by Avery James
When Nolan pulled back, Abby felt deprived.
“We’ll have to pick this back up after dinner,” he said.
“You’re kidding. We can do room service.” She turned and pulled at the buttons of his shirt.
“I promise, give me an hour and then I’ll tear this shirt off myself.”
Dinner was torture. It wasn’t that the food was bad. On the contrary, it was delicious. Abby hadn’t realized how hungry she’d been, but with each bite, she felt more and more aware of the pangs in her stomach. Then there was the Scotch. Nolan had ordered a tasting. Each one burned on the way down, but after a sip or two, she felt a pleasant buzz, a warmth in her cheeks and her chest. She was even starting to like the taste of the stuff, but her thoughts had a singular focus: Nolan.
The beautiful thing about eating in the restaurant of a resort was that you didn’t have to wait for the check. You could simply ask the waiter to add the meal to your bill and run back up to your room. Abby and Nolan had barely finished dinner before they were back upstairs. When the door to the room was finally shut behind them, Nolan grabbed Abby and kissed her, landing his lips on hers in a firm, passionate kiss. The warmth of his tongue against hers felt incredible.
Then Nolan pulled back and shook his head. “This wont’ do,” he said.
“What won’t?” Abby asked. She wanted to taste his lips again. She wanted to feel the warmth of his kiss. She leaned towards him as he pulled back. Then her core tensed as she felt his hand slide across her hip.
“You’re too dressed,” he said.
“You’re the one who promised to rip off your shirt,” she said, reaching for one of the buttons.”
Nolan grinned. “That’s right,” he said. He pulled the shirt hard and ripped off two buttons, sending one flying into the air. Abby burst into laughter.
“Let me help you with that,” she said. She wrapped her hands around his shirt and pulled the two halves of it apart. On her first try, nothing happened, but on the second, she pulled with all her strength and the button tore through the button hole. The one below it quickly followed. Abby couldn’t contain her laughter. “I bet this was exactly the kind of sexy encounter you had in mind,” she said. She bit her lower lip and smiled at him with her eyes. His abs were exposed where his shirt had come open, and, despite her laughter, Abby wanted him.
She pulled off her dress and tossed it to him before sitting down on the edge of the bed and beckoning him forward. Nolan dropped her dress to the ground and slipped out of his shirt. He kept his eyes on her as he closed the gap, and then he was right there with her, running his hand up her side as Abby trembled in anticipation. She could tell how much he wanted her.
He leaned over her and kissed her as she backed up onto the bed. He unclasped her bra and kissed her neck as she pulled it off. She felt his lips moving lower and gave a soft gasp as his lips met her nipple, teasing her with his tongue as he moved lower. There was something about Nolan’s excitement that made Abby feel sexier. She grabbed his belt and undid it as he moved lower. He slid his hands over her breasts and moved lower, pressing his lips to her abs and sending a rush of excitement through her body.
Then his hands were back on her hips, and he was out of her reach. Nolan slid his fingers against her hips, slipping them beneath the final piece of cloth between her and him. He wanted slow and steady, she could tell. He wanted to drive her wild. It was halfway between bliss and torture waiting for him to make his next move, but as he kissed her lower abs and then the inside of her hip, she felt a flutter of excitement rush through her body. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers through his hair as he worked his way lower until his lips met her core, and she trembled with delight. A single moan passed her lips before she told him, “I need you now.”
Nolan kissed the inside of her thigh and rubbed his hands against her. “Soon,” he said.
“Now,” she told him. She felt a sudden and complete need to feel him inside her. It was an overwhelming ache that came from somewhere deep within. This was more than lust. This was something else entirely. “Nolan, please,” she said.
She barely took note as he reached for a condom, or as he moved back up the bed, but then he was on top of her, and the warmth of his lips was on her neck as he pressed himself against her and sank deep inside. Abby gasped as Nolan rocked her again and again. She felt orgasm building up inside her, but it was too soon. She wanted to last longer. She just wanted to hold on to this feeling for as long as she could, and she knew that what she was feeling was more than just pleasure. It was connection. It was something that she’d only ever felt in his arms.
Abby heard herself cry out as Nolan drove her closer to climax. She raked her fingers down his back, digging in as the pleasure grew too intense to bear. She cried out, and her moans echoed off the stone walls of the room, overlapping and swirling above.
Then he kissed her, locking his lips on hers as she felt her orgasm blossom inside her. Abby tensed herself against him, like she was holding on for dear life, like she was trying to prolong that bliss for just a little while longer. Nolan’s thrusts came to a stop as Abby tried to catch her breath.
Abby opened her eyes to see Nolan smiling down at her. “That was incredible,” he said.
“I think I needed that,” she said with a laugh.
“Well, I think I need to kiss you again,” he said. He lowered his lips to her cheek and worked his way to her neck. The warmth of his lips against her bare skin felt incredible. In all the time Abby had lived and worked in D.C., she'd never felt like she belonged. She was always hidden from sight, always on the edge of the action, making sure the important people were able to keep up appearances. For the first time she could remember, Abby felt downright lavish. She felt sexy and wanted, and she was going to enjoy every second of it. As Nolan kissed her neck, a warm excitement pushed all those thoughts out of her mind. She ran her hand up his neck and curled his hair through her fingers as she pulled him tighter. Yes, a girl could get used to this.
He looked into her eyes as he pressed his lips to hers in a slow, searing kiss. As their lips parted, he said, “I love you.” He didn’t whisper or exclaim. He simply stated it as a matter of fact, as if it were as obvious as the sky being blue. He said it so simply and matter-of-factly that Abby assumed she’d misheard him, that her mind had simply decided to hear what it wanted to hear.
“What?” Abby asked, sounding more surprised than she’d meant to. Nolan placed his hands on her waist and pulled her onto himself as he rolled over in the bed. In a dizzying turn, she found herself on top of him.
“I love you,” he said again, this time with fire in his words. He looked into her eyes as he continued. “I love you, and I know it’s fast, and I know we lead different lives, but in this moment, I can’t think of why any of those other things should matter.”
“You don’t have to say that,” she said. She searched for the words to describe what she felt, but she couldn’t find them. It took her a moment to realize it wasn’t the words that were failing her, it was the feelings. She didn’t know how she felt. “The plane… the castle…” she said. What the hell are you saying? she wondered. Yes, she felt something for him, but she didn’t know if what she felt was the thrill of being swept off her feet again or if it was something more. She felt elated and cared and confused all at once. Her chest was like a bundle of emotions knotted so tightly, she couldn’t tell them apart, and it felt like that knot could burst at any moment.
She answered the only way she could: with a kiss. She didn’t know what to make of it, but she knew kissing him felt good, felt right, made her feel like part of something bigger than herself, something mysterious and profound and comfortable all at once. She just didn’t know if she was ready to call it love.
“I just…” she said. “I need some time. I mean, you barely know me.” She couldn’t hide the smile from her lips. He loves me.
Nolan looked at her with his deep blue eyes and said, “that’s what I want you to know, Abby. You can t
ake all the time you need, and I’ll be here.”
“In Scotland?” she joked.
“By your side,” he said, “wherever that might be.”
If there was a better answer to that question, Abby sure couldn’t think of it. Nolan Ross was in love with her. Nolan Ross. The man who’d driven her wild, the man who was supposed to be her last fling, one last meaningless night, was in love with her.
And she loved him, too.
Or at least, she was falling in love with him, one sweet smile, one dry joke, one slow kiss at a time. And, even though it was probably late afternoon back in D.C., Abby rested her head against Nolan’s chest and drifted to sleep in his arms.
Chapter 19
Though Abby slept well, the next morning came entirely too soon. But there was no denying the sunlight that poured in through the tall, narrow windows of the keep.
Nolan was still asleep and Abby quietly inched her way out of bed, slipped on the softest, most luxurious hotel bathroom robe she’d ever felt, and headed across the room to the window. On her way, she turned on the little espresso maker and listened to it buzz to life as she stepped up to peer out the window at the view. What had been so beautiful by moonlight was even more enchanting by day. Bare hills rose in stark beauty around them, and she could see for miles and miles.
Keep. It was a funny name for a room, presumably from when it kept its owners safe from attack. It seemed fitting to her that her budding relationship with Nolan took its next step in this place. Inside these walls, they were safe, just the two of them. But what dangers lurked outside? What forces threatened to tear them apart?
She looked back at Nolan. He’d turned onto his back, and had the comforter pulled up next to his cheek. His arm was folded behind his head, like he was flexing his bicep. She could see the rise and fall of his broad chest as he slept. Although so much unexplored territory lay beyond the walls of the keep, she couldn’t help but think the real mystery was lying right there in bed.
A minute later, as Abby stared out the window, Nolan stirred. “You’re up early,” he said. His voice still had that rasp that came from not being used for hours.
“I don’t even know what time it is,” Abby said. “Presumably morning? Who knows, maybe we slept clear through to afternoon.”
“It’s almost noon,” he said. “There’s a clock on the nightstand.”
“So much for early,” she said as Nolan pushed himself up and sat on the edge of the bed.
He got up, crossed the room to her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. “About last night…”
“It was lovely,” she replied, cutting him off before he could say anything more. She wasn’t ready to have the rest of that conversation, not yet anyway. “Now what about today?”
“Today, you meet my parents,” he said.
It was mid afternoon when they finally hit the road, and the sun had already begun its descent, bathing everything in that thick golden light that reminded Abby of a warm embrace. Abby leaned back in her chair and watched the hills roll by. It reminded her of their ride in Vermont, except this time the hills were bare and stony instead of loaded with colorful leaves, but it was still beautiful, stark and beautiful.
When they reached a crest in the road and started down into a valley, Nolan reached his hand across the center console and laced his fingers between hers. “I like driving this road. I’ve always loved being the only one out here, just me and the car and the open road. I like driving with you, too, though. It’s different, but I think it’s better.”
Abby squeezed his hand and looked at him. He looked so natural driving the SUV. He looked confident and poised. He looked like a man in his element. “I like it too,” she said. There were clouds on the horizon, and the farther they drove into the valley, the thicker the clouds grew overhead. What had been a few small spots in the sky back at the hotel was threatening to become completely overcast.
“That means we’re getting close,” Nolan said. “You were looking up at the sky, right?”
“Yeah,” she said, “but how does that mean we’re getting close?”
“Sometimes, I think it’s rained there every day since my brother died,” he said. “The truth is, the weather system locks the dry air to one side of these hills and the wet air to the other. It means we get a lot more rain. It’s almost always foggy in the morning and rainy in the afternoon, but it clears up at night and you can see the stars.”
“I can see why Vermont reminds you of home then. The whole tree thing is different, though.”
“It’s very green at home. You’ll see,” he said. “How could it be anything else with all the rain?”
“Well, I think rain can be romantic,” she said.
Nolan laughed. “Prepare to be swept off your feet.”
Sure enough, it was raining as they pulled into the long driveway to his family’s estate. Just as Nolan had promised, the area was much greener than the highlands had been, and it was bursting with trees and bushes and the prettiest meadows she’d ever seen. “Welcome to Brigadoon,” he said as the shadow of his parents’ home appeared before them in the fog.
“Nolan, this is another hotel, right?” Abby asked.
Nolan shook his head as he pulled the SUV to a stop in the large circle before the massive front steps and door to his parents’ house. Including the dormers on the top floor, the house was four stories tall, and looked to Abby like it must have had a hundred rooms.
The loose stones of the driveway crunched underfoot as Abby took her first steps towards the house. “You said it wasn’t a castle.”
“It’s not a castle,” he replied. “It’s more of a manor.”
“It’s a castle,” she said.
Nolan grinned. “I’m sure you’ll hear all about it from my parents. Aside from family history and my indiscretions, this house is my father’s favorite subject other than Angus.”
“Who’s Angus?” Abby asked.
“The family deerhound. He’s ancient and he smells a bit, and everyone agrees he’s the finest member of clan Ross. Speaking of, here are the rest of them now.”
On cue, Nolan’s parents emerged from the house. Even from a distance, it was clear that Nolan had his father’s frame: broad shouldered with an athletic demeanor. Nolan’s mother was tall and thin. Like her husband, her hair was going gray, but if she hadn’t known otherwise, Abby would have guessed she was in her forties instead of her late fifties. As Abby approached them, she could see a few wrinkles around her eyes, Nolan’s father was a bit harder worn. He had a bit of a gut, but seemed very fit, and his face showed signs of obvious sun damage. He had deep wrinkles across his forehead. Sure enough, a massive dog with wiry hair was at his side.
“Is this my son?” his mother said as they approached. “I hardly recognize you. You look so… American.” She gave Nolan a hug.
“Must be the food,” Nolan said.
She placed a hand on her son’s face. “It’s that you actually look happy for once. And I assume this is the reason why.” She turned her attention to Abby and waited for Nolan to introduce her.
“Mum, Abby. Abby, Mum,” he said. Abby held out a hand and Nolan’s mother hugged her instead.
“Call me Eileen. When Nolan said he was bringing someone, we didn’t know what to think.”
“Does Abby here have a last name?” Nolan’s father asked.
“Hardigan,” Nolan said.
“It’s not Scottish, but it’s close enough,” he replied. He gave his son a nod of approval. Well, at least they liked her name. He held out a hand. “Neil.”
Abby shook his hand. Her time in politics had taught her one lesson above all others. First impressions matter, and with a man like Neil Ross, a firm handshake meant everything. Of course, it was a balancing act for a woman. Too soft, and she’d seem weak, too firm, and she’d seem overly eager. She decided to err on the side of firm. Why she was treating this like a job, she didn’t know.
“And she has a firm handshake! Watch out s
on, I think we might like this one. Come on inside and we’ll show you around.”
After a tour of the house, Nolan showed Abby to the bedroom so they could get ready for dinner. Abby wanted to wash her face and take a minute to check her phone, but Nolan seemed preoccupied.
“Well, so far so good,” he said. “The real test will be dinner. We haven’t made it through a weekend without getting in a fight in years.”
“I like them. Your dad might be a little too proud of his tapestries, but I can let that one slide. And your mother is very attractive. Why didn’t you mention that?”
“Why would I have?” he asked. “She’s my mum.”
“I like how you say mom,” Abby said. “Mum.”
“So now you’re making fun of my accent?” he said. Channeling his inner aristocrat, he added, “I can’t let that stand. For the honor of House Ross, this will not stand!” Then he raised his arms and chased her around the bed, wrapping his arms around her before falling backwards into the mattress.
“Rogue! Scoundrel!” Abby cried. She had no idea how to talk like an aristocrat.
He kissed her neck and her cheek, then found her lips. “Are you making fun of my family’s title?”
“What will you do if I am?” she asked. What had started as a playful back and forth was quickly spiraling into something much more. She pressed her lips against his and lightly teased his tongue. She felt warmth rising through her body. She rolled herself on top of him and pinned his hands to the bed.
“Is that supposed to keep me from having my way with you?” he asked.
“The opposite,” she whispered.
There was a knock on the door, and Abby jumped up off the bed and tried to straighten her clothes as quickly as possible.
“Looks like we’ll have to wait,” Nolan said. “It’s dinner time.”
“Maybe we can just get room service?” Abby said.
Nolan laughed. “See how that one goes over downstairs.” Abby decided that it wasn’t the best idea.
Dinner was served in the dining room. Room seemed like a misnomer for the space. It was a great hall, with cathedral ceilings and a dramatic fireplace that must have been eight feet wide. On both sides of the fireplace were ornate stone carvings. On one side was a lion, on the other, a unicorn. At the center of the room was an enormous dining table, at least sixteen feet long and four feet wide. Abby felt slightly ridiculous as they all sat down at one end of the table.