Kiwi Bride Series: Highland Kiss (26 page)

Alec gave her one last
glance before riding his horse off to follow Brian and
Susan.

Ruby watched him until he
disappeared from sight. With no one to talk to, she headed back
toward the mansion. Strolling the narrow footpath surrounded by
tall trees, with a gentle breeze dancing about her, Ruby relaxed.
Now and again, she closed her eyes and inhaled the clean, country
air filling her nostrils and lungs.

In the distance, she heard horse hooves behind her.
Were they coming back
already?
she wondered,
glancing behind her. She saw a man and beast galloping toward her,
very fast. Ruby’s heart missed a beat before it began pumping
rapidly as she recognized Alec and his stallion.

It looked as though he
would run her over at the speed they were coming. Ruby felt
paralyzed. She was scared, but at the same time, fascinated. Just
as Alec was about to pass her, Ruby closed her eyes.

Alec lowered his upper
body on his left side, holding his arm out as the stallion neared
her. He caught her around her middle and lifted her up as the
stallion passed her.

Ruby opened her eyes and
saw that she was now on the horse’s back. She tightened her arms
around Alec’s neck as the stallion galloped faster, heading toward
the other side of the woods.

When they came to a
secluded spot near a waterfall, Alec reined the horse to a halt.
Ruby loosened her arms about him, quite aware that her backside was
rather sore.

Alec stroked her hair back
from her forehead as he gazed at her. Ruby couldn’t help staring at
his firm lips.

“
You still owe me two
kisses,” he whispered, his hot breath fanning her face.

Ruby replied with her eyes
still on his lips, “Are you going to kiss me now?”

“
Aye, I am,” he said
before kissing her sweetly on her forehead. Then he moved his lips
slowly down to the tip of her nose where he kissed her
again.

Ruby said, “That’s two
kisses already.”

Alec thought she sounded
rather disappointed. He wanted to laugh. He said, “Those are not
kisses, sweetheart. Those are just pecks.”

“
They are kisses to
me.”

“
Nay, they’re not. This,
Ruby, is kiss number one.” Alec’s eyes twinkled as he watched her
looking at him in anticipation. He moved his head and kissed her
softly on her lips. As he was kissing her, his hands guided her
arms up and wrapped them around his neck.

Ruby felt encouraged and
tightened her arms about his neck as she moved her body closer to
him. She was lost and not even aware that they were still on the
saddle. The spirited stallion, however, did not move an inch under
Alec’s expert command.

Alec deepened his kiss as
Ruby opened her mouth for him. They played innocently, their
tongues stroking and caressing each other.

When Alec drew his head
back and looked at her, Ruby was once again dazed. He smiled
arrogantly as he guided her in such a way to turn her around in the
saddle, placing her properly in front of him.

He buried his face against her neck and inhaled her
beautiful scent. Giving her little kisses, he caused every fiber
inside her to rush with pleasure.

“
Kiss number two is for
later,” he promised.

Ruby bit her lip and her
insides trembled with pleasure and excitement at the prospect of
that.

Alec urged the stallion to
start trotting. They rode on for half an hour, with Alec showing
her the lovely scenery around the estate. Now and again, he gave
her little pecks on her cheeks, her forehead, and the nape of her
neck.

Ruby enjoyed his intimate company very much. She wanted it
to go on forever. But she knew it could not be so. In five more
days, she’d be going home, never to see him again. At the back of
her mind, she anxiously awaited for kiss number two, while also
realizing she was falling deeply in love with her
captor.

* * *

Ruby watched Alec come out
of the bathroom, dressed in his rarely used pyjamas of loose pants
and a T-shirt. With his recently washed hair all tousled, and his
chin cleanly shaved, he looked very handsome, making her heart beat
faster.

He reclined beside her on
the bed and said, “Now then. Does my lady allow this poor beggar to
sleep in her bed, or has she relegated him to sleeping on the
uncomfortable sofa?”

Ruby smirked. “I am truly
sorry, Sir Beggar, but you must sleep on the uncomfortable sofa.
Her ladyship deems it so.”

“
Aw, such a meanie.” He
groaned and reluctantly ambled toward the sofa. He was halfway
there when he turned, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Ruby glimpsed his
expression and knew he was up to something. “What is
it?”

“
It means the number of
kisses you owe me just went up.”

Ruby frowned. “What do you
mean?”

“
Every night I sleep on
the sofa, and you sleep in my bed, you owe me a kiss.”

Ruby laughed. “Sir Beggar,
’tis no time for jokes,” she said as she grabbed a pillow and threw
it at him.

Alec caught it and
pretended it hit his stomach. He fell to his knees and clutched the
pillow to his stomach as though it was a very sharp sword. He
groaned as though he were in pain, “My lady, you… you’ve mortally
wounded me. You’ve stabbed me right in the heart.”

Ruby laughed again,
clutching her stomach, as it was aching from laughter. Alec peeked
at her, smirking.

Once she managed to stifle
her amusement, she said, “Sir Beggar, I did not stab you in the
heart. I stabbed you in the stomach.”

Alec crawled toward the
bed. “Have mercy, my lady. This beggar is dying. At least, let him
die in your bed.”

Then he climbed up onto
the bed and pretended to die painfully there.

Ruby leaned over and
looked at him. She touched his arm. “Alec?” she whispered. “Are you
really dead?”

No response. He was as
still as a corpse. Ruby tugged his arm to get his attention. When
he still didn’t respond, she moved on top of him and looked at his
face, their noses nearly touching.

Alec flashed his eyes open
and grabbed her arms. Ruby jerked back.

“
Does that mean I can
sleep in her ladyship’s bed?” he asked cheekily. Then he pulled her
down and rolled on top of her.

Ruby could feel every
sinew of his strong body. Her own body started to spark with
pleasure. She licked her lips and said, “I didn’t say that you
could.”

“
Ah, but your voice and
eyes tell a different story,” he chuckled, gazing down at her.
“What a beautiful prisoner you are, my lady. Would you like to
remain my captive for the rest of your life?”

“
No!” she snapped. “I do
not want to.”

“
Come now, this is my one
and only offer. It’s a great offer,” he added, his fingers stroking
her hair.

“
Tell me what’s so great
about it?” she demanded, liking the feel of his fingers so gently
touching her skin.

“
Hum.” He cocked his head
to one side. “First off, you won’t have to work to
survive.”

Ruby snorted. “Sir Beggar,
I can survive by myself, if you must know. I do like supporting
myself, thank you very much.”

“
Okay. Then how about not
having to worry about money? I will give all the things you want.
Designer clothing, designer jewelry, cars, houses, travelling
expenses. As long as I’m with you.”

Ruby laughed. She touched
her finger to the side of his face and said, “I can get all those
things myself, Sir Beggar. To be honest, I don’t really want
designer clothing or jewelry. Cars, I have my own; houses, I also
have my own.”

“
What about travelling?”
he asked her with his eyebrows raised.

“
That, I’m not
particularly fond of, after this adventure.”

“
Aw, my outstanding offer
does not even move you,” Alec said.

“
That’s right, Sir Beggar,
there’s nothing you can offer me in exchange for my voluntary
imprisonment.”

“
What about this?” he
asked.

Ruby widened her eyes at
him in question. “What?”

“
This,” he said, touching
his lips to hers.

Alec kissed her deeply and
passionately, sending Ruby’s body straight to heaven. When he moved
his head back, he said, “Kiss number two.”

Then he proceeded to give
her little kisses on her cheeks down to the nape of her neck. Ruby
closed her eyes at the sensuous pleasure.

Alec stopped the kissing
and said, “Will you at least give it time and
reconsider?”

Ruby opened her eyes. She
didn’t know what he was talking about.

“
My offer?”

“
Oh,” she
replied.

“
Very good,” Alec said as
he arranged himself comfortably on the large bed.

“
You’re not sleeping on
the sofa?” she asked.

He pulled her to him and
wrapped his arm around her. “If you want another kiss, I’m willing
to sleep on the sofa.”

“
No, that’s okay,” she said, closing her eyes, liking the
feel of his large, warm body now very close to her.

Alec reached out and
switched off the bedside lamp. He turned back, rested his chin on
the top of her head, and closed his eyes. Holding onto Ruby’s hands
as he slept, Alec had a smile on his face.

Alec got up before
Ruby the next morning. After showering and changing, he gave her a
kiss on her forehead before going down for breakfast. He saw Susan
there, waiting for him, and looking very anxious.

“
Alec!” She jumped up from
her seat once she saw him.

“
Sue, what’s wrong?” he
asked with concern, eyeing her pale complexion.

“
Alec,” she began, her
hands trembling. “She told him.”

“
What?” he asked, frowning
with confusion.

“
Ruby, she told him. Oh,
Alec, Brian told me yesterday when we were riding. He said Ruby
told him everything.”

“
Hold on, Sue, what
exactly did Brian say to you?”

“
He said Ruby told him
everything.”

“
Nothing more than that?”
he asked.

“
Well, that’s all he said.
But, Alec, I talked to her. I… I was confused and scared. I told
her that it’s okay to tell Brian everything.”

“
Shit!” Alec
hissed.

“
Alec, I’m sorry,” Susan
said.

“
Oh, sweetheart, it’s not
your fault. It can’t be helped if it already happened.”

Susan sighed and said, “I
don’t think we can do anything. They love each other,
Alec.”

Alec shook his head. Suddenly, he was lost and
confused.
What the hell was
going on?
If Ruby loved
Brian, then why the hell was she behaving like a lovesick kitten
around him? Was she just playing with him because he hurt
her?
Shit!

After eating her
breakfast alone, Ruby went out for a stroll, hoping to see Alec.
Her hope, however, died a slow, painful death. She couldn’t find
him anywhere. Not even in the stables where she greeted the
friendly Bernard. She made polite conversation with him for a while
before she mustered the courage to ask him if he knew where Alec
was.

The stable master shook
his head. Ruby, with slumped shoulders, waved goodbye to him and
walked back to the castle. That was when she spotted
Alec.

He ran up to her and
dragged her by the hand to his car.

“
Where are you taking me?”
she asked.

“
Out for a
ride.”

Both were quiet as the car
drove along the verdant countryside. A while later, they reached a
small village.

“
Come on,” he said,
leading her into an antique shop.

An elderly man greeted
them as they entered the tiny, cluttered room.

“
What are we doing here?”
she asked.

“
I’m buying you a
present.”

Ruby could only look at
him in surprise.

“
Come on, look around. See
what appeals to you. You do like antique stuff, don’t you, my
lady?” he teased.

“
Yes, but—”

“
Nay, no buts,” he
interrupted as he steered her toward the jewelry
section.

“
Whoa,” Ruby gasped,
staring at the array of beautiful, though badly arranged, antique
necklaces. One caught her eye. The locket was made of a dark, blue
ivory in the shape of an oval, enclosed with beautifully designed
flowers etched into the silver round edge. “That one’s
nice.”

“
Then, that one it is,”
Alec said as he picked it up.

Ruby suddenly realized he
was serious when he walked to the counter. As the elderly man
punched some numbers into the antique cash register, Alec glanced
back at her and gave her a wink. Then he gave the man some notes,
thanked him, and walked back to her. Without saying anything, he
grabbed her wrist and led her outside.