Kerry swallowed hard, and Duncan flicked her nose in that playful way he had.
“Don’t look so shocked, my wee lassie.”
She pulled away, and he frowned at her.
“I’m not shocked per se. It’s just…” She wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered. Duncan stepped closer and rubbed his large hands up and down her goose-pimpled flesh.
“Not your kink, huh?”
“Definitely not. I don’t really like needles, let alone, well, you know…and down there?”
She dropped her gaze to his chest, not that it helped in any way. The tight T-shirt he wore emblazoned with his shop’s logo clung to every one of his impressive muscles, while his scent increased and wrapped itself around her. It drew her in closer, urged her to give in and take what he offered. Duncan had made it perfectly clear that he was interested in her. He’d also made it perfectly clear that he wouldn’t touch her unless she asked him to, and in moments like this, Kerry had a hard time remembering why she wouldn’t want him to.
“Relax, wee one, it’s not my kink either. I prefer fire play, myself.” His eyes twinkled with amusement when she yanked her head up, and he shut her open mouth with his index finger.
“Fire play?” She croaked her question and he grinned, flashing his even white teeth at her.
“Oh aye, to see my subbie squirm under the flames licking across her skin in a fiery embrace…huge fucking turn-on.”
Kerry struggled to get saliva into her mouth at the far-too-alluring images that brought to mind. She’d seen a demo once, years ago, and had been utterly fascinated by it all.
“But that’s hugely dangerous,” she said, finally managing to squeak a reply.
“Only if you dinnae knae what you’re doing.” His accent thickened as he spoke. “And trust me, wee one, I knae what I’m doin’.”
Chapter Five
She really had the most expressive face, and Duncan’s exhaustion and bad mood lifted slowly as he saw her struggle to hide her far-too-obvious reaction to his words. The altercation with Ellie had left a sour taste in his mouth, and he wanted nothing more than to bury himself balls deep inside his mate and forget the rest of the world existed for a while.
Having her work for him for the last few weeks had been bliss and torture all rolled into one. Bliss, because it kept his dragon from doing something stupid like shifting and seeking her out to claim her. Torture, because to be this close to their mate, to breathe in her scent, to get to know her and not be able to touch her in any other than a professional manner…it caused a physical ache deep inside his psyche. At least the convention had meant the shop had been far busier than usual. A baptism of fire for his sweet little Kerry, and one she had risen to with admirable composure.
“I…that is…”
His grin deepened at her obvious struggle to respond to his promise, and his cock, always at half-mast around her, hardened further at the thought of her at the mercy of his dragon’s fire.
The shrill ring of the shop’s phone broke the tension between them, and Kerry made a dive for her desk as though her life depended on it.
“I’m not taking any bookings for next week, if that’s an inquiry, Kerry,” he said. Her eyes widened in astonishment, as well they might—he wasn’t in the habit of taking time off—before she answered the phone with the same professionalism she always handled the clients with.
In truth, Duncan had no idea where that sudden thought had come from. He knew he had a few appointments already booked, which he would have to honor, but if the run-in with Ellie had shown him one thing, it was that he needed a break. And he had a mate to seduce. He was done waiting. Blue-balls syndrome wasn’t good for any man for this length of time.
Besides, if he didn’t show his face around Miri’s soon, there would be hell to pay.
“Oh, hi, Miri…yes, he’s right here. Do you want to speak to…err, okay, how did you know…well, I…that is…I’ll try my best, but…”
Duncan suppressed another grin at seeing Kerry so utterly rattled. She would have no idea that he could hear that conversation between her and Miri as though he had the phone held to his ear. There were definite bonuses to being a shifter, and supersensitive hearing was one of them.
Not that Miri was subtle in her approach. She was practically booming down the phone line, as were the not-so-dulcet tones of her son, who was clearly due another feeding.
“I dinnae care what excuse he might come up with; I’m counting on you to bring him with you. You both gotta eat, and Mark and I have been inundated with food parcels from the clans, so for the love of the fiery goddess, bring that man along to help us make a dent in all this food.”
“I, well, I’ll try.” Kerry looked utterly adorable in her flustered state, and taking pity on her, Duncan held out his hand for the phone.
“Here, let me talk to her.” She breathed an audible sigh of relief when she passed him the phone, and Duncan smiled at her.
“Stop harassing my staff and see to your bairn. Sounds like you’re starving that poor wee lad.”
Miri’s furious snarl down the phone drowned out her son’s wails, and Duncan held the phone a distance away from him to save his eardrums. Kerry shook her head and nibbled her bottom lip with her teeth, an action that didn’t help one iota to ensure his jeans would feel less tight.
“Just get your ass over here, and bring her with you. No excuses, you—”
“Hold your fire. We’ll be there. As it happens, I’ve shut up shop early.” He paused at her astonished snort and raised his eyebrows when the baby’s wailing finally stopped. He put the phone on speaker and grinned at the suckling noises that now came through the line.
“There, that’s better. He’s on the boob and I can hear myself think. Did you just say you’re shutting shop early?”
“I did, aye.”
“Are you ill?”
He rolled his eyes at Kerry, and she giggled.
“Hardly, and I thought you’d be pleased. I put you on speaker, by the way, so that Kerry can hear this, too.”
“Best not spill your secrets to her then, huh?”
“Best not, babe, no, and as long as Kerry agrees, we’ll make it over to see you three shortly.” He glanced at Kerry when he said that. She looked set to argue the point, but Miri got there first.
“Of course she’ll agree. I’ll take it as a personal offense if she doesnae want to come and see me and my wee bairn.”
It was Kerry’s turn to roll her eyes, but out loud she consented.
“I would love to see him, Miri.”
“There, that’s settled then. Fly over then…err, I mean—oh, you know what I mean, Duncan. We’ll be waiting.”
The phone clicked off before either he or Kerry could respond to that, and he shook his head.
“You heard her. We best do as we’re told. She’s bad enough when she’s not hormonal.” He winked at Kerry, and she gave a short laugh.
“She’s allowed to be. She just had a baby, but what does she mean fly? Surely she’s not living that far away that we have to get on a plane?”
Duncan inwardly sighed at her question. What he wouldn’t give to be able to just do that. However, shifting and flying the short distance to Kerry’s mountain hideaway was sadly out of the question for now.
“It sure would be quicker if we could, but no, it was just a figure of speech, wee one. With that in mind, we best get a move on, because it’s a solid few hours’ drive to Miri’s.”
As he thought she might, Kerry frowned at that.
“Surely she can’t live that far away.”
Duncan simply smiled and tapped his nose.
“Ach, you’ll see. Luckily, my Land Rover is more than up to the task. You might wanna pack a flask of coffee, mind you. You never ken how much the weather might change up there. And pack an overnight bag. We’ll be staying awhile.”
With that he turned away, chuckling to himself.
* * * *
Kerry stared at his d
eparting back and frowned. What on earth did that mean? Sure, they were in Scotland and it wasn’t unusual to have all the four seasons in one afternoon, but that sounded very ominous. And since when were they staying over? Not that he would tell her any more until he was ready to. She’d gleaned that much about him over the last few weeks. Duncan could be the poster boy, or rather man, for “dark and brooding hero” at times, and wasn’t that the biggest turn-on yet. Yep, she was a hopeless case as far as her boss was concerned. If she didn’t fear for her health—Miri would gut her for sure if she didn’t turn up—she’d have cried off from this visit. Sitting in such a confined space as Duncan’s Land Rover for what sounded like hours wouldn’t be good for her equilibrium. Not to mention the midges. Countryside meant midges, and the blasted things always had a nibble of her, no matter how much repellent she slapped on.
Rolling her eyes at her convoluted thought processes, Kerry set to work to tidy up her desk before she made her way upstairs for a quick shower and gathering of essential supplies. When Duncan knocked on her door less than half an hour later, she was as ready as she’d ever be. Armed with her flask of coffee and wearing jeans, her trusty hiking boots, and several layers up top to adjust as she needed to, she yanked the door open. Her smile stuck on her face, and she had a hard time not ogling. Duncan too had changed, into a flannel shirt, fresh jeans, and hiking boots of his own.
Whereas she no doubt looked like the hopeless tourist she was, he had that whole lumberjack thing going for him here. Yep, she had no problems imagining him swinging a big ax and…
Thoughts not helping. Engage brain, Kerry, and stop ogling him.
“Ah, you’re ready. I do appreciate a lassie who disnae dillydally.” His accent thickened as he ran his gaze all over her body in a leisurely appraisal that made Kerry extremely glad of the multitude of layers. As it was, her nipples were trying their best to poke through the myriad of coverings, and she clenched her thighs together to relieve the tingle between her legs.
His nostrils flared as though he could smell her arousal, which should have been a mortifying thought, had his virile, earthy, smoky scent not wrapped itself around her and made her inhale as sharply and deeply as he did.
Lord knows what was wrong with her, but if he chose to kiss her now, they wouldn’t go anywhere but her bed. Time stood still as their gazes locked, and she lost herself in the swirling fire brewing in his astonishing eyes. Duncan reached out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, inhaled deeply, and then stepped back and picked up her small overnight bag.
“Miri is waiting.”
With that, he turned around and stomped down the stairs with angry, jerky moves, which made her heart flutter in barely disguised excitement. His anger shouldn’t turn her on, it really shouldn’t, but she sensed it wasn’t directed at her. As big and menacing as Duncan could be, she knew instinctively that she could trust him. Kerry had seen his gentle side more often than not when he was engrossed in his work, always ensuring his clients were comfortable, stopping long before they cried off, and rescheduling appointments to suit them.
Which made the fact that he was effectively taking time out even more astonishing. His work seemed far too important to him to simply shut up shop. Kerry hurried on after him and swallowed hard when she saw where he was waiting for her. His chosen mode of transportation left a lot to be desired as far as she was concerned. While the engine of his battered old Land Rover Defender idled away quite happily, the state of it made Kerry hesitate. Amusement twinkled in Duncan’s amber eyes this time when she caught his gaze, and his wink was clearly designed to put her at ease.
“Dinnae look so worried, lass. I ken she disnae look like much, but she’ll get us there.”
Kerry rolled her eyes and gingerly climbed into the vehicle.
“What’s with the heavy accent all of a sudden?” she asked.
Duncan smiled and rounded the vehicle after shutting her door for her.
“Och aye, I’ll just be giving ya the whole Scots tourist guide, my wee lassie.”
Kerry couldn’t help but laugh at that, and Duncan flashed his pearly whites at her.
“Surely the whole experience would involve you wearing a kilt?”
The interior filled with his spicy scent when he climbed in, slammed the door shut, and pulled off with an almighty roar.
“Aye, but I willnae freeze my essentials off, even for you.”
Kerry blinked and put on her shades, as the sun chose that moment to beat down on them.
Duncan took the hint and shrugged.
“Bound to turn dreich on the way to Miri’s place.”
Kerry pulled a face and rolled her window down. The resulting breeze meant she could breathe a little easier with him this close.
“And in English, that would be?” she asked.
“You’ll be finding out soon enough, wee one.” He shifted his attention from her to the winding roads. She still had no idea where they were heading, apart from seemingly to the west. The only place she knew sort of out that way was Loch Ness, and she highly doubted that was where they were heading. Besides, it wouldn’t take the promised long drive, not even in the middle of tourist season.
There wasn’t a hell of a lot of room in the front of the vehicle, not with Duncan’s massive frame, and every time he shifted gears, he nudged her thigh. Whether by accident or design she couldn’t be sure, but judging by the smirk on his full lips as he whistled along to the crackling radio, it was the latter. Well, two could play this game.
Kerry made a big show of pulling several of her layers off, threw them onto the back bench, and then proceeded to rub mozzie repellent into her skin. She grinned to herself when Duncan crunched the gears.
“Is there a problem?” she asked and bit the inside of her mouth to stop herself from laughing at his reaction.
His hands gripping the steering wheel turned white knuckled, and there was a distinctive growl to his reply.
“Not a thing, lass.”
He didn’t look at her, simply concentrated on driving, and Kerry made herself busy trying to find a radio station that gave more than almost constant crackle. As his Land Rover was only equipped with an ancient FM radio, she wasn’t having much luck and eventually gave up.
The passing scenery, as beautiful as it was, gave no clue as to where they were. Clearly not Loch Ness, as they’d passed signs for that some time back, and they seemed to be heading toward the coast. The farther they drove, the lighter the traffic got.
To add insult to the silent treatment from the brooding man next to her, the sun disappeared behind menacing clouds, and Kerry hastily rolled her window back up when the first big spots of rain hit the windscreen. The temperature dropped considerably, and when Duncan reached behind her and handed back her discarded clothing, Kerry hugged them to herself.
A particularly nasty gust of wind rocked the vehicle, and she shrieked as Duncan skidded to a stop at the side of the road. Supposedly the main one, but it looked more like a track to her.
He put his hand over hers, where she was clutching the dashboard for dear life.
“Relax. I only stopped so that you can take off your seat belt and pull those layers back on. I don’t feel the cold, but you will in that.”
He smiled at her when she looked up at him, and then all the air left her lungs because his attention shifted to her boobs. No way in hell would he miss her body’s reaction to him this time, not with her nipples practically poking through the thin tank top she was wearing. While it had an inbuilt bra, it proved little protection right now. Sure enough, when he brought his gaze back up to her face, his amber eyes burned with a fiery intensity that raised her body temperature instantly. She held her breath when he shifted closer, so close that his hot breath ghosted across her face, but he only unclicked her seat belt and leaned back in his seat.
“There. It gets stuck sometimes.”
One hand went through his hair, and he brooded out the window at the rain-lashed countryside surround
ing them while she hastily pulled her clothes back on.
“Is that what you meant by dreich earlier?” she asked.
Duncan shrugged and threw her a lopsided grin.
“Aye, kinda. Dreich encompasses the lovely Scottish weather quite well. Gray, miserable, ye ken?” He pulled a face as another gust of wind shook the car. Kerry hastily clicked her seat belt back in place, and Duncan laughed.
“Dinnae worry, my wee one. This is nothing. It’s not snowing yet, after all.”
Kerry knew she was making goldfish impressions, but surely, he couldn’t mean that?
“It’s okay. I’m pulling your leg. I don’t think it will snow, and this will soon blow over.” Kerry blinked at his shift into his normal speech pattern. “We can stay here for a while until it does if that makes you feel any better. Brought that coffee?”
He shut her open mouth with one large finger under her chin, and her breathing sped up when he let that digit linger. Kerry nervously licked her lips, and Duncan seemed mesmerized by that action until he shook his head and released her.
She pulled a much-needed breath into her lungs and made a grab for that blessed thermos flask.
“Yes, I did. Here.”
Having accomplished the task of pouring a mug full and handing it to him, she busied herself drinking her own rather than ogling him.
Seriously though, everything about him turned her on, and Duncan’s throat moving as he gulped the piping-hot coffee down in one go shouldn’t have been such a turn-on.
“Jeez, asbestos mouth much?” She murmured that question while sipping her own cuppa at a far more sedate pace. Duncan simply shrugged and regarded her thoughtfully.
“I like things hot, wee one.”
His windscreen wipers squeaked as though in mortal agony, and he flicked them off with a grin.
“See, told you it would blow over. Just dreich now.”
Kerry regarded the menacing clouds bunching together on the horizon with a certain amount of distrust, especially when another gust of wind rocked the Land Rover.
Marked by the Dragon [The Dragon of Skye 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 4