by Donna Grant
They sat before the fire and sampled the food before them. With the flames casting the room in an orange glow and her body sated and warm, Cassie had never been happier.
“My first winter picnic,” she said.
“Winter picnic? I’ve never heard it called that, and lass, you’ve been missing out.”
“Apparently. What else have I missed out on?”
His moonlight blue eyes darkened. “I’d love to show you.”
“Is that a promise?”
“Aye.”
He said it with a smile, but she saw something flash in his eyes. Regret? Apprehension? But it was gone too quickly for her to be sure.
“I have a feeling the Dreagan Distillery is more than just a job and a home. Are the others your family?”
He offered a piece of bread and shrugged. “In a way, aye. We’ve been together a verra long time.”
“They don’t approve of me, do they?”
He paused with cheese midway to his mouth. Slowly he lowered it and shook his head. “It’s difficult to explain. I’ll deal with them.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Just be yourself,” he said, and covered her hand with his.
Around Hal she found that remarkably easy. She loved to hear his laugh and watch him smile. And when she would find him watching her, it made her stomach flutter.
It was as she was on her way back to the living room from cleaning up that Hal grabbed her and spun her toward the wall. He pressed her against the wall as he molded himself to her back. She felt his arousal against her, the heat and hardness of it causing liquid to pool between her thighs.
“I need you,” Hal whispered.
Cassie turned her head to the side, her mouth open in a moan as Hal reached around her and parted her folds. She closed her eyes as he spread her slickness over her sex.
“So damned wet,” he said.
And then the blunt head of his cock replaced his fingers. Cassie gripped the wall as he filled her, stretched her. He wrapped his arms around her middle to hold her as his hips began to pump.
Her desire was only banked, and flared quickly and brightly at his touch. No one had ever touched her body like Hal, and certainly no one had ever made her feel such passion, such lust.
Such hunger.
His face moved beside hers, their rough breaths mixing as he thrust inside her. He was plunging so deep that he was moving her against the wall.
And she loved every moment of it.
The angle from which he entered her allowed him to go deeper than before, touch her in ways she had never thought possible. He commanded her body and demanded she give him everything she was. It never entered her mind to refuse him.
All too soon she felt the tightening in her lower stomach, a signal that she would soon peak. Hal must have felt it as well, because he increased his tempo.
And then her world shattered into a million pieces. She tipped, fell into a chasm of profound pleasure. Her scream was locked in her throat as Hal gripped her hips and pumped desperately until the climax took him as well.
The passion sent her higher, winding tighter and tighter inside her until it burst free in another orgasm, wringing a strangled cry from her lips.
The splendor once more took them, enfolded them and swept through them until they were holding each other up.
Gradually, the afterglow faded.
Cassie wrapped her arms around Hal when he turned her to face him and then lifted her in his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder as he climbed the stairs to her bedroom.
She had no idea how he could still move after such lovemaking. Her body still tingled from the orgasm, but more from his touch.
There was a smile on her face when Hal climbed into bed beside her and covered them with the blanket. Then he pulled her against him so that she rested her head on his chest. Her last thought before she fell asleep was how lucky she was to have found him.
* * *
Hal stayed at Cassie’s as long as he dared before he made himself crawl out of her bed and her arms to find his clothes. He was loath to leave her, but he had no choice. He had to get back to Dreagan before they realized where he was.
He closed the front door behind him and turned to look out over the early morning land. The sun was hours away from finding the sky, but Hal could tarry no longer.
He’d taken but three steps before a voice stopped him cold.
“You tread on dangerous ground.”
He turned to find Rhys leaning against the corner of the cottage, hidden half in shadows. Hal took a deep breath. He’d expected this, just not so soon. “We’ve each taken our pleasure with women plenty of times before.”
“Aye. But none have ever affected you the way Cassie does. I see the way you look at her.”
Hal glanced at the window above them that was to Cassie’s room. He didn’t want to have this conversation where she could hear, so he walked away.
Just as Hal knew he would, Rhys caught up with him.
“You know I’m right.”
Hal gave him a glacial glare. “Enough. I told you. I can no’ explain what’s happening, but I feel different. I couldna keep away from Cassie if I tried.”
“Then we make you.”
Hal skidded to a stop and slammed his hands into Rhys’s chest, sending his friend flying through the air to land heavily in the snow. “Try it,” he ground out.
Rhys leisurely got to his feet and dusted the snow from his clothes. “This is worse than I thought.”
“This is none of your business.” With one last glower, Hal left Rhys standing on the side of the mountain.
CHAPTER
NINE
Cassie wasn’t surprised to find Hal gone when she woke the next morning. She kept looking over the snowy landscape as she ate her scrambled eggs and toast, half expecting to see him.
Hoping to see him.
Snow fell in an unhurried coating, but that’s not what concerned her. She was preoccupied with how he had assured her he could take care of the others regarding her.
Did the others at Dreagan dislike her that much? Was it because she was American? Or was it something else?
The idea that Hal’s friends didn’t think she was good enough hurt her far more than she would have liked. They didn’t even know her. How could they decide if they liked her?
But apparently they had already made their decisions.
The last thing Cassie wanted was to put Hal in any kind of tough predicament. He’d said the men were like his family. She knew all about having no family. Even now, being in Scotland and that much closer to Dan didn’t help the ache in her chest at wanting to be with family.
She set down her plate with a sigh. With her hands resting on either side of the sink, she tried to discern her feelings. There was no doubt that in the time she’d spent with Hal, she was falling for him.
Hard.
The attraction between them was undeniable, and her feelings went deeper. Did his? She could be worrying about him and his family for no reason if she was nothing but a shag.
Cassie turned from the sink in disgust. The way Hal had looked at her, touched her. There was no way she had just been someone to relieve him.
“I could’ve been,” she murmured.
There were men out there skilled enough to make women think they cared, and women out there desperate enough that it happened all the time.
“I’m not that woman,” Cassie said. “I’m not that woman!”
She wouldn’t be that woman. If all she got was one night with Hal, she would treasure it. But, God help her, she wanted so much more.
It had felt right when he’d climbed into bed with her. To have his warm, solid body pressed against hers. To have someone hold her with such care.
There was more between them. There had to be.
Duke rubbed against her, throwing her off balance. She bent over to wrap her arms around his neck and laid her cheek atop his head.
“I’m g
lad you’re here, Duke. I don’t think I’m going to let Dan have you back. I’m going to claim you.”
Cassie gave the dog a rub before she inhaled and turned to painting. But as she painted the kitchen, her mind wandered to Hal and every conversation they’d had.
He went days without seeing her, but always he would turn up. He had groceries brought in so she didn’t have to travel. He worried after her.
She also recalled how he had gotten her away from his friends the night she found Tristan. The others seemed harmless enough even if they did look at her like a panel of judges sentencing a criminal.
As the day wore on, the more she thought of Hal, the more she knew his secrets could very well tear whatever had begun between them apart. Not because she couldn’t handle the secrets, but because of his family.
There was no doubt the others at Dreagan were part of Hal’s secrets. And though Cassie desperately wanted to know those secrets, she was doing her best to keep from trying to learn them.
If she gave Hal time, if he learned to trust her, maybe he would eventually tell her.
But that was a big maybe.
By noon, Cassie couldn’t look at a paintbrush anymore. She cleaned up her mess and fixed a hasty sandwich. After she ate, she took a shower and rummaged through Dan’s closet until she found a thicker coat and a beanie for her head.
“Let’s go for a walk, Duke,” she said as she went down the stairs and out the front door.
Though every fiber of her wanted to walk in the direction she had seen Hal leave, she went the opposite way. The snow had stopped for the moment and she wanted Duke to enjoy some time running around.
And she needed a break from her thoughts. There was no need for her to get worked up until she knew some facts. It wasn’t unusual for Hal to go a couple of days without visiting, so she would give it those couple of days.
Then she’d get worked up.
She smiled at herself and stood atop a large hill as she watched Duke. Duke’s head snapped up the same time she jerked as she swore she heard a … roar.
“Thunder,” she told herself and the dog.
The ground shook beneath her feet, but it was just for an instant, leaving her thinking she had imagined it. The roaring, however, sounded again.
Duke’s ears were perked as he took two steps in the direction of the sound.
“No, boy,” she said. “Stay with me.”
Thankfully Duke’s attention was diverted by something else, and they continued their walk. When Cassie next checked her watch, they had been walking for about an hour, and she was fast turning into an icicle.
She whistled to Duke so they could start home, but when she turned around, she realized that somehow Duke had made a large circle around the cottage and brought them near Dreagan land.
Cassie cut her eyes to the Great Dane to find him staring at her, his tail wagging.
“No. I promised myself I wouldn’t go to him. Besides, they don’t like me.”
Duke’s mouth opened and his tongue lolled to the side, making him appear as if he were smiling.
“I’m so glad you think this is funny.” Cassie burrowed into the large coat and rolled her eyes.
Suddenly a roar, loud and deep, sounded again, this time much closer. And Duke was off.
Cassie tried to run after him, but the snow was too thick. She whistled and called to him, but Duke wasn’t listening.
“Dammit, Duke. I’m tired of chasing your huge ass.”
Cassie cursed as she trudged up the side of the mountain. The snow felt as if it were pulling her down, making her use three times as much energy just to walk. When she reached the top, she caught a glimpse of Duke disappearing into some trees.
“Duke!” she shouted, and started after him.
Cassie kept racing after the Great Dane long after he was out of sight. She heard his barks, which kept her going in the right direction.
When she climbed out of yet another valley to the top of a ridge, she stared awestruck at the sprawling mansion before her. Sheep and cattle were everywhere, and farther afield she could make out more buildings, which had to be the distillery.
“Holy shit,” she murmured.
The mansion was at least four stories from her vantage point. She could make out one column, and she imagined there were many more around the front of the house.
“Mansion,” she corrected herself.
She hesitantly walked down and to the side so she could get a better look at the structure. She counted six columns that were easily sixty feet tall. The gray stones and architecture of the house were stunning.
“Are you lost?”
The deep voice startled her so that she spun around, her foot getting caught in the snow and sending her tilting to the side. Cassie’s arms swung in a circle as she fought to get her balance.
Then a hand grabbed her wrist and righted her.
“Thank you,” she said as she turned to find a man with light brown hair that just grazed his shoulders. His pale brown eyes were ringed with black, and gave him a predatory look.
He looked vaguely familiar, as if he might have been one of the men on top of the mountain with Tristan, but she couldn’t be sure. It had been so dark that night.
“I’m Guy,” he said. “And you’re on Dreagan land.”
She had to clear her throat twice before she found her voice. “I know. My dog ran this way. I was trying to catch up with him. I’m C—”
“Cassie Hunter,” he interrupted her. “I know. We all do.”
She calmed her ragged nerves and lifted her chin. So much for being nice. “So, you don’t like me.”
“I doona know you,” he said with a shrug, as if she were as insignificant as a gnat.
“But you know who I am.”
“We make it our business to know whoever it is that stays in Dan’s cottage.”
Cassie considered his words and fisted her cold hands in her pockets. “Protecting your secrets, I suppose.”
“Everyone has secrets.” Guy’s unusual eyes pinned hers. “Everyone.”
“Not me.” She laughed then, her breath puffing around her. “I’m an open book.”
“Then tell me what you’ve done to Hal.”
Her smile faded as alarm took hold. “What’s happened to him? My God, is he hurt?” While her mind churned out all possibilities, fear took root and she grabbed Guy’s arm. “Please. Tell me if he’s all right.”
Guy hadn’t moved during her outburst other than to narrow his gaze on her. “You care that much?”
She rolled her eyes and said, “Yes! Is that so difficult to believe? Hal is … special. I’ve never met a man like him, and I don’t believe I ever will again. Now, please tell me, is he hurt?”
“He’s no’ hurt, lass,” Guy said, his voice softer, kinder.
Cassie took a step back, releasing her hold on him. “Why did you scare me then?”
“You took my meaning wrong. I wanted to know what you had done to make Hal act as he has been. It’s no’ like him.”
“People change.”
“No’ us.”
“What makes you so different?”
He cocked an eyebrow at her question. “More than you could possibly imagine, lass. Let’s go find Duke.”
“Wait,” she called when he began to walk away. “Hal he…”
“Will be there. Now, come, Cassie.”
She licked her lips and followed Guy down the mountain. Her gaze took in the large barn off to the far right of the mansion, and the paddocks where sheep and cattle were sectioned off.
But what really caught her attention was how the mansion seemed to be a part of the mountain itself. It almost appeared as if the structure was built into the mountain. She’d never seen the like before.
Guy glanced over his shoulder at her, and she promptly closed her mouth, which had been hanging open. She could have sworn she heard Guy chuckle.
Cassie began to shake from being out in the cold for so long. Guy walked in it as
if the weather didn’t bother him at all.
The mansion and barn were quickly left behind as he took her down a path that had been well traveled even in the snow. Through the thick line of trees, she caught a glimpse of buildings she’d assumed were part of the distillery.
“Do you have a taste for scotch?” Guy asked.
She smiled ruefully. “I admit I’m not much of a scotch drinker.”
“You need to give ours a try. I think you’ll find something to your liking.”
“Is that the distillery we’re approaching?”
“Part of it. We own the sixty thousand acres around us, and though people know we live here, we like to keep it as private as we can.”
“Which accounts for the trees.”
He opened a gate and stepped aside for her to enter. “Aye.”
Cassie walked through to await him. She counted four buildings nearest her, and by the shouts of men inside, that was where the scotch was made.
Guy paused beside her. “Hal told you we had secrets?”
“He said the only way he could be with me was if I understand he had secrets that he’d never share.”
“And your no’ curious about those secrets?” Guy asked, incredulous.
Cassie chuckled, wondering if she’d ever feel the tip of her nose again. “Of course I’m curious. Anyone would be. But, as I said, there’s something about Hal. If there’s a choice of being with him and not knowing his secrets, or never seeing him again, I’ll accept those secrets.”
“Cassie.”
Her heart stopped as she recognized Hal’s voice behind her. She turned and found his moonlight blue eyes watching her with a mixture of happiness and surprise.
CHAPTER
TEN
Hal had never expected to see Cassie at Dreagan, but one look at her and he never wanted her to leave. Her nose and cheeks were red, but the smile she gave him loosened the hold upon his chest at seeing Guy with her.
“I found her on the ridge above the house,” Guy said. “It seems your Cassie has lost her dog.”
Warmth spread through Hal at Guy calling her your Cassie. He wanted to claim her more than anything, but as he’d been reminded in the early hours of the morning by Rhys, it wasn’t possible.