Hey! Some jerk had hold of her! Her hair tumbled into her eyes as she spun around, ready to knee him in the groin to make him let go. Her captor evaded her trick move with practiced skill. “Whoa there, your ladyship!”
“Jared!” she exclaimed in complete surprise. “Did you have to go to the bathroom, too?”
“You don’t want to be going in this door, love,” he warned, his eyes twinkling. “That’s the gents.”
“The gents?”
“You know. You’re a lady. I’m a gentleman.”
She roared with laughter. “I’ll tell you this for nothing, Butler. You’re no gentleman. It’s one of the qualities I like best about you. Besides how good you smell. And your mouth…that mouth of yours is a genuine work of art. But it’s not purely decorative. You way know how to use it.”
She grabbed on to him, pressing herself tight against him. “Lord, you feel good.” She sighed. “So—so big and…er bigger.” She made a sound low in her throat and wriggled against the ridge beneath the fly of his pants. “Wonder just how…big…I can make you.”
Jared took a deep breath, and she reveled in the power she had over his body, even when she was drunk. “How about if we try that little experiment later?” he suggested, putting her firmly away from him. “Wouldn’t want to be giving the children any ideas.”
Emma pouted. “They’re in college, sweetie, not in preschool. In fact, I’d bet nine out of ten of ’em have hooked up with somebody this summer. Don’t tell me you were a monk at that age. I bet you were hot.”
Jared chuckled. “I bet you were hotter.”
“Nope.” Emma frowned. “No hotness allowed. Just lots of sweet an’ thoughtful. Bor-ing. And as if Drew wasn’t sweet enough, now I get men my stepfather picks out.”
Jared got that “I don’t like what you’re saying” dent between his eyebrows. Emma loved it. It was so darn cute, made him look all dangerous.
“I thought you said there weren’t any other men,” he challenged.
“Gotta have some kind of escort to all the premiers and junk I have to go to.” She giggled as Jared’s dent got deeper. “You know, the kind of guy who can kick paparazzi ass if the need arises but still looks good in a tux. For the last year and a half Jake’s been setting me up with the stud-li-est bodyguards he can find. And background checks? These guys are so clean they’d make Mother Theresa look like a suspicious character. Yep. My stepdad the matchmaker.”
She made her expression go all smoky and seductive. She knew exactly how to do it, had had to practice in the mirror until her face hurt to get it exactly right before the first Jade movie. “I don’t suppose you’d consider doing a little moonlighting as a bodyguard at this charity gig I’ve got coming up, would you, Jared? We could even try to find some filthy-rich contributors to help you keep the site open. A cool gazillion dollars and some loose change. That would be worth the agony of a night with London’s high society, wouldn’t it?”
“Don’t need it since I’ve put up with you the past month. The salary Barry Robards paid me for training his Lady Aislinn will keep the castle afloat a few years longer.”
“But there’s so much more to do! And Snib’s stone circle…”
“That circle is a historical monument!” Jared snarled, suddenly surly. “It doesn’t belong to anyone. Especially not Snib MacMurray!”
“Snodgrass MacMurray. I still haven’t given up on getting my paws in that dirt. I mean, it’s hardly fair. Captain got to dig away in it, but—I know! How about if I go down to Snib’s for tea and worms and you sneak over and—”
“Destroy the site? I’d think your time at the castle would have taught you that an archaeological dig has to be executed precisely, recorded meticulously.”
“So you’re saying I’d better be prepared to eat a lot of worms, eh?”
“More than even you could stomach.”
She wriggled her eyebrows, grateful to feel herself sobering up, at least a little. “That depends. What’s it worth to you?”
Jared ran his teeth over his tongue, and she heard a sudden seriousness in his voice. “More than I could ever afford.”
“A few hours in a tuxedo and dress shoes escorting me to a gala? Being charming to people even when their boring conversation is turning your brain to mush?”
“I doubt I could manage it, even for digging rights. I tried to keep my mouth shut once. When they told me I’d lost the grant. But I told them to stuff it.”
“That’s my darling boy. You could tell people at the gala to stuff it. My grandfather did once when I took him…well, it was the most entertainment I ever had at one of those deadly dull parties. Speaking of entertainment, maybe that’s what I could do to lure you into my sparkly little high-society web. The party might suck, but once it was over we could have a party for two. I promise I’d make it worth your while.”
Jared’s dent got even deeper. If he kept it up he’d end up with a hole right through his head. “Me at some gala? That would be a stellar idea.” He grimaced. “My being such a people person and all.”
“You wouldn’t have to say a word, just lean against the wall and look all sexy and brooding.” She sighed. “Oh, well. Far be it from me to inflict that kind of torture on you. But I so don’t feel like another of Jake’s this-is-not-a-date deals. I guess I’ll just have to call him and tell him to make sure the new guy looks like Barney Fyfe.”
“Barney who?”
“A big purple dinosaur. Or…oh-oh.” A wave of urgency hit her anew. “I really do need to…um, go…”
Quick on the uptake, Jared steered her across the hall and opened a door. She’d just have to trust that it was the right one. She lurched into the room, rushing past someone in her desperate quest to get to a stall. A few minutes later, Emma collected herself and crisis abated, made her way to the sink. She leaned over the basin, splashing cold water on her face until her head cleared at least a little. Now if the coffee Jared had exchanged for the whiskey a while ago would just kick in, she’d be back to her old self in no time.
A paper towel magically appeared in her hand. Amazing service here in Scotland, she thought, dabbing most of the water off her skin. She turned, half expecting to see Jared and his adorable dented forehead, ladies room or no. Instead, a different familiar face popped into Emma’s line of vision.
“Beth?”
“Hi, Emma.” The girl was sitting on a stool, looking so woebegone it drove back the worst waves of Emma’s dizziness.
“How long have you been in here?” Emma asked.
“Oh, awhile. Forty-five minutes or so.”
Guilt jolted Emma. She hadn’t even noticed the kid was gone from the table. “Are you feeling sick?”
“No. I don’t drink.”
“That’s good.” Relief flooded Emma. “Don’t start. Especially not with whiskey straight from the bottle. That stuff’ll kill you.”
Beth shoved her bangs back from a face incredibly young, full of tenderness and intelligence and empathy rare in someone her age. “You were so awesome, what you did out there,” the girl said, her eyes brimming with admiration. “Facing down Snib like that! I could never be that cool.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret.” Emma smacked her lips, still tasting dirt on the back of her tongue. “Eating a worm is one form of cool I could have gone my whole life without.”
“You wouldn’t say that if you’d seen Dr. Butler’s face,” Beth exclaimed. “He just…just lights up whenever you’re in the room. And I’ve never heard him laugh like that. Not ever. Neither has Davey and he’s known Dr. Butler for years.”
Emma leaned against the nearest wall, grounding herself. The room cooperated and stilled for the most part. Good room, Emma praised as if it were Captain. Sit, room. Stay. “You like Davey a lot, don’t you?”
Beth stuttered a denial, her cheeks turning pink. Oh, yeah. She had it bad for the guy. “We’re just…well, he’s the greatest friend…”
“Friend? My uunt Fannie’s ass!
”
Beth choked out a stunned laugh. “Oh, my God! I can’t believe you said that!”
“Neither can I.” Emma raked her curls back from her face. “Especially since I don’t even have an Aunt Fannie.”
She wanted the girl to laugh. Instead, Beth looked more wistful than ever. “No wonder Dr. Butler’s crazy about you. You’re so funny and smart and…and gorgeous.”
Beth crinkled up her freckled nose and looked at her reflection in the mirror with patent disappointment. “If I looked like you, then maybe Davey would…”
“Would want to be more than friends?” Emma supplied.
Beth picked at a thread on her butter-yellow sweater. “Sometimes I think he…well, it’s all so confusing. I’ll catch him looking at me, and I’ll think, he’s going to do it. He’s finally going to kiss me. And my heart starts pounding and I close my eyes and…and lean toward him and…”
“He bolts like you just set his hair on fire?” Emma supplied.
Beth nodded, swiping at her eyes. “I feel like such an idiot. Veronica says he must be gay or something.”
“He’s far from gay,” Emma said. “Not that I’d care if he was. He’d still be the same wonderful, bright, kind…” She stopped herself mid-tirade, focusing instead on the girl before her. “Beth, I’m going to give you a little advice about men.”
Beth’s eyes lit with eagerness and Emma’s heart twisted, remembering her own first love. She hoped Beth and Davey’s path would have a far happier ending. “I’ll do anything you tell me to!” Beth enthused. “Maybe you could tell me how to get my hair cut, or put on makeup, or…we could go shopping. I don’t have a lot of money to blow on clothes, but—”
“This solution won’t cost you anything but guts,” Emma cut in.
“Okay.” Beth straightened her shoulders like a soldier waiting to receive her marching orders from General Patton. “What is this advice you’ve got for me?”
Emma crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. “Sometimes in life, you just have to swallow the worm.”
Beth’s eyes bulged. She pressed both hands to her stomach. “Oh, no offense, Emma, but…but I don’t think I could.”
“I meant it figuratively, not literally. You know. Take the bull by the horns. Steal control of the situation. Get the boy’s attention.”
“I’ve been trying to get his attention all year. Short of running through his tent in my underwear—” Beth stopped, horrified with herself. She nibbled at her bottom lip, so nervous and unsettled Emma wanted to hug her. But the girl didn’t need comforting. She needed a strategy to break through Davey Harrison’s reserve.
“He won’t kiss you?” Emma challenged. “Fine. You kiss him.”
“What if he doesn’t like it? What if—”
“He runs screaming into the night?” Emma joked.
“Something like that.”
“Kiss the boy,” Emma insisted. “See what happens. I bet you’ll be surprised.”
Beth’s face lit up with a mixture of dread and hope. “Do you really think so?”
She wanted to put the poor girl out of her agony and tell her Davey adored her, but it felt like a betrayal to expose the lad’s secret. Let him be the one to have the pleasure of seeing the joy in Beth’s eyes when she found out he was crazy in love with her as well. Emma settled for giving Beth a smile of encouragement.
“Summer’s almost over, sweetie,” she warned. “What have you got to lose?”
Beth’s decision hung in the balance. Shyness warred with desperation. Silence stretched between them. Then suddenly Beth squared her shoulders. “You’re right. I’ll do it.”
“Sure you will.” Emma hugged her. “Now get out there and kiss that boy senseless. The poor lad doesn’t know who he’s up against.”
Beth flushed, giggled. “I’d sure like to be up against…” She started out the door, banged it up against something solid. Jared’s pained oath echoed in the hallway.
He swung the door the rest of the way open and Beth brushed past him.
“I was just about to come in there after you,” he groused, rubbing a knot on his head. “What the devil were you doing in there so long?”
“It’s top secret. I can’t tell you or I’d have to kill you.” Emma ran her fingertips down his chest, her voice dropping low, seductive. “Jade Star, woman of mystery, doing what I do best.”
“And what’s that?”
“Saving the world one worm at a time.” Emma flounced past him. They made their way back into the light. Emma blinked hard, noting the determined look on Beth Murphy’s face as the girl maneuvered to get a seat close to Davey Harrison. Emma bit the inside of her cheek, considering. She’d better get Jared to beat feet out of here before he saw the way Beth was gobbling Davey Harrison up with her eyes. Butler was completely capable of grabbing the nearest fire extinguisher to put the flame out.
“Jared?” Emma said, nuzzling against him.
“Hmm?” Jared reached for the carafe of coffee he’d ordered while settling the liquor bill.
“What do you say we get out of here?” Emma murmured in his ear. “You know. Howl at the moon. Leap tall buildings in a single bound.”
Jared grinned. “You’re sure your family’s not Scottish?”
“Why?”
“We Scots have this strange compulsion. Whenever we’ve been drinking we want to climb up really high places.”
“High places like the Knight Stone where I saw you fighting?”
“Something like that.” She knew the moment he recognized the devilish intent in her smile. He tugged a lock of her hair. “Please tell me you’re scared of heights.”
“Not in the slightest.” Emma moistened her lips, slowly, seductively, knowing exactly what she was doing to him. Hunger flared in his eyes.
“Bloody hell, woman,” he groaned. “Have mercy!”
“That’s the last thing on my mind when I think about you. And I think about you a lot. Fantasy after fantasy…”
Jared’s breath quickened, a flush staining the blades of his cheekbones. She could feel how much he wanted her. “Fantasies, huh?” he said. “Want to tell me about ’em tonight?”
“I don’t want to tell you about them at all. I want to make them come true. And we’re running out of time.”
Impending loss hit Jared harder than he expected. He glimpsed an answering ache in the curve of Emma’s mouth. He wanted to drive the inevitable away with a kiss, but that would have to wait until he got her alone. “Your wish is my command.”
“Then I wish we could go to the Knight Stone. Make love there as if we had forever.”
But they didn’t. Jared thought of the magazine spreads Veronica had flashed about. Emma, exquisite in satins and jewels, sailing through a sea of shouting humanity and flashing cameras, journalists and fans salted through with unscrupulous bastards like Joel Feeny. A world he didn’t understand, could never feel comfortable in. A sharp reminder that any life with Emma would always be completely beyond his reach.
“I’ve never taken anyone else there,” Jared hedged. “It’s slick. Dangerous.”
If he took her to the stone in the water, his secret place, he knew in his soul that her essence would remain there, seeped into the ancient pillar forever. That every time he set foot upon the stone, he would feel her in his heart’s deepest core.
Emma slid her hand down and twined their fingers together. “I’m not afraid.”
“I am.” Jared lost himself in her eyes. He slipped his arm around her shoulders as if to steady her. “I’m taking Emma back to the castle so she can sleep off the Scotch,” he told the group. “You all stay and have fun.”
He led her out the door to a chorus of good-nights. They drove back to the castle, exchanging fire-hot kisses at every stop sign, hands too eager to wait catching bare skin under shirts as they drove. Castle Craigmorrigan loomed against the sky, a pagan goddess turned to stone. She whispered love charms as they made their way to the cliff’s dizzying edge.
Anticipation sang through Emma’s veins, honed by a fine edge of danger and the ache of knowing their time was running out. The sea crashed and roared, the stones slick beneath her feet, the untamed wonder of this place and the man who had brought her here soaring her spirits higher, ever higher. Emma almost expected Jared to speak some incantation, to make a silvery path appear upon the water for them to cross.
But at the last possible moment, she glimpsed the faint shelf of stones the sea had not yet crumbled away. In a few hundred more years, she thought, this bridge of Jared’s would have vanished, eaten away by time, just as the curtain wall in the castle above had crumbled. No one would ever know that once, a man and a woman had loved here.
But she would know, Emma thought. She would remember this night for the rest of her life. Jared, so strong and sure, guiding her by instinct along a path no one but he could see. Leading her to the one place in the world that belonged to him alone.
Salt spray dampened her face, the beating of waves against rock feeding passions centuries old. Craigmorrigan’s own brand of magic…What else could it be? Enchantment, its pull more primal than anything Emma had ever known.
The wind sang the wild song of the standing stones, the sea ballads of Lady Aislinn’s love. But the sacred Knight’s Stone whispered of loves beyond memories, beyond poems, beyond bard’s tales. Fairies older than time, dragons who ruled men’s fears and warriors pagan still.
Emma embraced it all with sweet abandon, wishing she could hold this man—this madness—for all eternity.
Jared laid his worn leather coat down, then his bulky blue sweater to make her a bed.
“The stone is rough…” He hesitated before he moved to cover her with his body. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.” She looked up at him with eyes filled with strength, courage, love. “I’m strong enough to take whatever you’re willing to give me.”
Was she? Jared wondered, knowing she spoke of far more than hard rock and sex with all pretense of the civilized stripped clean away. Was it possible she was strong enough to take him as he was? Rough-edged and temperamental and self-centered? A man far more comfortable with facts than with feelings?