So, she wasn’t going to duck that sticky issue, either, though he’d have been perfectly willing to let her. “There might have been some side benefits, aye.”
“Given the flurry of final construction taking place, your restraint has been admirable.”
“Ye have no idea,” he muttered beneath his breath.
“What?”
“I said, I had an idea. I overheard some chatter that there was concern that the last site hadn’t been nailed down. I thought I might be able to help you with that.”
“Can I ask why?” She held up a hand. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you, I’m desperate enough at this point I’d take help from any corner.”
“I believe I was just insulted.”
She laughed. “Sorry, that did come out a bit wrong. It’s just, I assumed you’d prefer to steer completely clear of me and my boss, so I’m just…surprised, I guess. You certainly don’t owe me a thing.”
“I know your boss really fancied the idea of signing me on and I suspected my refusal might have left you in a wee bit of a bind. So I thought maybe I could redeem myself and help you get back in his good graces.”
She just stared at him. “Really.”
He gave her the look right back. “Really.” He lifted his hands. “Why is that so hard to believe? I’m not that bad a sort, am I?” She certainly hadn’t thought so when she was moaning as he teased her nipples with his tongue, but he thought better of mentioning that at the moment. His body, however, was perfectly content to respond quite fully to the memory.
“Let’s just say you haven’t been all that motivated to help me thus far, usually quite the opposite. Getting you to agree to the lease was a battle right off the bat.”
“Och, so quickly they forget. Was it not me who helped you secure your other much-needed date site?” His body grew even harder at the reminder, like it needed more taunting memories at the moment.
“Only after I dragged you bodily from the building to get you out of my crew’s hair. It was more by default than by design.” She shifted a little in her seat, as if suddenly a bit uncomfortable. “And trust me, I’ve hardly forgotten.”
He smiled at that. So, she wasn’t quite as unaffected as she seemed.
She caught his smile and quickly added, “But don’t get any ideas. Nothing has changed since our, uh, talk in the library.”
“Talk.”
She gazed at him rather defiantly. “Yes. Talk. Which you bailed out on pretty quickly when it became clear you weren’t going to get what you wanted.”
“You’ve no idea what I want,” he said. How could she when he didn’t know himself? He thought he knew. Hadn’t he just told himself he was out here for the express purpose of finishing off what they’d started? Easy to say when he was alone and horny. Only now that she was sitting next to him, he wasn’t at all certain that was all he wanted. She confused the hell out of him. But there was one thing he wasn’t at all confused about. “If you’ve come out here tonight thinking to sway me on that whole Prince Charming thing, dinna waste yer breath. I’ve no’ changed my mind on it, nor will I.”
“I know that.”
Now it was his turn to look a bit wary. “Do you?”
“Yes, I do. I knew going in you’d never agree to anything like that, but with my job on the line, I had to at least try.”
He wouldn’t have expected anything less of his tenacious lass. Which was why it was so surprising to hear her give up so readily. It was completely ridiculous, but a part of him was curious to know if she’d backed off because, perhaps, she wanted him for herself and had no intentions of sharing him with a bevy of hand-selected beauties. His ego would like to think that was true, of course. But there might have been some other part of him in there wishing the same thing. A part that had nothing to do with ego or thwarted libido. He ignored that part. “And now your job is no longer on the line? You’ve convinced your boss to look elsewhere?”
She didn’t answer. And, he noted, she no longer held his gaze, shifting her own forward, staring through the windshield at the stone wall surrounding the hotel courtyard.
“Erin?”
“Not exactly,” she blurted out after a long, silent moment. “But I—I have another plan on how I’m going to handle it and Tommy, so you don’t have to feel obligated to do anything for me, okay?” Gone was the casual, unaffected demeanor. Back was his hard-wired, always thinking, highly motivated Erin.
And that right there was the thing about her that captivated him. Things were never dull or complacent with Erin. It was a rare moment indeed where she didn’t manage, without even trying, to fully engage him. Never a moment where he wasn’t all caught up in her.
He made himself settle back in his own seat. Only his body had no intentions of complying. Bloody hell, but he hadn’t spent this much time with a hard-on since he’d been thirteen and discovered there were magazines with undressed women in them. And was obviously what he’d been thinking with when he came up with this plan in the first place.
He abruptly gunned the engine to life. Moving, he needed to be moving. “We are still on for tonight, right?”
She nodded and pulled on her seat belt as he backed out of the narrow parking lot.
“So, what is this plan of yours?” Not that it really mattered, but if he got her talking about that, it would give him time to reassess his real motives here, get a firmer grip on his self control.
“To find Tommy someone else who will fill the bill in your place.”
“Which is what, exactly? I’m no’ quite clear on why he’d want me in the first place.”
“Which is part of your charm.”
He barked a laugh. “Charming am I, now?”
“You can be.”
He gave her a sideways glance as he steered them out of the village square and headed out in the opposite direction from the way he’d come, heading away from Glenshire toward the mountains on the far side of the valley. “So much the flatterer.”
She cast him a sideways look. “Well, you didn’t strike me as the type who needed his ego stroked. But I can give you a list if you insist.”
Oh, he wanted to be stroked all right, but he politely kept that thought to himself. “I was merely curious. It was a sincere question. I just wondered what this bloke would have to have to appease your boss, is all. It’s no’ about me.”
“Okay, then. He can’t be hard on the eyes, owning a crumbling, historic mansion or castle would be a nice bonus, even better if it’s set against a stunning landscape. There’s the whole accent thing. The tragic past.” She glanced at him, as if gauging his response. “I don’t know if we could get all that and swing having him be clan chief to a village of people who adore him, but it’s on the list. That guy would be quite the romantic figure. When packaged properly anyway.”
“I think I’ve been maligned in there somewhere, but I’m no’ entirely certain.” He caught her responding smile from the corner of his eye.
“Quite the opposite. You won’t be easy to replace. Tommy already has the whole thing laid out in his mind’s eye. And he can be pretty dogged about getting what he wants.”
“Which explains why he hired you.”
“See, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
He smiled. “As well you should. So, does Tommy know about this substitution you’ll be making? Or am I still the target?”
“It’ll be easier to persuade him when I can hand him the new guy, all signed up and ready to go.” She patted his knee. “Don’t worry, somehow, someway, we’ll manage to limp along into a new season without you.”
He downshifted, then trapped her hand on his knee before she could withdraw it. A quick glance at her showed a fast instant of awareness in her eyes, before she carefully looked away.
“I appreciate your boundless optimism,” he said dryly, tracing his fingers along the backs of hers.
She shrugged, vainly attempting to appear unaffected, but he’d felt the fine tremor in her fingers. When s
he slid her hand from under his and carefully folded her arms across her chest, he had to work to contain a triumphant grin. Unaffected, his white Scottish arse.
“I figured you’d be happy to be off the hook,” she said. “I should have it resolved this weekend. I’ll be sure to let you know so you won’t have to hide anymore.”
His lips did curve a bit then. Someone was hiding here, but he didn’t think it was him at the moment. “I appreciate that. So, you’ve prospects then?” he asked, definitely relieved she’d shifted her focus from him in this instance. If she’d promised to find someone else, he trusted she’d do just that.
But then he couldn’t help but picture her interviewing those other blokes…and wondering if perhaps they would be looking at her and thinking the same thing she had him thinking. Of course, in the end, despite the sparks between them, she’d taken the professional high road. So he could rest easy knowing that even if one of them did strike her fancy, it was doubtful she’d pursue it. If she were inclined that way, she’d be pursuing him then, wouldn’t she?
Gah. He really needed to get her naked as soon as possible. All this waiting and wondering was making him overthink things. Surely he’d cease to care so much once he’d gotten his fill of her. All his questions would be answered.
Though he’d have liked to be a wee bit more convinced of that than he was.
“Um, well, I do have a target of opportunity,” she answered.
“A ‘target of opportunity.’ Sounds more like a military drill.”
“A well thought out battle strategy never hurt anybody.”
He laughed. Something he did with increasing frequency around her. Widower or not, he didn’t like to think himself so humorless and severe. But he suspected it had been more true of him than not of late.
“Speaking of which, where are we headed?”
He glanced over at her, as he let the Jag run a little. The single track road they were on wasn’t all that windy, nor was it well traveled at any time of the day. As late as it was, they were in little danger of coming abruptly upon a slow moving lorry, or a herd of sheep or cattle blocking their progress. Racing across the valley floor, the full moon lighting his way, his adrenaline surged to match their pace. He enjoyed the rare thrill, the heady rush of excitement, and perhaps a bit of the danger as well. The danger being seated next to him.
“Would you rather it be a surprise or shall I spoil it for you?”
She didn’t answer right away, but rather seemed to settle back in her seat and relax a bit more. A quick glance showed her attention was on the moonlit road ahead, and not on him. But then he’d known that. He felt it whenever her gaze was on him. Like a physical caress.
“You did do a pretty good job of picking the last spot,” she said, at length. “I suppose I can trust you.”
He wondered if there was a hidden meaning in that, but decided there wasn’t, as that suited his plans far more. She could certainly beg off once again if she didn’t welcome his attentions. But he didn’t plan on making it easy for her. “How I’ve come up in the world,” he said dryly.
He felt her look at him now, and caught the smile curving her lips as he downshifted and looked over at her, before starting the climb into the low hills.
“You might not be fully aware of your charms, but you’re hardly an innocent,” she told him. “Not even close.”
“Are you saying I’m a wicked sort, then?”
That made her shift in her seat. “You told me yourself you were no saint. But what I’m saying is you’re self-assured.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“Not at all. But while I appreciate your assistance, I figure it’s probably best not to poke and prod at you too much. You tend to poke and prod back.”
He laughed again, because she was quite right. At least where she was concerned. If she only knew the poking and prodding he dreamed of doing with her. Well, he supposed she had a pretty clear idea after their little tryst in his library the other day. “When you decided to come down and meet me, you truly had only business on your mind, then?”
She didn’t respond right away. His hands tightened on the steering wheel. He might have been holding his breath.
“Your track record with date sites is stellar,” she said at length, once again taking the safe tack.
He’d see how far she’d get with that. “Ah.”
“Ah, what?”
“So, that’s it then. I’m only to play tour guide?”
“That is what you offered.”
He slowed the car on a curve in the road, then braked so he could turn off the main track onto a narrower packed gravel path. It was hardly more than a trail, but it only went about fifty yards, and having been out here once today already, he knew it was traversable in the sports car.
“Where are we?”
He rolled to a stop just before passing the end of a stand of trees that blocked the view of their destination. He released his seat belt and shifted in his seat to look at her fully, waiting for her to return his gaze. When she did, he said, “You were right when you said you could trust me. That has been true since we first met, and remains true now. I’ve been honest to the point of bluntness from the start, and admire the same in you, more than you might know. So answer me this. A man asks you to meet him at midnight for an adventure and you agree. Is business all that really came to mind when you read my note?”
“You first. Do you really have other intentions this evening?”
He responded by opening the door and climbing out, circling the back of the car and opening her door. He held out his hand, and after staring up at him for a long moment, she placed her hand in his and let him draw her out of the car. He didn’t back away, keeping her in the narrow space between the open door and his body. She didn’t shift away. Nor did she move closer.
“You know I wasn’t the one who wanted to stop things the other evening. Do you think that has changed?”
“Given the way that meeting ended, and your silence since then, perhaps. Do you think my reasons for stopping have changed?”
“You said yourself that you’re going to look elsewhere to find Tommy his next victim. There might be a bit of a muddled line between us, but I see your production team has no problems mixing business with pleasure.” His mouth curved at the corners. “I don’t think the local lads have stopped beaming in days. Bragging over ales has kept Brodie’s tap bent non-stop most every night.”
“Be that as it may—”
He stepped a bit closer then. “Do you usually set yourself apart from all that?”
She looked up into his face. “I don’t have to. Normally by now I’d be back in L.A., getting ready to head out on a round of preliminary scouting trips for the next season.”
“Only this time the next season is here.” His smile deepened. “Lucky me.”
He saw the desire flare in her eyes. His body responded to it instantly and ardently. This time he didn’t try to fight it or control it.
“Dylan—”
He placed a finger over her lips, further surprised to feel the fine tremor and realize it wasn’t her lips that were trembling. “Why don’t you let me show you the site?”
“So there is a site, it wasn’t some ruse to get me alone in the middle of nowhere?” Her eyes danced a little. He liked it when she teased him.
“Oh, there’s a site.” He grinned. “Not to say it wasn’t a ruse, though.”
She shook her head, her smile a dry one. But the desire hadn’t abated one bit. “So tell me, I don’t hear any waterfalls. What could be up here that’s best seen at midnight?”
“You’ll see. I wanted you to look at it through the same eyes as the couple you’re tracking this site for, who will hopefully be experiencing this setting with a bit of romance in their hearts.”
Her lips twitched.
“What?” he asked, a wee bit affronted. “I thought we established that, shockingly, perhaps I had a wee bit of romance in my soul. Y
e think I dinna appreciate the pleasure of it?”
She shook her head. “No, that’s not it. I just—I don’t know. Never mind, ignore me. You read me far too well.”
He smiled now. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“Sometimes,” she said archly, but with obvious amusement.
He took her hand. “Come on, walk with me. It’s just around the bend, past the trees.”
“It?”
“Aye.”
She bumped her shoulder into his, but matched his pace. And left her hand in his. “Tease.”
“No’ yet, but give me some time,” he said, his tone never more heartfelt.
Her step faltered.
He turned and tugged her closer, so there was barely a space between them. “I willna lie, Erin. I want you. You know that.”
“Yes, but—”
“But I willna take you, that I swear.”
She looked confused. “Then why are you—”
He tugged her closer, so her body brushed his and she had to tip her head back to hold his gaze. “No’ without your request. I willna do anything unless you ask me to.”
Even in the moonlight, he couldn’t mistake the way her eyes darkened, or miss the way her throat worked.
He ran the tips of his fingers along the side of her face, and down along the side of her neck. “You’re right, I’m no saint, Erin. I could have brought you here in the daylight, no’ that it would have made a difference, I suppose. It didn’t the last time we were alone. But this is a place meant for moonlight and stars. It’s what gives it its romance. And I’m a selfish man. During the day you have so many people pulling you in so many directions. I wanted you to myself. Away from the calamity.”
“Away from untimely phone calls?”
“Aye, that, too,” he answered honestly. “And it’s no’ to say I’m not trying to bend things to my favor. I wanted to show you this site, aye, and help you. But of course it wasn’t entirely for your benefit, but also about my own. I needed to know…” His voice trailed off, suddenly unsure of the words to use.
“Needed to know what?” she asked, sounding a slight bit on edge.
The Great Scot Page 18