She cleared her throat. “It was Duncan.”
His eyes hardened. “Ahh. Duncan.”
“Aye. When he told me what they were planning, I couldnae stay away. I had to?—”
“Duncan is the man from the distillery, aye?”
“Aye.”
Aiden turned away abruptly and went to refill his glass. He took a long sip, eyes closed, savoring the flavor on his tongue. Eventually, he glanced back at her, expression wry.
“I think that wee Duncan is in love with ye.”
Hannah’s cheeks heated. “What? Nay, it’s nothing like that.”
“Ye think nae? I disagree. He’s mighty fond of ye.”
“He might be fond of me, aye. He’s a good man, and a goodfriend.”
Aiden eyed her for a long moment, running his tongue along the front of his teeth. “Maybe ye should have stayed with him.”
Hannah stared at him, a frown creasing her brow.
What is he doing? What is he trying to tell me? Is he angry? Bored? Jealous?
The notion of him being jealous made her swallow thickly and squirm. Heat pulsed in her chest, the now-familiar desire rippling through her. She shifted, the piled-up blankets suddenly seeming too hot.
Maybe I should get off the bed. Walk around, stretch me legs. Leave, ideally.
Instead of doing any of those things, she swigged back another mouthful of whiskey. The liquid burned all the way down to her stomach, the fire spreading pleasingly through her.
“Maybe I should have stayed with Duncan,” she began slowly, meeting Aiden’s eyes squarely. “But I didnae want to.”
He stared at her, eyes dark and unreadable.
A woman could lose herself forever in eyes like that.
For her own self-preservation, she swallowed hard and looked away, pretending to stare down into her mostly-empty glass.
“Ye want more?”
She shook her head wordlessly.
He sighed, turning away to face the fire. The glow of the flames surrounded him, painting his silhouette in stark relief. She watched his shoulders hunch, tensing up under his ears.
“I’ll be leaving tomorrow,” he announced bluntly.
She blinked. “What?”
“Ye heard me just fine, lassie. I’m leaving. It’s time to go.”
Was that disappointment she felt curling inside her?
Aye, I do believe it is.
Clearing her throat, she shifted slightly and drained the last of her whiskey. “Well, why daenae ye stay?”
“Stay? Why would I?”