Entangled With You Read online

  Hayley turned the volume down a bit and activated the closed-captions.

  Magnus quickly grew heavy and sleepy.

  Zach brought Hayley a plate with pumpkin pie drowned in whipped cream. “I’m headed to bed, the kitchen is closed.”

  I whispered, “Good night, Zach, thank you for Thanksgiving.”

  “I’m glad you liked it, Katie, and it’s good to have him, you, everyone home.”

  “Even me?” asked Hayley.

  Zach chuckled and left the room.

  She laughed, “He’s glad to have me here, I’m so much more fun than Michael. He just doesn’t want to pick sides.”

  Chapter 7

  “This is a marvel.”

  “What, this?” I sprayed a small mountain of shaving foam in the palm of my hand. I was sitting on the counter with my feet in the sink, slathering my leg with shaving lotion.

  Magnus stood beside me with shaving lotion on his jaw. “Aye, and the... what did ye call it?”

  “The razor?” I rinsed it under the stream of water from the sink and inspected it. “It is kind of amazing, see the tiny blades imbedded in there?”

  He ran his own razor down his cheek, rinsed it, and clinked it against the side of the sink. “Tis sharp yet daena cut the skin.”

  I pulled my razor smoothly up the inside of my calf to my knee and gave it some extra twists there. “True, I never thought much about it. I pay less than $10 a month for new ones to be delivered.”

  He squinted at me, like he was considering, his hand paused halfway down the next section of his cheek. “Somewhere in the world there are men building these blades?“

  “There’s a factory, yes.”

  “Then they arrive here — how dost they send them?”

  I rinsed my blade and ran it up the outside of my leg. “Through the mail, or wait, you probably want all the nitty-gritty. A man, or woman, picks up a box of blades from the factory, puts it in a truck, and drives it to the airport. The box is loaded on an airplane and flown to our airport, where it’s loaded onto another truck, taken to the post office, sorted with all our other mail, and put in a smaller truck. Have you seen our mailman’s truck?”

  “I daena ken I have noticed it.”

  “Well our mailman drives it up our street and puts it in our mailbox.”

  “The box outside?” He lifted his chin and shaved around under his jaw.

  I said, “Then Emma goes out and gets the box from the mailbox and voila — we have razors. You missed a spot right there.” I pointed to a place close to his ear.

  He grinned. “Ye missed a spot right there.” He plunged his hand between my legs and tickled me right on the edge of my panties. They were cherry red. Because he liked them.

  “Very funny.” I swirled another mound of lotion in my palm and slathered up the next leg.

  He was finishing up his jawline. “And the white cream comes from an airplane too?”

  I thought for a moment. “Probably. But it was delivered to a store and we bought it there because I forgot to order it through the mail.”

  He picked up the can, investigated it and pushed the button to release some into his palm. “What is the magic tae this then?”

  “That is air, a little air capsule, and it mixes with the liquid to come out as foam, you know, I don’t know one hundred percent so it is a little magic, I guess.”

  He rubbed the foam on the inside of my thigh, groaned happily, then washed his hands in the sink. He leaned against the counter. “Zach is takin’ me tae get some supplies for when we go back in time.”

  “And I’ll be with Emma for our all day spa treatments. Phew, we’re busy aren’t we?”

  “Aye, but the good kind. We will do everythin’ tae get tae this, Kaitlyn, from now on.”

  Chapter 8

  I sat on our bed watching Magnus get dressed. “So you guys are really going to take Zach to a strip club?”

  “Aye, his brother has planned it.”

  “I want to kill him.”

  Magnus raised a brow.

  “Not really, but he should know better. Zach has a baby. Emma is worried.”

  “Emma has nae need tae be worried. Zach is goin’ because his brother wants him tae act like a single man for a few hours. Zach will laugh and have fun, and I will be there and we will pretend tae look—”

  “No looking.”

  “I will keep m’eyes closed the whole time.”

  He looked so freaking handsome. He was wearing a dark linen shirt, buttoned up the front, and a dark wool kilt. He had a new sporran and belt. His hair was a little longer than usual and a bit wet so it was back from his face, no curls coming forward.

  He said, “I wish Quentin was here. I would have him drive ye for protection.”

  “I don’t need a driver, I have a limo. You too. And ours is a bachelorette party. No protection, no boys allowed. It’s going to be a rocking good time. Emma is a mom. I’m a married lady. Hayley isn’t drinking. We’re going to go crazy.”

  Magnus chuckled.

  I added, “Quentin’ll be here soon though. The Mustang is packed with what we need. We just have to get this wedding done first.”

  I lay back sprawled on the bed. “I’m still stuffed from the pretentious bridal breakfast this morning. All day spa. I’m exhausted.” I opened my eyes to look up at him, stock still, appraising me.

  “You likey? I got my nails done, a facial, the full massage.” I held up a hand to show off my nails and put a leg up in the air. “Feel it, soft and silky.” He ran a hand down my leg and sighed.

  “I like ye verra much. This dress is verra...” He shook his head.

  My dress was a soft shimmery filmy little party dress. Seemed a shame to waste it on strangers in a nightclub in Jax, but also, it would be fun to dance in a night club. I hadn’t gone dancing since I lived in Los Angeles.

  He pulled me to standing. “But I am runnin’ late for our limo.”

  I took a deep breath. “Okay. I’m running late for our limo, too.”

  He put a hand on each side of my face. “You arna frightened?”

  “I’m not. Not really, just nervous. A little, yeah. I’m scared.”

  He smoothed my hair back. “We will be separated for a few hours, mo reul-iuil, tae have some fun with our friends. I will see ye tonight.” He kissed me on the lips.

  “Tonight.”

  Chapter 9

  We were at the Myth nightclub in Jacksonville. There were ten women. Some of Emma’s friends from high school were there and some of us were drinking a way lot. Hayley had a couple of drinks because she justified it as people were “counting on her.” I had too many drinks, but in the fun way.

  It was good to relax.

  The music was so loud, the beat pounding into my bloodstream, the lights strobing. Hayley ditched us to dance with some guy. Another man tried to dance in the middle of our circle and kept rubbing up against us, all handsy and stupid.

  Emma was having a blast. One of her drunk friends kept drunkenly declaring how much they loved each other. There was a very handsome hipster sitting near the bar checking me out—

  My eyes swept across the floor.

  Magnus.

  Zach was pushing through the crowds, scanning the room. Magnus followed him.

  I jumped and waved. “Zach!” I danced up to Emma and yelled in her ear. “Zach is here!”

  “Zach?” She stood on tiptoes. “Aw, Zach came to see me.” She smiled. “He’s the best.”

  I hugged her and announced, “I’m so glad you're in my life,” crossing over into drunken love declarations.

  A second later Zach snuck up behind her and swooped her in his arms and nuzzled into her neck. “Hey girl.”

  I turned to my guy. Magnus — hot, magnificent, but also, you could tell, kind of freaking out a little. Glancing at me in pieces, wincing at the lights and sounds. Trying to smile, but a little like a grimace. I put him out of his misery by throwing my arms around his neck, pressing up on him and sayin
g, “I missed you.”

  “I missed ye too.”

  Zach leaned in. “We’re going to dance to two songs, then head home, cool?”

  Magnus said, “Aye, tis okay with me, Chef Zach.”

  Hayley danced over. “Are you ditching me?”

  “I’m totally ditching you. See this hot guy in the skirt? He wants me. He wants to take me home. In a limo. So yeah, consider yourself ditched.” I grinned. "Besides, there’s another limo outside that will take you and the girls home.”

  “If I go home!” She waved over her shoulder as she danced back to the floor.

  I turned to Magnus. “Will you dance with me? We can do that swaying thing we did at our wedding reception before we were so rudely interrupted?”

  “Nae, the music is much louder and faster, we should partake of some real dancin’, my lovely wife.”

  “Oh we should, should we?” We wound our way to the crowded dance floor and faced each other.

  “You put your arm up like this.” He ran a big hand up my side so that it was over my head. It was a sultry move, looking into my eyes, stroking up my skin — a ‘wanting me’ kind of move.

  All around us jostling, gyrating people bumped and tousled. The music was hard and loud, the strobe lights flashing. I could only see him in tiny half-second beats.

  He said, “Now put your leg out like this and a hand on your hip. Then we...” He began hopping with his leg kicking out, so awkward and silly. I started giggling.

  I kicked my leg in and out and did a couple of spinning pirouettes, not beautiful like my former dancing days, but passable and dorky. His hand on my hip, we jumped and jostled and occasionally clung to each other when people in the crowd bumped too close. It was aerobic and sweaty and hilarious. When the song wound down I threw my arms around his neck. “I love you so much.”

  “Aye, ye must, or my dancin’ would have scared ye away. Tis nae as wiggly as the others.”

  Another song started. I yelled, “One more!” and we did it again, more, faster, until finally near the end of the song, he shook his head.

  “The ribs are achin’ a bit, Kaitlyn, I need tae rest.”

  I pulled him through the pressing crowd to the back of the room. A second later Zach and Emma appeared and a moment later we were all outside climbing into the limo.

  Magnus helpfully pointed out, “We have beer.”

  “That’s so upscale, we had champagne.”

  He drunkenly opened two bottles.

  Emma and Zach passed because as Emma put it, “I planned to stay out later than this but now that we’re headed home I really want to see Ben.”

  Zach said, “Me too.”

  “Want us to pick him up in the limo on the way home?”

  Emma laughed, “Yes, but not actually, I’m not crazy. I want to go home for a little while without Ben, then call grandma and make her get up in the middle of the night to bring him to me. She promised she would. That way I get the best of all worlds.” She snuggled under Zach’s arm.

  “Wait! What’s this?” I spied a can of spray cheese in the fridge. “Spray cheese!” I asked Magnus, “Did you have some?”

  Zach answered, “Michael brought it, I wouldn’t let him serve it. It’s gross.”

  “Is it?” I ripped the plastic cap off the top. “Or are you jelly because you can’t recreate the awesomeness that is the taste?” I raised my brow at Magnus. “Tilt your head back, Highlander, let me turn ye on to spray cheese.”

  “Tis in a spray can? Tis food?”

  “Och Aye,” I joked.

  He tilted his head back. I sat up on my knees over him and sprayed cheese all over his tongue.

  He closed his mouth, smiled and swallowed. “Tis good!”

  I opened my mouth and sprayed it on my tongue and fake-groaned with pleasure. “Yum. I mean, that taste? Rubbery aged-cheddar cheese-food? Delicious.”

  Zach moaned and joked, “I can’t even watch this, but I have to because I’m facing you in the car. This is a nightmare.”

  Emma tried to hide his eyes.

  “Emma, you want some?”

  “No, never, unless it’s organic?” She giggled which was fun, I rarely heard Emma giggle.

  I stared the back of the can, a little bleary at this point. “I can’t tell.”

  “Oh what the hell. Close your eyes, Zachary.”

  Magnus and I both laughed. Magnus said, “Chef Zachary, I dinna ken this was your full name!”

  Zach moaned, closed his eyes, and pulled his gangly body into a fetal position while I piled spray cheese on Emma’s tongue. I squirted some on Magnus’s tongue again, then my own. Emma grimaced. “Ew. I forgot. That’s not good.”

  Magnus laughed, “Tis delicious, but I prefer Chef Zach’s cheese bread food, what was it called?”

  “My grilled cheese sandwiches?”

  “Aye! Verra delicious.”

  Magnus and I leaned together drinking from our beers. He said, “I rather like travelin’ this way, I canna see the road.”

  I giggled. “This is the longest you’ve had your eyes open in a car.”

  “Aye, I can relax back here. I canna see the trees hurtlin’ by, and nae one thinks me weak because of it.”

  “Men in the back of limos are generally seen as pretty intriguing. What did the boys say when you and Zach left the strip club?”

  “They questioned my manhood. Twas an incredible amount of insults hurled at Zach and I, caused me rather tae miss my clan back home.”

  Zach said, “They’re going to really be pissed when they remember we left with the limo.”

  “Och, aye. And when they are verra drunk and stumblin’ home, they can consider the wisdom of callin’ me Kaitlyn’s whippin’ boy.” He chuckled. Zach laughed.

  Chapter 10

  In our bedroom Magnus scooped me into his arms. “I dinna ken I could wait for ye this long.” His hand rubbed up under the back of my dress, dove into my panties, and clutched my ass brusquely. “Och, aye.” He pulled me closer and kissed my neck. He picked me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he carried me to the bed. He dropped me down.

  I bounced and squealed. “Whoa, you want me.”

  I swear I saw him flinch. He shook his head and took a deep breath. His easy smile was gone. “Aye, I want ye.”

  “What just happened there?”

  “Nae matter in it. I thought of somethin’ I dinna want tae...”

  I looked at him trying to tell what it was.

  I sighed and lay back on the bed. “Was it something or someone that doesn’t matter to us? Like a stupid brain hassle from the past like I get sometimes? Or is it bigger and we need to talk it through?”

  “Twas much less than that, Kaitlyn. Twas nothin’ tae talk through.”

  “Good, because that was the best date of my life. And it was with my husband. And it wasn’t even a date, he came and picked me up in a limo. I want this night to keep going like that because we deserve some happiness: a night without the past, or drama, or tearful discussions. But if it is important, if it’s something that you need to talk about, I will try to listen. Or Zach. Maybe Zach would be better if it involves...”

  “I daena need tae talk of it. I will if I need tae, but I daena, I promise, mo reul-iuil. And it has been one of the great nights for me too.”

  “Okay, good. Then let’s get back to it.” I climbed to my knees and started pulling his shirt off over his head. I kissed his chest and felt him relax, his arms went around me.

  His fingers fumbled with my zipper. “I daena — can ye turn around?”

  I turned and swept my hair over my shoulder.

  He pushed and pulled on the top of the zipper and mumbled, “Tis a marvel.”

  “What is, the zipper?”

  “Och aye,” he pulled at the top. “But...”

  “Having trouble back there? You have to pull the lever up. That unlocks it and you glide the whole thing down.”

  He jiggled for a moment, then I felt the zipper pull down. H
e chuckled. The zipper went up and back down as he investigated it. Then with a quick scoop my dress was off and tossed across the floor. A hand on my breast the other arm around, lips on my neck.

  I turned and started working on his belt but had trouble concentrating because he was super handsy — touching me everywhere, I couldn’t get his kilt freaking off. “I can’t—” I pulled away to focus on the belt.

  He chuckled and helped me fumble with it. “I daena ken the sense of it.”

  “We’re drunk.”

  “Aye, but tis necessary tae—” His belt pulled away and his kilt dropped to the ground.

  “Jesus Christ, Magnus.”

  He looked down. “I have a terrific need for ye, mo reul-iuil.”

  “I can see. I thought you weren’t wearing your sword to the strip club tonight?”

  He scooped me down to my back on the bed. There was no pressing against him, he only fit between my legs, which was hilarious. I stifled my giggles. “Have you had this boner the whole night, is this what seeing strippers does to you?”

  His mouth against my neck he chuckled. “I dinna open my eyes in the club.”

  I swatted his back playfully.

  He said, “I want tae spend some time on ye, I also daena have the time—”

  I squirmed up a bit pulling away from his insistent prick. Putting him at chest-level. “I don’t know, you’ve been in a club all night—”

  “Twas nae all night.” His voice came from his chest, like from within a struggle, holding himself back, fighting to stay on top of it. His breath through his nose, came bullish and desperate. He kissed my breast, closed his eyes. “I left early tae come for ye, I dinna—”

  “But still, you might have to beg nicely, Master Magnus. I might not be in the mood.”

  He groaned and placed his lips around my nipple, his fingers flitted and played between my legs. I watched his face, the struggle on it, and ran my hands down his shoulders. He closed his eyes and moaned.

  “You want me?”

  “Och, aye.”