“Uh, no!” I yanked on his hand, laughing.
Lachlan didn’t let go, instead turning back to me with a coaxing smile, cuddling me against his body. For the past week, when we were together (which was a lot), he couldn’t seem to stop touching me. I’d noticed it at Arrochar’s dinner, and I couldn’t say I wasn’t enjoying it. He’d also been rapacious. Part of me thought it was just because the sex was fantastic, but another part of me thought he was using it as an escape. The day of McHugh’s funeral, Lachlan practically kept me tied to the bed. He’d wanted to attend but knew his presence would only bring the paparazzi, and he didn’t want to do that to Greg’s family. Mac attended along with some of the men from the estate, but Lachlan was forced to stay home.
And bury his feelings inside me.
I let him because I knew he needed it, and I wanted to be the person he turned to when his emotions were too much.
Still … “We’re not having sex in the shower room again.”
“There’s no one here.” Lachlan bent his head to nibble on my ear.
A shiver rippled down my spine, and I lazily pushed against his chest with a moan. “Lachlan …”
“Hmm.” He trailed his lips down my neck toward my cleavage, and his hands moved upward to cup me.
My back bowed as my fingers dug into the muscles in his back. “We’re supposed to be working out.”
“Sex is working out.”
Remembering I couldn’t even if I wanted to, I reluctantly slid my fingers into his hair and gently tugged.
He lifted his head from my breasts with a raised eyebrow.
“My period came this morning,” I whispered. “Sorry.”
Lachlan looked disappointed, but he didn’t release me. Instead, he straightened, sliding his hands around my back to hold me to him. “You got your period this morning and you still want to work out?”
“My first day is always light. Second day is the worst.” I frowned, realizing this might count as oversharing.
He squeezed me closer. “What is it?”
“Too much info, I guess.”
“How so?”
I shrugged, running my hands down his damp T-shirt. Before I’d wrestled him to a mat and straddled him, we had actually been working out. “Guys don’t want to talk about that stuff.”
“In general, no … but if you’re having an off day, it’d be good to understand why. The last time you had your period, I barely noticed except for the no-sex part. No cramps, nothing? Energy still up. Do you have off days?” he teased.
I answered honestly. “I used to have horrible periods as a teenager, cramps that kept me in bed all day, migraines … but my twenties have been a lot kinder. I can be a little snippy and impatient with mine. And I cry more at things I wouldn’t normally cry at.”
“Like what?”
Trying to ignore the butterflies incited by his seemingly genuine interest in everything me, I offered, “Movies. Christmas TV ads. When other people cry.”
“I can’t imagine you crying at a TV ad.”
“There are lots of things about me you don’t know.”
His hands slid down my waist and over my ass, and my skin flushed hot at the sensation. “I look forward to discovering them all.”
“Are there lots of things I don’t know about you?”
“Mmm.” He bent his head to brush over my mouth.
“Like?”
“Those are for you to find out.” He nipped at my lips. “That’s the beauty of it, is it not?”
I chased his lips. “Lachlan.”
Another nip.
Curling my hand around his nape, I pulled him to my mouth and kissed him hard. Our tongues licked at one another and within seconds, I was a blaze of need. “We have to stop,” I whispered, trying to retreat. His kiss, his tongue, his taste, his hands squeezing my ass … “I’m so turned on right now, and we can’t do anything about it.”
“We can kiss,” he disagreed and captured my mouth again.
I didn’t know how long we stood there, making out in the empty gym, and I didn’t care. How long had it been since I’d just made out with a man? Not since I was a teen. And God, I forgot how fun it was.
There was a vague sound of someone clearing their throat. I couldn’t be sure, though, so I didn’t bother coming up for air, and neither did Lachlan.
“Ahem!”
Okay, that was definitely someone.
We pulled apart, panting, burning eyes locking for a moment before we seemed to agree at the same time to look away. Lachlan focused over my head. “Lucy.”
She stood beyond our mat, glamorous as always in a long maxi dress and A-line jacket made of supple, soft brown leather. High-heeled boots completed the casual but chic ensemble. She smirked at us. “So sorry to interrupt what was a truly spectacular show, but I need Robyn.”
Lachlan reluctantly eased his hold on me as I turned to face her. “Everything okay?”
Thankfully, there’d been no awkwardness between Lucy and me since my confrontation with Lachlan. In fact, she wasn’t even aware there’d been a problem. Lachlan didn’t invite her into his bedroom anymore, but we hadn’t abandoned her either. I’d kept up training sessions with her and Eredine, and Lachlan and I had eaten dinner with Eredine and Lucy a few nights during the past week.
I was perturbed that she hadn’t left Ardnoch while her would-be killer was still on the loose, but she was taking precautions. Out of the corner of my eye, I noted her two huge bodyguards standing near the gym entrance. Her bodyguards were a team of six who alternated in shifts.
Lucy’s smile slipped. “Eredine is feeling a little trapped.”
I felt Lachlan tense behind me.
“Not anyone’s fault.” She rushed to reassure us. “But since I have the big guys”—she gestured to her bodyguards—“and the paps are gone … I thought we could take her to her place. She wants to move back in, and I’m happy to pay for twenty-four-hour security for her to do that.”
I glanced behind me at Lachlan.
He was stone-faced. “She’s safer here.”
“Lachlan …” Lucy took a step toward him, her expression pleading. “You know Ery. She needs space and alone time, and her lodge is her happy place. She’s … struggling. I think she feels less safe here at the castle than she does out there.”
I nudged him. “There will be security on her.”
He sighed. “Fine. If it’s what she wants. Nobody’s a prisoner here.”
I rose up on tiptoes to press a grateful kiss to his mouth. His fingers slipped under my shirt to caress my bare waist in response, causing goose bumps to prickle my skin. I gave him another quick kiss and then announced, “I’ll go have a quick shower and change.”
“Great!” Lucy beamed. “I’ll have a Rover waiting outside for us. Wait until I tell Ery.”
“Can you ask Fergus to bring my car around?” I swiped my gear off the floor.
“Your car?” Lachlan asked at my back.
I nodded, turning to him. A few weeks ago, I’d reluctantly returned my rental when Lachlan offered me the use of one of the estate vehicles for free. It was a cheaper model SUV, not a Range Rover, and one of the reasons I’d hesitantly accepted his offer. The biggest reason being, I couldn’t afford my rental any longer. “Yeah. I need some new shots, and Ery mentioned there’s a small fairy glen not far from her lodge.”