by Tilly Greene
“Don’t worry, I have a plan. If I think it’s going to get out of control, I’ll leave. What a fucking pain in the ass.” He didn’t want to think about having to leave Grace at a moment’s notice, not after how she felt this morning, waking up without him.
“I know it is.”
“It’s infuriating. I had to leave my woman all alone this morning because of the horns. I hated having to do that and now I have to consider doing it again.”
“Don’t worry. Those bones are nobody’s business except your own and whomever you choose to tell about them. You’ll know when it’s right for her to see them.”
“You’re right, you’re right, I’m just frustrated.”
“Okay, keep cool because getting pissed won’t do you any good. I’m going to leave you to relax and get those things down before you need to go out. Call me if you need anything. I’m staying down here for at least another week, possibly longer.”
“You don’t have to stay on my behalf. I know you can’t stand spending time down here in London.”
“No, work and stuff are keeping me here.”
“Stuff?”
“Leave it, Hamish.”
“Come on, Alain, I spill my guts about Grace and you listen, then you help me figure it out. Why won’t you let me do the same for you?”
“Because I’m older than you, that’s why.”
“Bullshit!”
“Maybe, but for now it’s the only answer I have for you.”
“Go away, Alain.”
“I’m going. Let me know how everything works out tonight.”
“Possibly.”
“Have fun tonight.” His cousin laughed all the way to the front door. “Tell Grace I said ‘hi’.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go!”
As soon as the door clicked shut, Hamish put his empty mug on the coffee table and stretched out on the couch. With his arms folded beneath his head, he closed his eyes and settled on an image of Grace, sleeping curled on her side on his bed upstairs. He pictured himself walking in and snuggling up behind her, pulling her close to his body and sleeping.
Hamish slept peacefully, calmed by the pictures in his imagination, only to wake hours later feeling refreshed and on target for being late for his date.
“Shit!” Looking over at the clock on the mantle, he saw it was already six-thirty and dashed upstairs. As he took the stairs two at a time, he ran his hands through his hair at the side of his head and found just ridges. Those were okay, his hair would definitely keep these covered. He pulled his t-shirt over his head, dropped it on the bedroom floor and stripped off his sweatpants while turning on the shower.
In double quick time he showered, dressed, and in less than forty minutes, was making his way through the city center’s evening traffic. The slight panic dissipated the minute he pulled up in front of Frivolity and saw Grace standing behind the front desk.
Stepping out of his car, he walked up to the locked door and tapped on the window. The smile that spread across her face as soon as she recognized him brought a sense of satisfaction and rightness to him. This was his woman. With her came a sense of contentment. She made him happy, was intelligent and enjoyed her work. And, wow, she had incredible cleavage.
When she walked toward him carrying her coat and purse, all he noticed was the dark line separating her breasts. The black dress she wore clung gently to her curves and showed her to be the feminine delight she truly was. Using a key, she unlocked the door, turned off a few lights and left others on before leaving.
Hamish didn’t see any reason to deny himself the pleasure of pulling her close. He kissed both her cheeks and then softly on her lips. This wasn’t a night about passion. It was much more than that. Tonight was the next step in claiming her as his mate. They knew each other intimately, now it was time to start letting her see what was inside him and having the opportunity to explore her further.
“You look beautiful.” It was a simple compliment and very true.
“Thank you.”
“Do you have a particular curry house in mind?”
“Have you ever been to Tamarind on Queen’s Street, off Curzon?”
“No, you like it?”
“They have a great biryani.”
“Sounds delicious to me.” She had an addictive sparkle in her eyes that drew him in even further. Hamish didn’t want it to end.
“It’s not far, you want to walk there?”
“If it isn’t too cold for you.”
“No, the fresh air will be nice after spending all day in the shop.” Slipping her arm through his, they started down Old Bond Street and took a casual stroll along Piccadilly. As expected, she felt immediately at ease in his company. It could’ve been awkward, their having spent a couple of days indulging themselves and their desires, but it wasn’t.
She breathed in the cool night air and allowed her mind to clear and go where it wanted. There’d been a few times today when she’d caught her breath while thinking how quickly and deeply she was falling for him. She didn’t feel any embarrassment or shame for having had wild and wicked sex with him so soon after meeting him. Nor would she dwell endlessly over her decision to hand her trust back to him. Hamish Buchanan was special. There was more of him for her to uncover.
As they headed for dinner, Grace knew that if he turned to her and suggested they go back to his or her place, she would. It was simple really, she’d do anything to be naked and under his control again.
However, when they weren’t up on the top floor of his house playing their games, she’d like to spend time getting to know the man who made her feel so much. He made her think, dream and wonder about a life with him and how far they could take what they had together. There was something in him that made her feel that whatever was happening between them was about more than sex. This was her chance to delve in and unearth all his secrets. She was looking forward to making her discoveries.
They were walking down the famous street at a comfortable pace. She was very aware of him and how they moved together like a couple and it felt good. Then he took the closeness she was experiencing a step further and excitement bubbled up.
“How was your day?” He asked, leaning down to hear her answer and looked genuinely interested. This was what he’d done that first day at his home. He’d put her at ease by talking with her about everyday things. She liked this about him.
“Great. I worked with a couple of customers and was able to get some new drawings finished.”
“Tell me how it goes from your imagination to a hat atop someone’s head?”
Her heart picked up the pace when he placed a hand over hers, holding her connected to him. It was a simple move to make, and yet with that minimal connection, she felt herself being emotionally drawn closer to him. This was definitely the man she enjoyed spending time with and no longer felt guilty about skipping work to be with him.
Chapter Nine
“These bloody horns! Alain, what can I do? I love Grace. Love her and can’t bear the thought of her not being in my life, at my side, in my bed. Shit! This is the woman I think about having children with and I can’t stand the thought of her walking away from me!”
Not since they were young and discovering girls had he seen Hamish so filled with anger over his lot in life. Alain watched as the other man paced his office while he speared his fingers through his hair. Frustration was obvious and Alain knew he had to do something before his cousin pulled his hair out. Then there’d be no chance of hiding the horns.
He turned away and looked out the office window, searching for something to say. This man was not merely his cousin, he was his best friend. He’d do anything for him. Unfortunately, Alain knew he was going to have to get tough and hand an ugly reality sandwich to him.
He might not know all that went on between them as a couple, but one thing was clear to him. Grace wasn’t the problem, his cousin was.
“Hamish, have you two spent much time together out of that playroom of yours? How
can you be so sure of what she means to you if all you know about her is discovered through is sex?” Of course, Alain knew Hamish wasn’t merely sowing his wild oats. He’d understood from the beginning the little blonde had a hold on his cousin as no other woman had before. The night they met, he’d made a point to phone their grandmum Maisie and give her the latest development. The older woman had been excited to hear about what had happened at the charity event.
“Of course we have. We’ve been out on dates, talked about everything, well, almost everything. I freely admit there’s been no shortage of time spent upstairs. What can I say, Alain, she does that to me. It’s getting easier, but I still have to work to keep my horns from bursting out at the mere sight of her. The other night I walked into the room, it was completely dark and I couldn’t see her, but I heard her breathing and out they came.”
“Would it be so bad to tell her the truth? I met her that first morning when she wasn’t at her best and a handful of times since, she seems to be an intelligent and decent woman who wouldn’t be quick to judge another. Think about it, she’s Scottish and must know about the circumstances surrounding your birth. The horns may not be such a shock.”
“I know, and yet I couldn’t stand it if she ever looked at me with disgust or fear. No, those are two things I never want to happen. Grace brings such an immense amount of joy and love into my world. For my own good sense, I can’t risk her ever going away.”
Alain heard the pain in Hamish’s statement and collapsed in the chair opposite his brooding cousin. He felt all the air leave his lungs in one whoosh. He was shocked. This was the first time he’d ever heard Hamish speak this way. His cousin had always faced the world head on and won every time. The only weakness he knew the man held was in regards to his mum and what she’d suffered.
Catriona’s horrible death had been a terrible price for a baby to pay, and then being infected by the animals that had killed her only added to the pain. However, there was something more to the man’s true character than the tragedy surrounding his birth. He knew Hamish blamed his horns for his father’s suicide. Maybe this had left a larger mark on his cousin than any of them ever realized.
With Maisie at the helm, they’d all surrounded him, giving the boy love and a strong sense of self-respect. Even through all this time, none of the doctors and nurses who helped save him and cared so much for him had ever revealed his secret. With so much support around him, Alain never considered that Hamish might suffer from insecurity. It surprised him. His cousin was always a pillar of strength, a true leader, sure of himself. He always knew where he was headed and didn’t care what others outside the family thought.
Until now. Until Grace.
Because emotions were running close to the surface, Alain began with a softer approach than he’d planned a few moments ago.
“Talk to her. You understand people and can see beneath the public veneer they wear better than anyone else. Do you truly believe she’d shun you?”
“No, I don’t think she would. She’s a strong, smart woman, a survivor. There isn’t a shallow or cruel bone in her body. All the same, I’m not sure I can risk losing her because of these things.” Hamish raised his hands and rubbed them over the boned ridges lying beneath his hair.
The past couple of months had been difficult trying to keep them hidden from his lover. That said, he was glad for every second he had with Grace and wouldn’t trade them for anything. He had memories of her, their time together and would always hold them close, no matter what. Although, he admitted to himself that he’d much rather hold on to her than recollections of their time together.
“Hamish, this isn’t you. You’re a great man, confident, full of power and self-assurance. I look up to you because at all times you know what you want and have no problems taking hold of it with both hands. Get off your ass and go over there. Talk to her!”
“I’ve already told her I’ll be there later. Today’s her big day. She’s going to receive a royal warra—”
“Fuck all that, Hamish! Get in your car and go over there now. This is the woman you love, right?” Hamish was surprised the usually calm and lighthearted man acting so irritated with him, he could only nod and wait to see what happened next.
“Go, support her, be there for her, show her she means something to you outside of that dark bedroom of yours, and for fuck’s sake, talk to her!”
“Alain, are you shouting at me?”
“Yes, I am! This man sitting here, willing to accept the fact that he can’t reach out for what he knows will make him happy, is not my cousin.”
Silence followed the unusual burst of irritation. He listened to what his cousin said and quickly discovered that Alain was right. This wasn’t how he conducted himself in things that mattered in his life. He’d always been the type of man to step forward and work, fight for what he wanted. And he knew that if he was to be happy, he needed Grace in his life. There was no other way around it. To get his woman, he had to take a chance, open up and tell her everything.
Abruptly he stood, stepped forward and slapped a friendly hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “You’re right, I’ll see you later.” Without another word, he strode from the room, down the stairs and out the front door.
Once he was in his car and heading to Frivolity, Hamish took the time to think through what he wanted to say to Grace and how to say it. Telling his lover he had the horns of a ram could be a bit shocking and so it had to be done just right.
Suddenly Hamish realized he was missing something significant and pulled over at the next set of shops. He needed flowers. This was a big day for her, huge, and she should have something special to mark the occasion. Besides, she seemed to have liked the other bouquets he picked out and they might help ease the way for his revelation. He walked a short bit down the road looking for a florist, but couldn’t find one.
This wasn’t good. He must have some posies to give her. Seeing a small card shop, he nipped inside and asked the shopkeeper if she knew of a florist nearby. Thankfully, the woman thought there was a nice one a few streets away. He dashed over and bought a beautiful spray of white peonies with a single thistle in the center to remind Grace of their home.
Back in the car, he checked the clock and found he had just over four hours before the event would officially begin. Good. If she was too busy to talk, he’d stay around to offer her any help, watch the ceremony and they’d talk later. The presentation of a royal warrant was a big deal, one Grace had worked very hard for, and he wanted to be there to support and celebrate her success.
Old Bond Street was already blocked off in preparation for the upcoming royal event. Instead of hassling with driving up and down surrounding side roads looking for a place to park, he pulled into the alley and parked there. As was his habit, he took a moment to run his fingers through his hair and check the ridges to make sure his horns weren’t at the point of pushing through. They were there, as they always were whenever he thought of Grace or was in her presence, although not more than an inch or so.
Confident he was okay, he spent some time to find the calm place inside himself, anything to help stave off the horns’ appearance before he had a chance to tell her anything. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he soon felt steady and stepped out of the car. After he collected the flowers from the back seat, he pressed a button on the key fob to lock it and turned to head down the alley. As he walked past the back door, he noticed it stood ajar.
It wasn’t like Grace to leave it open, but he guessed it was a busy day for them, so didn’t think anything more about it. He smiled to himself and decided to make use of the shortcut. Maybe he’d be able to miss seeing the store manager, Aimee. The woman was a saucy handful and didn’t fail to notice even the smallest thing. The other day she’d phoned Grace’s mobile and when he picked it up because his lover had been tied to the spreader bars at the time, the woman demanded he let her boss up for air and send her back to the shop. He still had to laugh over the conversation. There was no d
oubt in his mind that he’d walk a mile rather than face Aimee when he wasn’t in top form.
Stepping into the back hallway, Hamish turned and shut the store’s door behind him. There were the usual sounds of bustling activity and nervous laughter coming down the long hallway from the front. Grace had a great group of women who worked for her. They effortlessly and enthusiastically sold her hats to everyone from high society mavens to tourists who walked in on a whim. They made sure the right chapeau for the woman and event left the shop for total satisfaction.
From what he could tell, it sounded like everything was going well, although he hadn’t heard her voice in the mix. Hamish decided to check her office first, make sure she wasn’t working at her desk before he braved the estrogen overload zone.
With a knuckle rap for warning, he turned the knob and walked into the room. The smile he was ready to offer his lover never fully bloomed and her name froze on the tip of his tongue.
Instead of seeing his sexy and composed Grace sitting sedately behind her desk, sipping a cup of tea, he found her standing in front of a man holding a knife pressed against her throat. Gagged and hands behind her back, his heart and mind saw her looking at him with fear in her eyes.
Seeing that terror was all it took for Hamish to let his rigid control go.
Dropping the flowers on the floor, he shot forward without a thought of anything other than alleviating her fright. He heard himself growling like an animal as he rushed the man. He didn’t care because he felt like an enraged beast ready to protect his mate at any cost.
“Stay where you are or I’ll kill her!”
The hand holding the knife shook wildly when he shouted, except Hamish took no notice of his words. There was a weapon pressed against his woman’s neck, that’s all that mattered. He kept moving forward, not caring when he felt his horns burst from his temples.
“What the—stay back!”
“A-mis!”
Through the haze of anger, he noticed she’d already been harmed. There were red scratches marking her neck that stood out like large slashes against her soft skin.