has a stable. He’s going to let me keep a horse. I used to show horses when I was younger.”

Adair studied Rexie. As she’d listed all the advantages of marrying Lawrence Banes, it reminded her of all the reasons she’d listed for herself when she’d decided to date Baxter DuBois exclusively. Of course, he’d pointed them out to her. They’d already teamed up on several projects at the office, and becoming a “team” outside the office would only enhance that. It would put them on the fast track for promotions. And the plan had worked at first. But then Bax’s career had begun to advance faster than hers.

She hadn’t seen it at first because she’d trusted him. More than that, she’d trusted her own judgment. It wasn’t until she’d had that final meeting with her supervisor that she’d learned how wrong she’d been. Bax had been taking all the credit for their success, even for the last client that she had brought in. She’d trusted him, and he’d dumped her the same day she’d been fired. He’d explained in his email that it might tarnish his image at the company if he continued to be seen with her. She of all people had to know how important perception was in the cutthroat world of career advancement.

She certainly did now. In Rexie’s perception Lawrence Banes was the perfect husband. Was he? “Rexie, are you in love with Lawrence?”

Panic flashed into the young girl’s eyes. “If I marry him beneath the stone arch, I will be. And I’ll be happy. Won’t I?”

Adair heard Bunny’s voice, her aunt’s laughter. She needed more time with the young bride-to-be, and she needed some help. “Why don’t we go down there right now? You didn’t have time to check it out yesterday—what with the storm and all. That way you can get a better feeling about it.”