“Remind me to store the liquor out of sight,” he said. “I cannae be doin’ this every night.”
“I’m sorry,” Elena said as her head bobbed and tossed about like a dingy in choppy waters.
“For?”
“Havin’ ye do this,” she answered. “I shouldnae have let myself get so carried away.”
“I’m sure ye had yer reasons for lettin’ yerself indulge. I ken I would have done the same.”
“But ye daenae even seem like ye had a drink at all,” Elena said.
“I had my fair share,” Gabriel said with a crooked grin. His lips looked as if he’d dipped them in water. They shimmered a golden color under the light of the torches. Gabriel’s musky scent excited her in ways she never thought possible.
Why was I so cross wit’ him?
“Here we are now,” he said, carefully grabbing the doorknob without releasing her. She could see he wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand on her own without his aid.
“Ye ken this once was my faither’s room,” Elena said, fumbling to get into the room.
“Dae ye want to go to another?”
“Nay, this is fine. It’s like he’s here wit’ us, ye ken?”
“If that is meant to be a means of flirtin’, I’m nae understandin’ it,” Gabriel said as Elena skipped to the bed. She giggled and laughed as she kicked out of her shoes. The bearskin rug under her foot was soft and inviting. Never in all the years she came into the room had she ever curled her toes into the fur.
“I’m nae flirtin’ wit’ ye,” Elena said, swiping her hand through the space as if shooing away an annoying bug.
“Suppose it was wishful thinkin’ on my part,” he said as Elena dropped onto the soft mattress. Her eyes lingered on Gabriel longer than she wanted, but she found him mesmerizing. The way he peeled the buttons off his vest and slipped it off his chest enthralled her.
Suddenly a sharp stabbing pain jabbed at her insides.
It’s night.
Night means we are to...
Oh my. I daenae think I’m ready for this.
Elena caught Gabriel’s eye for a brief moment before she turned away. She could feel her body tingling. Every ounce of her sparked like the twinkling lights of the stars. Reaching for the dram of whiskey on the table, she took the shot to steady her nerves. But the alcohol didn’t help her. If anything it caused her senses to heighten.
Suddenly the whole room felt as if she had been dropped into a cavern. The sound of the fire eating the logs in the fireplace echoed off the walls of the bedroom. The ceiling stretched on toward the heavens. Elena curled her fingers into the blanket trying to push aside all her fears and doubts. Air pushed through her lips in short bursts.
I’m not ready.
“Are ye alright?” Gabriel’s voice boomed in her ears. She nodded her head and forced the lump forming in her throat down.
“Fine,” she answered, glancing toward him. He stood by the divan with a curious pity laced over his face. It was almost as if he could read her mind the way he sighed.
“Ye daenae look fine. Well, I mean ye do, ye look beautiful,” he said, fiddling with the vest in his hand. “I honestly cannae say I recall a time when ye looked so pleasin’ to the eye. Ye stunned me today.”
“Thank ye,” Elena said, brushing her hair behind her ear as she tried to hide the blush in her cheeks. But no matter the small talk to get her to ease, Elena’s body felt tight and wound up.
The thought of joining her body to Gabriel’s terrified her. None of her older sisters explained exactly what it was she was supposed to do. In all honesty, she hoped it never got this far, yet, it had. Gabriel’s eyebrow rose as she mumbled incoherently to herself.
Playing with her fingertips, her mind was a jumbled mess as she sorted out the words she wanted to say. There was a part of her that wished she was still in the hall with the rest of her family. Yet, the way the fire in the fireplace danced and skipped made her glad to be here, away from the noise and chatter.
“Are ye nervous?” Gabriel asked as he stared at her. She shook her head despite the panic and fright that stole her warmth. Although the room was toasty and there was no reason for the chills, she found herself icy cold.
“No,” she lied as she recalled Darragh’s warning of what would be expected of her. Her knuckles turned white from gripping the blanket so tightly.