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Gift-Wrapped in a Kilt (Hot Scots #4) Chapter Eight 20%
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Chapter Eight

Inside the tower bedroom on the second floor of Dùndubhan, Jamie smoothed the front of her dress, turning her torso this way and that to get the full view of herself. She'd never worn anything like this in her life, never tried to be enticing, because it seemed unimportant. She liked short skirts, but this was… different. The Greek goddess costume consisted of one sheer layer of slippery white fabric that glided over her skin whenever she moved. Though not transparent, the fabric was thinner than anything she would've chosen on her own. The toga-like style draped over one shoulder, leaving the other bare, and flowed down to mid-thigh. The hem plunged lower over thigh.

Emery had selected the outfit. Cat and Fiona had deferred to her, mostly because they'd come to think of Emery as a sister too.

Jamie glanced down at her feet. Gold stilettos boosted her height by five inches, with thin gold straps that wound over her feet and up her calves almost to her knees. A belt fashioned from thin gold rope was slung around her waist, its ends dangling over her hip.

"I don't know, Em," Jamie said, astonished at her own reflection. "Maybe it's too much."

"Don't be silly," Emery said, coming up beside Jamie. "It's perfect. Sweet and sexy, just like you."

"Feels ridiculous." Jamie fidgeted, adjusting the belt. "You're sure no one can see through this? The fabric is so thin."

"It's diaphanous," Emery said, "not transparent. And you are gorgeous, Jamie. You'll knock the socks right off Gavin."

A silly image flashed in Jamie's mind, of Gavin's shoes and socks flying off his feet. She choked back a laugh, knowing it stemmed from anxiety. What was she doing? Putting on a sexy frock in hopes of seducing her boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend. Sort-of ex. Gavin needed a break to sort himself, but she honestly had no idea what that meant.

Except he needed time away from her.

Trevor had needed "a break" to "sort his feelings," and it ended with a broken engagement and the worst humiliation of her life. No one else knew what had gone on between her and Trevor, but she knew. This thing with Gavin had ripped open that old wound. She understood the source of her angst but not the reasons behind it.

Jamie took a step backward and nearly tripped over the teetering heels of her shoes. Righting herself, she frowned at Emery. "This is ridiculous. The whole plan, it's dead ridiculous."

"You've been spending too much time with Rory. Ridiculous is his favorite word." Emery plucked up a white cardboard box and removed its lid, revealing more gold-colored items nestled in fluffy layers of padding. "Time to accessorize."

Jamie must've looked mulish, because Emery gave her the same expression she gave Rory whenever he resisted her outlandish plans. The most uptight MacTaggart rarely resisted these days. Emery had brought out sides of Rory no one had ever seen, not even before his ex-wives shoved that caber up his erse.

Outlandish? Jamie mentally cursed herself. She'd used another Rory word. Maybe Emery was right. She had spent too much time with her favorite brother.

No one ever accused Jamie of being uptight, but maybe some of Rory's uptightness had landed on her when Emery swept it off him.

"First," Emery said, lifting out of the box a set of interconnected golden chains. She raised the delicate web to Jamie's head. "Hair jewelry. Relax, it'll look fabulous."

Emery draped the web-like ornament over Jamie's head. The interwoven chains formed a delicate crown secured by a clasp in back and a solitary chain that went straight back over her head to latch onto the main clasp. Next, Emery hooked large gold earrings through the holes in Jamie's lobes. The concentric hoops brushed her neck when she moved her head.

"Last but not least," Emery said, "the arm cuff."

Jamie let her sister-in-law lift her left hand, slipping a gold-metal cuff around her wrist. The cuff shielded several inches of her arm, its elegant filigree design vaguely Greek in style. This may not have been the most historically accurate costume, but with the accessories, it made her feel divine.

Emery stepped back, sighing with contentment. "You are a vision of goddess-like beauty."

A faint blush warmed Jamie's cheeks. She spun around, loving the way the skirt flounced around her thighs and kissed her naked skin. The dress didn't allow for a bra, but Jamie had gone without panties too, though she'd kept that fact to herself. Emery still didn't approve of Jamie's sex-only plan. The notion of having Gavin at her beck and call gave her a deliciously shivery feeling in her belly.

And being naked beneath the sheer dress made her feel sinfully decadent.

"Now for makeup," Emery said brightly.

She nabbed a makeup bag and set to applying smoky shadow to Jamie's eyes. Dark mascara made her lashes thicker, rouge highlighted her cheekbones, and glossy red lipstick gave her small mouth a luxurious sheen. Earlier, Calli had painted Jamie's nails — fingers and toes — a glittery shade of gold. Erica had styled her hair, giving it voluptuous waves that cascaded over her shoulders.

A knock rattled the door.

"It's us," Calli called through the wood. "Calli and Erica."

"Come on in," Emery said.

The door swung inward. Calli rushed inside, but Erica needed a minute to navigate the last couple steps. The tower bedroom lay between floors, with stairs leading up to the doorway that opened into the long gallery where the gala awaited.

Music wafted down from the gallery, the bouncy tune of a dance song.

Erica wore a witch's costume, with a plunging neckline and a daring slit along the side of her long, black skirt. Calli had dressed as an Egyptian princess, though her dress also featured a slit that stretched nearly to her hip. Aidan and Lachlan must've been in heaven with their stunning wives dressed to kill.

Calli stopped a few feet from Jamie, clasped her hands under her chin, and gazed at Jamie as if she'd seen a heavenly apparition. "You are so beautiful. The costume is perfect."

"That's what Emery said," Jamie told her.

Erica stopped alongside Calli. "They're both right. It's perfect, and you're the sexiest Greek goddess who ever walked the earth. If anyone asks, tell them you're Aphrodite."

"Oooh," Emery said, rubbing her hands together, "the goddess of love. Good choice, Erica."

The original American wife, Lachlan's beloved Erica, grinned and waggled her eyebrows. "Gavin looks pretty damn hot too, very Bah —"

Emery smacked Erica's arm, without any real punch. "You're not supposed to tell her anything about his outfit. It's a surprise, like hers is for him."

"Sorry."

Calli beamed at Jamie. "He's going to flip when he sees you."

Another silly image flashed in Jamie's mind, of Gavin's shoes and socks flying off an instant before he did a backflip.

"What's funny?" Calli asked.

"Nothing," Jamie said. She took one last look at herself in the mirror. "Am I ready now?"

"You are," all three sisters-in-law said in unison.

Calli and Erica headed back up the stairs.

Emery crooked her arm around Jamie's waist and led her to the door. "Don't worry. This is a great plan. Well, the part about driving Gavin nuts with your sexiness. I'm still not on board with your other idea." At the doorway, Emery gave Jamie's bottom a light slap. "Be yourself and have a good time, okay? I'll go up first, so you can make your entrance."

Jamie nodded, suddenly unable to speak. Her throat had gone dry and tight.

Emery headed up the stairs.

Hauling in a deep breath, Jamie ascended the steps one by one, careful to plant each stiletto-clad foot firmly on the next step before raising the other foot. She gripped the handrails as she went, afraid she might tumble back down into the bedroom if she let go.

The music grew louder and then segued into a slow, sensual tune.

Jamie halted in the doorway to the long gallery. The room occupied the entire second floor, save for the other bedroom attached to the far end. Shimmering metallic balls hung from the high ceiling, their facets glinting as the balls twirled slowly. The night sky appeared inky and fathomless outside the tall windows lining one wall, though the first stars twinkled amid the darkness. Guests and family milled about in the gallery, stealing snacks from the buffet table, dancing in pairs, chatting in small groups. Most of the people here tonight were MacTaggarts — Jamie's siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles, and sisters-in-law, not to mention her parents. The others were family friends invited by her three brothers and two sisters.

Catriona and Fiona caught sight of Jamie and waved, their smiles broadening.

Jamie smiled back but couldn't move enough muscles to wave. Her body had turned to stone as if she'd become a Greek statue.

Don't be a coward , she admonished herself. Go find him .

She wended her way along the periphery of the dance floor, glancing around, searching for Gavin.

A man in a tuxedo bent over the buffet table, studying the offerings.

Jamie's heart stuttered. It was Gavin.

She'd seen him in regular suits before, at the weddings for her brothers, but never in a tuxedo. The impeccably tailored suit clung to his muscular physique without seeming too tight. The ultra-black color of the pants, jacket, and bow tie contrasted with the pure white of his shirt, lending the whole outfit an ultra-chic look. Shiny black shoes completed the ensemble. His brown hair was slicked back with a hint of a glossy sheen.

Her tummy fluttered, her heart too.

Gavin Douglas, a man who preferred jeans and T-shirts and only endured formal wear when he was required to, had donned the couture elegance of a prince or a billionaire or… James Bond. That's what Erica had almost said. The ex-Marine had transformed into the sexiest, hottest James Bond she'd ever seen.

Jamie laid a hand over her belly. Lower down, sensations stirred — hot, wet sensations. No sex for three months, except for that brief encounter a few days ago, had turned her into a lust-drunk wanton.

But only for him.

He hadn't seen her yet, focused on the buffet selections.

She longed to sashay over to him, stun him with a sexy ice-breaker of the sort Emery excelled at, but her body was paralyzed again. Jamie sought out Emery with her gaze, finding her sister-in-law at the far end of the room alongside Rory. Their gazes connected, and Emery's lips tightened into a sympathetic little smile.

Jamie tried for a pathetically desperate expression, and it must've worked.

Emery mouthed, "Wait there."

Then she marched straight to Gavin.

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