Posh Doc Claims His Bride

Meagan was relieved that he had brought it up. It saved her from having to decide if, and how, to raise the topic. However, his words were a reminder of how little importance he had placed on their first meeting.

‘You hid it well, then,’ Meagan retorted. ‘Anyway, I’m surprised you remember. It was a long time ago. And,’ she couldn’t help adding, ‘that night obviously didn’t mean much to you.’

He frowned again and rested his hand on her shoulder. ‘That’s where you’d be wrong, Meagan,’ he said softly. ‘You are not a woman a man could easily forget.’

But why did you never contact to me? Meagan wanted to ask. If it meant anything at all? But pride stilled the words. He hadn’t contacted her. She had meant nothing to him. She would never let him see how much it had hurt her.

Cameron watched as the emotions chased across Meagan’s face. He had hurt her, he knew that. She was as beautiful as he remembered but there was sadness and a reticence that hadn’t been there in the younger, passionate Meagan. Life had changed her. He didn’t know how or why, but he knew, in time, he would find out. This woman still had the ability to make his pulse race as no other woman had before or since. And there had been many women. Heaven knew, he was no saint but he had felt all those years before and still felt that there was something different about this woman.

‘I know what I said back then. And I meant it,’ Cameron said softly. ‘I was going to contact you. But then…well, I guess you could say life got in the way.’ He looked into the distance, his eyes bleak. Then it was as if a shutter came down. Almost absent-mindedly he reached for her arm, stroking the soft flesh of her inner arm with his roughened thumb. ‘I never thought I would see you again. Tell me about yourself. You’re married now.’ He paused, almost as if he didn’t want to ask the next question. ‘Are you happy?’ he asked softly.

At his touch Meagan felt a shiver of desire go through her—there was still something about this man that set her nerve endings on fire. He made her feel wanted and attractive again. As if the shock of Charlie’s death in a car accident hadn’t been enough, finding out that he had been killed with his mistress beside him had almost destroyed her. She had known that their marriage had not been happy for some time, but she had never suspected that he was being unfaithful to her. The knowledge had made her lose confidence, not just in her ability to trust people but in herself and her own femininity. Now, for the first time in the two years since Charlie had died, she was aware of herself once more as a desirable woman. Meagan had to admit to herself that it felt good—but it was all wrong. She didn’t want to feel anything for another man ever again. Least of all this one. She seemed destined to fall for the wrong men. Well, she was older and wiser now. She knew better than to give her heart to any man.

In her confusion, Meagan jerked away from him and, catching her foot on a rock, stumbled. Cameron caught her just before she fell and pulled her against him. She could smell the faint tang of his aftershave and feel the rough wool of his sweater against her cheek. For a moment she let herself rest against him, feeling safe for the first time in two years.

‘What is it?’ he asked, tipping her chin up with one finger so he could see more clearly into her eyes.

The kindness of his voice along with the memories of Charlie caused her eyes to fill and he traced the track of a tear down her cheek with his thumb.

Pulling away, Meagan blinked away the tears. ‘I was married—but he died. In a car accident.’

‘Oh, Meagan. I am so sorry,’ Cameron said. ‘Colin didn’t tell me very much about the new locum. All he told me was that you were the daughter of a close friend. He never said much more and I never asked.’

‘I asked him not to say anything. I’ve had enough of people’s pity. Part of the attraction about coming here was that people wouldn’t know anything about me. I wanted it to be a new start…’ She tailed off.

‘Hey, hey,’ he said softly. ‘It’s OK. I won’t tell anyone. We doctors are used to keeping other people’s secrets. Although—’ he shook his head and smiled ruefully ‘—you’ll find out soon enough it’s almost impossible to keep a secret on this island. The locals have a habit of finding things out. And as for us…um…meeting before, I think that’s also best kept in the past and between us, don’t you?’

As Meagan looked into his eyes her thoughts flashed back to their ‘meeting’, as he had put it.

She remembered every detail. She had wondered for years about the man she had known simply as Cameron. Then she had met Charlie and buried her memories. Now, with Cameron here in front of her once more, she let the memories come flooding back.

She had been in her final year of medicine, spending her last free summer sailing around the Western Isles. It had been the last night of the crew’s stay on Uist before they were due to sail home. By chance they had discovered that there was to be a beach barbeque at Coola Bay—a fabulous stretch of golden, sandy beach on the north side of the island.

By the time they arrived at the barbeque, the sun was beginning to sink, turning the sky pink and purple. A large crowd had already assembled and several groups stood around fires, laughing and chatting. Meagan sniffed the air appreciatively as the smell of sizzling sausages and chicken scented the sea air.

Meagan left her circle of friends, wanting to savour her last sunset on the island. As the sun melted into the sea, her attention was drawn to a young man who stood in a group of lively partygoers. It wasn’t simply that he was tall, topping everyone else by a good couple of inches, or good-looking—although he was both—there was something in his manner that made him stand out from the crowd. He seemed to radiate confidence and self-assurance.

Meagan watched him surreptitiously from beneath her lashes. He had thick black hair worn slightly too long so that it flopped over one eye. As he laughed and joked with his friends Meagan could see dimples in both cheeks which appeared, disappeared and reappeared again.

He must have become aware of her staring because all at once he turned his gaze on her and slowly let his left eyelid droop in a wink. She had never seen anything quite as sexy and was mortified to feel her cheeks go pink. Clearly amused by her discomfort, his smile broadened into a grin, emphasising his dimples. After holding her gaze for a moment, he let his eyes travel slowly over her slim body, resting on her breasts before continuing down her shapely legs and back up to her eyes. Despite her annoyance at his blatant evaluation, Meagan felt herself unable to move under his scrutiny. Then with a quip to his friends that made them laugh, he began to make his way over to her with long easy strides.

Hot with confusion, Meagan turned on her heel, seeking the relative safety of her friends, but before she had taken more than a couple of steps she felt a strong grip on her upper arm.

‘Not thinking of leaving, are you?’ murmured a soft, deep voice in her ear. Taking a gulp of air to steady her breathing, Meagan turned towards him, but to her consternation found herself so close she could smell the soap on his skin and the sea in his hair.

‘Don’t go’ was all he said.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur for Meagan. Cameron didn’t leave her side, giving her his undivided attention and flirting outrageously, demanding that she dance only with him to the swirling tunes that were played by guests who had brought instruments with them.

Eventually the tempo of the music slowed and he pulled Meagan close, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling hers in return as he trickled his fingers along her back. Powerless to resist, Meagan let her body melt into his and raised her face, staring into his eyes, which reflected the flickering light of the bonfires around them.

With a muttered cry of something in Gaelic, he bent his head to hers and claimed her lips with kisses that were gentle at first but, as she responded, grew increasingly demanding.

She could feel his body grow hard with his desire and her own body responded as if she had no control over it as she clung to him, seeking more and more of him until finally, with a groan, he pulled away from her and, taking her by the hand, said softly, ‘Come with me.’

There was something about him that made Meagan feel less than her nineteen years. It wasn’t just that he was older—four or five years older than her, she guessed. Perhaps it was because he seemed to have a confidence in his own sexuality that few, if any, men of her acquaintance had.

Meagan had been pursued by many men in her life. She knew men found her attractive with her coal-black hair, which she had inherited from her Italian mother, along with her willowy frame and wide mouth. On the other hand, she had inherited her pale complexion, height and arresting green eyes from her Scottish father. It all added up to a combination that drew looks wherever Meagan went, and judging by the admiring looks she was getting from her companion he also found the combination to his liking. But although Meagan was conscious of the effect she had on men, she had little time for love affairs. She had her future mapped out and nothing and no one was going to stand in the way of her achieving her dreams.

But until that night no other man had made her feel as if she wanted to give herself up, to lose herself in their arms in the way that he did, despite having just met him. He made her feel that the rest of the world had ceased to exist, as if the future was unimportant, that it was only the here and now that mattered.

And so she went with him along the edge of the shore where the waves lapped at their feet, until they found a place deep in the dunes and hidden from view, where he lowered her gently to the ground. He kissed her eyelids, her ear lobes, and then down to her neck before finding her mouth, kissing her with a hunger that took Meagan’s breath away.

Never before had Meagan felt her body respond in such a manner. Almost against her will she arched her body to his, needing to feel the length of his body hard against hers. Suddenly he pulled away.

‘You’ve never made love to a man before, have you?’ he said, his voice full of wonder.

Meagan was mortified. Was her lack of experience so obvious? But it was true. She had never, before that night, found a man she wanted to give herself to. She knew when she did finally lose her virginity she wanted it to mean something. She wanted it to be special. And it wasn’t as if she’d had many boyfriends. Her studies and her sailing had kept her too busy.

‘Its ridiculous, isn’t it? A nineteen-year-old virgin in this day and age?’ She sat up and hugged her knees.

‘Not ridiculous,’ he said. ‘Kind of wonderful.’ He sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. ‘You’re kind of wonderful,’ he said, ‘but I think we should get to know one another before we go any further. There will be a right time for us, but it’s not yet.’ He pulled her back into his arms, and they lay there for the rest of the evening with the feel of the gentle night breeze on their skin. As she told him about her dreams and the sacrifices she’d had to make, he held her and listened. He hadn’t said much, only that he too had studied medicine. That he worked in London and was completing his higher training. She never even found out his last name.

And all too soon she had had to leave. The sun was just beginning to make the sky pink and she and her companions were sailing on the high tide.

He held her tightly, kissing her hair and murmuring endearments.

‘Do you have to go? Can’t you stay? Now I have found you, I don’t want to let you out of my sight. Not even for a minute.’

For a moment she thought about letting them sail without her, but just as quickly dismissed the notion. She was the only one who could safely steer them on the rest of their journey. And somehow she knew there would be time later for her and Cameron.

She kissed him back fiercely.

‘I wish I could stay. But we’ll see each other soon. You’ll come and see me in Edinburgh?’

‘The devil himself couldn’t stop me,’ he said. ‘I’ll come as soon as I can. In the meantime, take care. Watch the seas around here.’ Then he kissed her and she clung to him, unwilling to leave. Only the knowledge that she would see him soon gave her the strength to walk away from him. But she had been wrong. Despite his promises he had never come.

Aware that he was waiting for a response, Meagan dragged her thoughts back to the present.

‘Of course. It was a long time ago. We were both a lot younger then. I was only nineteen. I’m sure we’ve both had a few “meetings” since then.’

That wasn’t strictly true. Since Cameron, there had only been Charlie. And even with Charlie it had never been quite like that night with Cameron. She had put it down to first love, making herself believe that nothing and no one could ever measure up to the intensity of believing yourself in love for the first time. And that’s all it had been, she told herself firmly. An impressionable teenager’s first real experience of love. It wasn’t altogether surprising she had never really forgotten him…

‘Shall we get back?’ Cameron said abruptly, looking over her shoulder into the distance. ‘It feels like its going to rain.’

They walked back down the hill in silence. Meagan wondered what Cameron was thinking. Was he glad that they had met again? Or was he dismayed to find that they’d be working together? She sneaked glances at him, but she couldn’t tell anything from his expression.

As they reached the front of the building, Meagan could make out the slim figure of Rachel leaning against Cameron’s car, watching them. A young dark-haired boy was kicking a football nearby.

‘Cameron, Meagan. You’re back,’ Rachel called out as they approached. Although she smiled, Meagan thought she didn’t look very pleased. ‘Cameron, what have you being doing, dragging our new doctor over these muddy fields? I’m sure she has better things to do.’

‘I loved seeing it. It’s so beautiful here. Besides, Cameron leant me a pair of wellington boots from the house,’ Meagan said. ‘I hope they didn’t belong to anyone.’

Rachel dismissed her comments with a wave of a manicured hand. ‘That’s quite all right,’ she said. ‘Help yourself any time. The house keeps a selection for visitors. No, I just wondered if Cameron would be joining us for lunch. You’re welcome to stay too, Meagan, of course.’ Meagan was surprised when Rachel said ‘us’ in that emphasizing way. What could she mean? What exactly did she have to do with Grimsay House? She certainly seemed to have a proprietorial air about her.

Just then the small boy came running over. ‘Daddy, will you play football with me? Mummy says she can’t and Effie is still in bed. Please, Daddy?’

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