Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

I vy headed back to the drinks table where she had been talking with Effie earlier. She found a large goblet and filled it with wine. She really was quite thirsty, and as the wine was deliciously cool, she soon drained the goblet and poured herself another.

Most of the people she knew were dancing, so she spent a few quiet minutes by herself, sipping the wine, tapping her foot in time to the music, and trying to look as if she was enjoying herself and merely taking a breather from the floor.

However, inside, she was still seething from the encounter with the haughty coquette, Lady Helen. She was bad enough, but the way Liam had pandered to the woman’s obvious attempts to flirt with him had upset her more than she thought possible. She had never seen him so suave and charming, clearly basking in the attentions of a beautiful woman.

But I suppose, with him bein’ so handsome, he’s had a lot of practice with charmin’ women. Ach, let’s be honest about it — he’s probably had lots of women.

“So why nae me?” asked a little voice inside her head “Is there somethin’ wrong with me?”

She could still see them from where she was standing. In fact, she could not take her eyes off them. There was Liam’s dark head and his broad shoulders, standing out above most of the other guests, and few inches below, the top of Lady Helen’s blonde crown of plaits.

The current dance came to a tumultuous conclusion, and the hoots and shouts and whistles of the guests filled the hall to the rafters. While the next dance was announced, folk poured from the dance floor, and Ivy was glad for the distraction when one of the villagers she recognized came up and invited her to partner him in the coming reel.

But out on the floor, her jealousy flared again when she spied Liam and Lady Helen standing together—Knox was on the dance floor as well now—talking and laughing. Liam appeared to be thoroughly enjoying it, and Lady Helen looked like the cat about to get the cream. Ivy forced herself to look away. She tried her best to put the pair out of her mind and enjoy the dance.

After that, she drank more wine, made an effort to be sociable, and danced several more times with other gentlemen. One slightly comforting thing was that she had not seen Liam dancing with Lady Helen or anyone else, which she thought rather strange. Had he not said she would likely find him out there once he’d drunk enough ale?

At least an hour had passed since she had made her excuses and left Liam with Lady Helen. She was between dances, sitting down and resting her feet, sipping wine, when a familiar figure at last appeared in front of her. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest as she looked up and met Liam’s eyes.

He came and sat next to her, looking annoyingly delectable, with a tankard of ale in his hand. “Are ye havin’ a nice time and enjoyin’ the party, Ivy?” he asked.

She put on a falsely bright smile. “Och, aye, I’m havin’ the time of me life.”

“That’s grand.” He looked at her, his eyes dark, his face half in shadow. “Ivy?”

“What?”

“I havenae had the chance tae tell ye how beautiful ye look tonight.”

Her breath caught in her throat, and pleasure flooded through her at the compliment. However, she was not about to let him see how much she liked his sweet words. Or so she thought. But to her chagrin, it seemed the wine had other ideas.

“I bet ye’ve said that tae all the lassies ye’ve met tonight. Tae all the lassies ye’ve ever met, come tae that.” She could not believe she had actually just said it aloud. She was appalled by her apparent inability to hide her jealousy. It must be the wine, she thought a little desperately.

But he did not respond, not with a single teasing word, which she had expected. In fact, the way he was looking at her, his eyes so unfathomable and intense, was making her feel hot and breathless. So was the way his thigh was pressing against hers.

“I tried tae find ye before, but ye seemed always tae be dancin’,” he said simply and drank some of his ale.

Had he? Her heart softened a little. She had the urge to be truthful and tell him that she had only been trying to distract herself from thinking of him. But instead, she said, “Aye, ’tis a party. People kept askin’ me, so I kept dancin’.”

“But Ivy, we’ve nae danced together yet.”

“Ye’ve nae asked me.”

“I was caught up with somethin’, but I did look fer ye.”

“Somethin’? Someone, more like.” Fer goodness’ sake, girl, hold yer tongue, will ye?

He had the good grace to look slightly guilty. “If ye mean Lady Helen, the woman could talk the hind leg off a donkey. She wouldnae let me go.”

“Hmm, a likely story. I didnae see ye tryin’ very hard tae get away.”

“How d’ye ken? Were ye watchin’?” He gave an annoying little smirk.

“Ach, yer head’s so big!” she snapped back. “I just happened tae glance in yer direction from time tae time while I was out on the floor, as ye dae.”

The corners of his mouth turning upwards. “Ye dae look lovely in that dress, Ivy.”

“So ye said,” she replied, suddenly incapable of suppressing the smile that was breaking out on her lips. “Ye look very nice in yer kilt,” she told him almost grudgingly.

“Ye like it?”

“I just said so, did I nae?”

He laughed, a deep, thrilling sound that made her heart skip with joy. “Listen, there’s a dance startin’ soon. Will ye take a turn around the floor with me now?” he asked.

She was not about to admit to him that wild horses would not have kept her from going with him. However, stubborn as she was, she said, “I suppose so.”

His smile was like the sun coming out, and all her ill-humor melted in its radiance. So, when the new dance was announced and he held out his hand to her, she took it.

Her hand was small and warm in his, and in his current tipsy mood, he fancied it fitted into his as though it was made for the purpose.

As always, her touch sent tremors of excitement dancing up his arm and through his entire body. But tonight, with her in that crimson dress, the effect she was having on him was more powerful than ever. He fought to keep a hold of his self-control, but his resolve to be strong was dissolving in the ale and whisky excitement of the party.

“Grand,” he replied, lacing her arm through his as they headed for the floor, the crowd parting before him like the red sea. For some reason, he felt inordinately proud to have her on his arm, noticing the admiring looks from other men as she passed. As far as he was concerned, she was the most beautiful woman in the room, and for a little while at least, he could pretend she was his.

Their bodies brushed together as they walked, and he felt her warmth burning him through the fabric of their clothing. They joined hands and took their places opposite each other in the long column of couples. Just looking over at her and the way the dress revealed her lithe figure made his blood run hot.

The music began, and they clapped and cheered as the first couple in the column danced up the middle. When it came to their turn, he caught Ivy in his arms with enthusiasm and pressed her against his chest as he danced her up the aisle, while the other dancers cheered them on and stamped their feet in approval.

Ivy’s smile lit up her face as she clung to him, laughing. Her cheeks were pink, her hair flying, and her eyes seemed to glow with happiness in the warm candlelight. It felt like the best thing in the world to have her so close, to feel her heart beating rapidly against his chest, to let his hands linger on her enticing curves.

One by one, each of the couples took their turn, and Liam and Ivy clapped and shouted encouragement along with the rest.

“Och, ’tis our turn again!” he cried, getting carried away by the heady sensation of dancing with Ivy. It was even better than chasing the stag upstream with her. He lifted her off the ground and whirled her around as they skipped together up to the top of the column, in a state of elation. He was deeply disappointed when the reel came to an end. Never mind, he told himself, there’s always the next one. And the one after that…

Ivy stood panting before him, her breasts heaving deliciously as she sought to catch her breath. She looked positively incandescent. If truth be told, if circumstances were different, he knew he would have been all over her, he wanted her so badly.

“I need tae rest,” she puffed, a slight sheen of perspiration on her forehead.

“Alright, let’s get a drink and sit the next one out,” he a suggested, having a hard time keeping his eyes of the plump half globes of her breasts.

“Aye, all right, but can we dae that in a minute? ’Tis so hot and stuffy in here, I’d like tae go outside fer a wee bit and get some fresh air.”

Something deep and dark and lustful stirred inside Liam then, and he smiled. “Mmm, it is rather hot,” he agreed. Taking her hand, he ploughed through the throng and led Ivy out through the great doors and into the cold, moonlit garden.

Once outside, he did not let go of her hand, and he was gratified when she did not seem anxious to remove it from his grasp. They walked a little way into shadows of the torchlit gardens, their breath forming white clouds. Holding her hand felt good. It felt right. And it made him forget himself entirely.

They passed through a wrought-iron gate and into a walled garden. “Ivy,” he heard himself say thickly, turning and maneuvering her so she had her back to the wall.

“Hmm?” she murmured softly, a nervous look flittering across her face as he placed his palms either side of her, flat against the wall, effectively pinning her there.

“Did I mention how lovely ye look in that dress?”

“I believe ye did mention it, aye,” she replied, turning her beautiful face up to him, as a flower does to the sun.

“It makes me wantae kiss ye,” he confessed, moving closer, pressing his entire body against hers. He felt her trembling, her heart racing, her breath fluttering, all of it stoking his need for her. He was almost surprised that she made no move to free herself. She continued looking up at him, her eyes pools of shadow, her lips slightly apart, as if she were waiting.

“Daes it?”

“Aye, and ye still owe me a wish from before,” he reminded her.

“So I dae,” she answered breathily, her eyes gleaming with excitement, her breasts rising and falling rapidly. “Well, I always pay me debts.”

Any remaining restraint left him in a sharp breath then. They moved at the same instant. He put one arm around her waist, pulling her forcefully even closer. The other he tangled in her hair, cradling the back of her head, bringing her lips nearer to his. Her warm, ragged breaths brushed his skin and sent tiny flames dancing up his spine.

At the same moment, he felt her put her feet on his boots and stand on tiptoe as she reached up and put her arms around his shoulders, her fingers twining in his hair. She pulled him down to her, further inflaming his senses by showing him how much she wanted him too.

“Och, Liam,” she murmured, closing her eyes as his mouth descended hungrily upon hers. There was a sense of amazement when he felt her mouth open under his, her lips warm and soft, just as he had imagined they would be a thousand times. He took possession of her mouth with his tongue with a passion he had never known before, exploring and caressing every part of it.

At first, she was hesitant, and he guessed this was the first time she had kissed a man. But she learned fast and soon became much bolder, tangling her tongue with his in a tantalizing dance, revealing the passionate soul that lay beneath the surface.

The feelings and sensations rushing through Liam were so powerful, it was as though they had left the earth and were floating together in some magical bubble, just the two of them, far out of reach of the real world.

“Ivy, Ivy, what are ye doin’ tae me?” he whispered into her mouth, letting out a small groan.

“Exactly what ye’re doin’ tae me, I expect,” she whispered back, and he could tell she was smiling even as she kissed him. He smiled too, his mind reeling, thinking, Goodness, she’s wonderful! He poured all the longing and affection and lust that had been pent up inside him for so long into kissing Ivy, deepening its intensity as their hands roved over each other’s bodies.

But then, suddenly, the panic set in.