Kidnapped in Dunvegan

8

I spent tonight's dinner with Molly and Alfred again alone in the kitchen. Adam seemed to work a lot and long hours. His habit of using women and then dumping them appeared to be his only flaw. He took his work seriously and his relationship with his employees was obviously more than just an employer-employee relationship. I had seen him with Alfred and Molly who he treated with a lot of respect. If Professor Robert MacLeod really had such a negative image of his son, then he was wrong. Of course he shouldn't treat women the way he did, but I couldn't say that he led an irresponsible life. He was missing his second dinner in a row today.

"Does Adam always work such long hours?"

"Every now and then," said Alfred and ate a mouthful of fried fish.

Every now and then didn't sound like regularly. Maybe he was just trying to stay out of my way and what happened in the distillery today was a lapse. When I thought about the scene in the distillery this afternoon, I got butterflies in my stomach. "Only two more seconds and I would have put my tongue between those unbelievably full lips," he had said. I shuddered at the idea. I wouldn't have been able to resist. I definitely knew that. I found it incredibly difficult to push him away from me. What was he doing to me?

Maybe it was best that he wasn't at home. I had no idea how I would react to his closeness. Just by imagining that he was here would make every cell in my body shake with nerves. I should restore the paintings quicker. The sooner I got away from his attraction, the better.

"You should really go to the harbor festival together," suggested Molly. "After all, you are both still young. Go and do something while you're here."

"No, I'd be better off making sure that I get my work completed." Molly had probably set her mind on fulfilling Professor MacLeod's last wish of bringing me together with Adam. That can't happen. I was already having difficulties with Adam as it was and this incredible desire he awakened in me.

"I think that's very sensible," I heard from behind me. I turned around alarmed. Adam leaned on the refrigerator and looked seriously at the rest of the group. Then he looked at me with a mixture of regret and a silent apology on his face, but I wasn't sure because as quickly as this emotion had appeared on his face, it had also disappeared with the clattering sound of high heels getting closer. A woman of about thirty years of age with jet black hair and an olive-colored complexion appeared next to Adam.

"Good evening," she greeted us with a strong Italian accent. She cuddled up to Adam and looked at me defiantly. Adam put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his body. At least she's older than the average I calculated, I thought angrily.

I felt a tinge of jealously penetrate my chest and I was annoyed about it. Why was I jealous? I didn't like him one little bit. He was sexy, was unbelievably attractive to me, but he was also harsh and kept me at arm's length when he gave me that unapproachable facial expression from which I understood that I had no chance with him. I should hate him, but I didn't. The more he pushed me away, the more I wanted to have him and I knew that I wouldn't be able to cope with him, so I should be happy that he wasn't interested in me.

And still I wished that he hadn't forgotten his promise so quickly, which was to win our game. I evaded his provocative glance. Was he putting it on to hurt me? Yes, he lured me in like chocolate ice cream and this danger he exuded made it even worse, but I didn't understand why he was trying to push me away. I put on an unmoved expression and turned towards my food. He mustn't realize that seeing him with another woman had left me feeling cold.

"We will be upstairs," he said briefly and led the Italian woman along behind him. I started to feel a dull pain inside me and I swallowed hard. Maybe I had wanted to play this game more than I cared to admit. Perhaps it was best that he had decided otherwise, because it suddenly became clear to me that it would have been impossible to resist him for much longer. He would have won far too quickly.