by Anna Durand
"Just that you're an archaeologist." He hunches his shoulders and finally meets my gaze. "I googled you."
"Have you?" I chuckle. "I imagine you saw that video of my last lecture, then. A student posted it online."
"Yes, I saw it." Grey's lips twitch, but he doesn't quite smile. "I never knew archaeology was so…interesting."
"Only when it's done right." I clap a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you and I go for a walk and get to know each other?"
He smiles. "I'd like that."
Grey and I stay close to the house, wandering around the outside of the walled compound. It's a lovely, sunny day. My brother tries to explain to me what a business intelligence analyst does, but I don't quite understand it. Something to do with computers. And analysis of data.
"Sounds like you're a real dogsbody," I say. "I doubt many people want to analyze whatever it is you're staring at all day long."
"It's not a boring job that nobody else wants to do. It's challenging and fascinating."
"Hmm, I'll have to take your word for that." I decide to change the subject to something more interesting to me. "Do you have a girlfriend or a wife?"
"No."
"A boyfriend, then?"
He flashes me an irritated look. "No, I'm not gay. There is a girl, an American, but…it hasn't worked out the way I'd hoped."
"Have you shagged her?"
Grey scratches the back of his neck, pinching his whole face into a pained expression. "We did, yes. Once. It was bloody awful."
"Your fault or hers?" I realize I might be acting like a nosy arse, so I add, "Not trying to blame you. I am your brother, though, so it's my job to poke my nose into your business. Isn't it? That's what the MacTaggarts think siblings are for, but I'm not sure I can believe everything they say."
"I think that's what brothers do. It's how my cousins are, anyway." Grey twists his mouth into a sardonic smile. "I cocked it up. Now the girl says we're better off as friends and nothing more. We've been best friends since university."
"But you're in love with her, aren't you?"
He winces and nods. "I don't have a good record with women. They all think I'm rubbish in bed. And that girl, Jessica, she's been with a Scot for two years. They just broke off their engagement, but I think she's still in love with him." My brother huffs out a sigh. "Jess treats me like I'm a eunuch. She even tells me how incredible that Scot is at sex, like I want to know that."
At last, a topic on which I am an expert. I mean sex, of course.
I hook my arm around his shoulders and whisper, "Aren't you the luckiest bloke on earth to have me for a brother? I'm going to help you win your girl."
"How? She's not attracted to me anymore."
"Ah, but she will be." I pat his arm. "Don't worry. I have a plan."
Grey turns his head to look at me but pulls it back a touch. His brows wrinkle. "After watching that video of your lecture, I'm not sure I want advice from you about how to make Jess want me."
Well, we have just met. I can't blame him for that.
"Point taken," I say. "Let's revisit that idea after we've gotten better acquainted."
"That sounds like a better plan."
Grey and I spend another hour doing exactly that, getting acquainted, and then we invite our cousins to join us in the sitting room for lunch and a chat. They're not bad blokes, really. Reese and I get on well since we share the same wicked sense of humor. He saw my lecture video too, and he loved it. Chance says my lecture is "entertaining" but not his cup of tea. Dane hasn't watched it yet.
After spending time with my new family, I reach a conclusion about them. They're not criminals. They haven't polluted our gene pool with their depravity. I haven't told them about my past. Soon I will tell Grey, but our cousins can wait.
I don't see Cat again until the party.
She meets me at the entrance to the great hall. Behind her, strobe lights flash across the people gathered inside, most of whom are dancing. Cat leads me into the great hall, but she doesn't let me say hello to anyone or eat any of the food laid out on a buffet table. Instead, she drags me into a dark corner behind a screen that conceals the door to the office. She takes me in there, leaving the door open.
Catriona seizes my shirt and backs up to the desk, hauling me with her. "I want you, Alex. Right now."
"Here? On Rory's desk? Your entire family is on the other side of that screen, and the door is open."
"I know." She sets her arse on the desk and locks her legs around me. "It'll be like the lecture hall, only better. My brothers might hear us and decide to murder you."
"Why do you sound pleased about that prospect?"
"The risk makes it more exciting." She grabs my shirt again. "Fuck me, Alex. Or have you lost your naughty streak?"
"Never. But—" I scrub a hand over my mouth. "Maybe we should close the door."
She catches her lip with her teeth, releasing it little by little while she shakes her head. "Don't you want to have me on this desk? Rory's desk. In Rory's castle. While all my brothers and sisters and cousins are only meters away."
I do want that. My cock is already hard, and we haven't had sex in far too long. Which means more than six hours.
Her skirt has ridden up so I can see she's not wearing any knickers.
"Let's make noise," I say, "and find out if anyone can hear us over the music."
I unzip my trousers, grasp her hips, and plunge into her. Cat is so hot and wet, ready for anything I want to do to her, even if all those MacTaggarts in the other room, just meters away from us, hear her scream when I make her come. The thought makes me thrust harder, faster, while I lay her down on the desk with my hands planted on the cool, smooth surface. She gasps and grips my arms, her gaze locked on mine. She's so beautiful, so sensual, and so much naughtier than I'd ever realized until recently. I love this woman.
"Alex," she cries out, arching her back.
The music outside switches to a soft, romantic song. The lower volume means it's more likely someone might hear us.
I fuck her harder, making the desk bounce and thump on the rug beneath it. The scent of her lust surrounds us, intoxicating me. "Come for me, Cat. Hurry, I can't—"
She clutches me with her arms and legs, screaming my name while her body grips me in pulsating waves.
And I jump off that cliff with her, shouting her name.
We lie there for a few minutes, Cat spread across the desk with me on top of her, luxuriating in the pleasure we've given each other. Eventually, we straighten our clothes and go out to join the party. Logan smirks at me, and I wonder if he heard us in the office. I don't care if he did.
Jack finds us while we're shoveling hors d'oeuvres into each other's mouths like heathens. Sex always makes me hungry, especially bloody fantastic sex with Catriona.
"You two aren't shy," Jack says, "are you? Everyone heard that."
I shrug one shoulder. "Am I meant to be embarrassed?"
"No, not at all." He tips his head to the side, like he'd done during our so-called therapy session. "I'm glad to know you two don't have any sexual problems."
"I have never had that sort of problem." A thought occurs to me, and I ask Jack, "But I might know someone who could use your help in that area."
But yes, I'll ask Grey before I tell Jack all about him and his American girl.
"Happy to help," Jack says. "You know where to find me."
While he wanders off into the crowd, I pull Cat into my arms. "Let's try that again. But behind the screen this time, not in the office."
She grabs my shirt and drags me off.
Once I've got her backed up to the wall behind the screen, I tell her something I never imagined I would say. "I love you, and I love our life. Whatever that turns out to be. Everything will work out brilliantly, I know."
Cat leans forward, her lips grazing my ear. "You should write a book based on that lecture. Call it Dirty-Sexy Archaeology."
"And Iain offered me a job at the university where he works."
"He offered me one too." I shove her skirt up and sink my cock into her warm, soft body. "Let's do it. All of it. Let's buy a cottage too."
"Aye, let's do it."
I do love my life. It's bloody perfect.
Epilogue
Jack
Two months later
I told you from the start that every love story has a beginning, a middle, and an end, but sometimes the cycle repeats. At least Cat and Alex came to their senses after the second go-round. I don't think I could've stayed sane if I had to counsel Alex through another cycle. They have their happy ending, but it's not the end of their journey together. What will come next? Even I don't know the answer. But I do know they'll travel that road together.
Today, I'm lying on my back on a rattan sofa on the patio of the house where Alex and Catriona now live, enjoying the sunshine on my face and the company of the people around me. The others occupy rattan chairs around a glass-topped table. With my eyes closed, I can't see them anymore, but I can hear their conversation.
Logan is telling some story from his past as an MI6 agent, but I think he's exaggerating it a wee bit. Alex's brother, Grey, loves all of Logan's stories and keeps asking him to tell more of them. I'm glad to see Alex and Grey have gotten on well and spend a lot of time together. Grey lives and works in London, but he comes to Loch Fairbairn as often as he can to visit Cat and Alex at their cottage. Alex and Cat go to London sometimes too. Today, we're all relaxing on the large lawn behind their home.
Did my advice help Alex become the happy, settled man he is today? I'd like to think so, but I have a feeling Catriona played a more important role in his transformation. Of course, he hasn't completely overhauled his personality. He still likes to say "what if" and "maybe" when anyone other than Cat asks him a question.
Ever since they announced Cat is pregnant a few days ago, Alex is even happier.
"Jack, are you awake?" Alex asks.
"Aye." Opening my eyes, I yawn. "Sunshine makes me drowsy, though."
"I'm about to make an announcement that I'm sure you'll want to hear."
"Another one? I hope you're not up the duff too."
"Your humor needs work, Jack."
I yawn again, sitting up. "Go on with your announcement. I'm awake."
"My book has been accepted by the publisher I submitted it to, based on the outline and sample chapters I provided. It's the publishing company owned by Chance's mate." His smile widens into a wicked grin. "Before long, the whole world will get to experience Dirty-Sexy Archaeology."
Can the world handle that? I haven't read Alex's book yet, but I'm sure he holds nothing back when he's writing about sex.
Alex tips his head toward Chance. "And I have my cousin to thank for the contract."
"You didn't get it because of me, or because I know the publisher," Chance says. He and his two brothers have joined us today, while everyone's wives convene inside the cottage. "Your book is excellent. But I'm glad I could introduce you to someone who appreciates your style of teaching history."
I lean back against the sofa, stretching my legs out. "When are you and Cat getting married? You proposed two months ago."
"We're making plans," Alex says, in the tone that tells me he's plotting something. "It will be an unusual wedding. We're tying the knot in America, but that's all I'm going to say right now. The wedding will be in six weeks."
"A mystery wedding. Do we at least get directions to the venue? Or will we be blindfolded for the whole trip to your secret American destination?"
"You'll get directions. When the time is right." Alex lifts his brows. "Don't you have a date this afternoon?"
"That's right. A blind date set up by you. Not sure it's safe to let Alex Thorne pick a girlfriend for me, but I'm giving it a go." I glance at my watch. "Bollocks. I'll be late."
Dane Dixon tosses me a set of keys. "Take my Jaguar. It's faster than your car."
I accept his offer, racing to the Jaguar and backing out of the driveway so fast that gravel sprays up around the car. I get to the cafe in Loch Fairbairn thirty-eight minutes past the time when I'd agreed to meet this girl. I glance around the outdoor section of the cafe but don't see a woman on her own, so I rush inside to check there.
The lad behind the counter waves for me to come over there.
When I do, he says, "Are you the one who was supposed to meet an American girl here for a blind date?"
"Aye. Have you seen her?"
The boy, who can't be more than sixteen, nods. "She left this note for you."
He hands me a folded piece of paper. Mhac na galla, I've missed her. I can't blame the lass for leaving when I've made her wait half an hour. I thank the lad and open the note.
You get one more chance. Loch Fairbairn Arms, Room 110.
She's inviting me to her hotel room? That's never happened to me before. I don't even know this woman's name. Alex wouldn't tell me because he thought it would be more fun to leave her identity a mystery. I know only that she's American.
I walk the two blocks to the Loch Fairbairn Arms, the only hotel in this village. The desk clerk barely glances at me when I cross the lobby and head down the hall to Room 110.
Maybe I shouldn't do this. Meet a stranger in a hotel room? If she wants to have sex and then leave… Why do I assume that's what she has on her mind? This woman is a stranger. She probably wants to tell me what a bod ceann I am for making her wait.
The door to Room 110 is in front of me.
Do I look all right? I straighten my clothes, as if they need it, run my fingers through my hair to smooth it out, and hold a hand to my face so I can puff a breath into it and make sure it doesn't stink of…anything. I've had a few dates since my divorce, but I never got past the first date with any of those women.
I raise my hand, hesitate, and finally knock on the door.
After a few seconds, the door swings open.
The woman standing in front of me gasps. Her ice-blue hair falls over one of her eyes, and she brushes it away.
I stare at her, frozen in place, my pulse racing and my skin going cold. "Autumn? What are you doing here?"
She shakes her head, eyes wide. "No, this can't be—You can't be—No, no, no."
"I, ah…" Pushing a hand into my hair, I shake my head too. "It's been a long time. You look…bonnie. I've never seen hair that color before."
Hers used to be blonde. Now it's blue?
"That's all you can say? You set me up for this, didn't you? Humiliating me doesn't seem like your style, but—"
"I didn't set this up. My friend Alex did." The sodding ersehole. He knew exactly what he was doing, I'm sure of that. "I'm sorry. This was not my idea, and believe me, you are the last person I expected to see."
Autumn shuts her eyes, squeezing her lips together. "Ugh. This is a mess. I flew all the way to Scotland for a vacation because my friend Rika suggested it. A blind date was supposed to be fun."
Rika. That would be Dane Dixon's wife.
What twist of fate resulted in my ex-wife being friends with the wife of Alex's cousin? This is too much. Whether Alex connived to introduce my ex-wife to Rika or it's rubbish luck to blame doesn't matter. I'm standing in front of my ex-wife, and I have no idea what to say to her.
"I'll go," I tell her. "Again, I'm sorry for this mix-up."
When I turn to leave, she grabs my arm. "You don't have to leave. Since we're both here, maybe we should have lunch and try to bury the hatchet."
The hatchet belongs to her, not me. She used it to cut me out of her life.
But the therapist part of me knows I need closure, so I say, "Lunch sounds good. How long are you in Scotland?"
"Two weeks." She steps out of her room and shuts the door. "Who knows? Maybe we'll become friends."
"Last
time we saw each other, you told me I'm a shameless huckster."
"Are you going to hold that against me forever? Time to get over yourself, Jack. I might think your job is dumb, but you think the same thing about mine."
I sputter, like an eejit. "You quit medical school so you could become a blackjack dealer in Atlantic City. How is my profession a sham but yours is noble? And you didn't even discuss it with me. You announced you were moving to New Jersey, with or without me."
"You could have come with me. If you really loved me, you would have." She waves a hand, dismissing…everything, apparently. "Doesn't matter. Let's have a nice lunch and go from there. You're paying, right? I mean, you did stand me up."
"I was late. I didn't stand you up."
"Whatever. You're paying."
As I follow my ex-wife down the hallway, I make one very important decision. Alex Thorne is going to pay for this.
Jack MacTaggart returns in Devastating in a Kilt.
*****
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About the Author
Anna Durand is a bestselling, multi-award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her books have earned bestseller status on every major retailer and wonderful reviews from readers around the world. But that’s the boring spiel. Here are some really cool things you want to know about Anna!
Born on Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, Anna grew up moving here, there, and everywhere thanks to her dad’s job as an instructor pilot. She’s lived in Texas (twice), Mississippi, California (twice), Michigan (twice), and Alaska — and now Ohio.
As for her writing, Anna has always made up stories in her head, but she didn’t write them down until her teen years. Those first awful books went into the trash can a few years later, though she learned a lot from those stories. Eventually, she would pen her first romance novel, the paranormal romance Willpower, and she’s never looked back since.