by Cali MacKay
When she came jogging back down the hallway, it was with a smile on her face. She twined her fingers through his and beamed up at him, his worries forgotten in the sparkle of her eyes. “I’m buying you dinner.”
“Are ye?” He bit his bottom lip and took her in as if she alone could sustain him.
When she started to go, he pulled her back to him and wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her close. With her curves pressed against him, her body molding to his, he could barely think straight, his only thoughts of her.
She slowly blinked with a deep breath, and then looked up at him through her thick lashes, her full lips turning up in a teasing smile. “Are you not hungry then?”
“Aye, love, I’m hungry. Of that there’s no doubt.” By the gods, it took all he had to not devour her then and there. To not pin her against the wall and ravage her until she melted under his touch, until she whimpered with need and screamed out his name, riding a wave of passion. How he mustered the self-control to let her go, he hadn’t a clue, though he kept his hand linked with hers, still needing to feel her touch. “Come on, love. I know the perfect place.”
***
After a quick dinner, Angus took Rowan to his favorite pub when in the city, settling them down with a couple of pints. “We can track down Imogen’s number later, once we get to the hotel.”
“Aren’t you the least bit worried about finding a room? We’ve yet to get a place for the night.” Her eyebrows perked in an accusatory fashion, as if this would be an ‘I told you so’ moment in the near future if all the rooms were booked for the night. She’d wanted to get it out of the way before grabbing dinner, but he’d put it off.
“Och, we’ll be fine, love. Worse comes to worse, we can drop the seats in the back of my Rover and snuggle up together.” Though he was joking, he’d be happy enough to squeeze his six foot three frame into that cramped space if Rowan was nestled against him.
“I’m not snuggling with you, Angus. Not in the back of your Rover or in a hotel, for that matter.” She looked so matter of fact, he had to laugh.
“Well, we don’t have to snuggle if ye don’t want to, love. I’m sure there are plenty of other things to occupy our time.” He knew he shouldn’t be teasing her with innuendos, yet he couldn’t help himself-not when he couldn’t get her out of his head. He was never like this, but he couldn’t resist her.
The glint in her eyes and the smile on her lips only encouraged him further. She reached over and slapped his arm. “You are so bad, Angus. I’ve told you-I’m no good at this sort of thing. Stop. Flirting.”
His mouth popped open in mock horror. “Flirting? Me? You’re the one that’s been doing all the flirting, my dear.” He then pursed his lips together and shook his head with a stern look. “And I can tell ye right now, ye’ll not get me into yer bed no matter how hard ye try. I’m just not that sort of lad, thank ye verra much.”
“I’m ignoring you.” Yet she laughed and leaned into him.
“So ye are.” Seeing her smile return eased the tension knotted in his gut. Things had been emotional for her the last few days, and with such uncertainty still looming ahead, he was happy for these moments to fortify them. Tilting his head towards her empty glass, he slid off the stool where they were sitting by a far counter. “Will ye have another?”
“Sure. We’re walking distance to wherever it is we’ll be staying, right?”
“Och, aye. There are plenty of hotels in the neighborhood. Back in a sec.”
Now that the offices had let out, the bar was crowded with locals as well as tourists from around the world. Being a Friday night didn’t help much either. Another pint, and then he’d see about finding them rooms.
He wrestled his way to the bar, and after finally getting the barkeep’s attention, made his way back to Rowan, drinks in hand-only to have his back go up when he found a couple of young louts annoying her with unwanted attentions.
Chapter Nine
“Like I said, the seat’s taken. And I’ll say it again, in case you missed it the few first times, I have no interest in you guys showing me around. Thanks.” Rowan was getting annoyed.
Minutes after Angus had gone, two American tourists had come over to ask if the seat was available. Once they’d identified her as a fellow countryman, they’d refused to leave, wanting to show her all the pubs they’d already discovered in the few days they’d been in the city-several of them in the last few hours if their levels of inebriation were anything to go by.
“I promise to show you a good time.” He leaned towards her, but when Rowan shifted away it was to find herself coming up against his friend.
She’d come across jerks like this before when she’d been traveling. It seemed every country and every city had its share of obnoxious drunks, and walking away never worked-they only followed and escalated it. “You guys need to back up. I’m in no mood and you’re starting to piss me off.”
The guy in front of her tugged on one of her curls so that it bounced when he let it go. “But this is fun. Don’t you think this is fun, Jerry?”
Before Jerry could answer, Angus stepped to her side. “Is there a problem? Looks like the lady wants a bit of space, and I want my seat back.”
The guys were big, but Angus stood a good six inches taller-and since Angus wrestled cattle and sheep most days of the week, Rowan was sure he also had a bit of power packed into those muscles.
“We were just talking.” Jerry looked cocky and stupid, and neither of them was leaving.
Angus shouldered the first guy out of the way so he could move towards his seat and put their drinks down, though he made sure to keep an eye on them at all times. “Conversation’s over. I suggest ye take yerselves off to sober up some place.”
“Why don’t you mind your own business?” The guy pushed Angus with a rough hand to his shoulder.
Angus shifted to shield Rowan, his body coiled tight. She wanted to tell him it was fine if they left-that it wasn’t worth the trouble, yet she knew any attempt to walk away would likely result in one of those jerks doing something stupid when they had their backs turned. When the guy tried another push, Angus grabbed the guy’s hand, lightning quick, and bent it in an awkwardly painful position, the man crumpling in pain.
Angus applied a bit more pressure, and the guy stifled a squeak, throwing the friend a quick warning to not get involved. “I said it’s time you go. Wouldn’t ye agree?”
When the guy nodded, Angus pushed him towards his friend. “I suggest showing the lady some respect next time.”
Once they’d scurried off with a few hateful glares, Angus ran his hands down her arms, his touch comforting. “Are ye all right, love?”
“Yeah. Just glad you showed up when you did.” She tried to keep the tension from her voice, but now that those jerks were gone, her façade slipped lose and she realized just how uneasy they’d made her.
Angus pulled her into the safety of his arms and held her to him, his body still stiff and bristling from the incident. With her head against his chest, she slipped her arms around his waist, the solid feel of him reassuring, and his scent of wool and leather comforting. He kissed the top of her head and then leaned his cheek there. “Ye’re safe, love. I promise. I won’t let ye come to harm.”
And it really was that simple. She knew she could trust him. Not only to keep her safe, but to be there for her-in a way no other man ever had. Not Stephen, and certainly not her father.
Yet she still feared she’d muck it all up if she let it get serious. But maybe, just maybe… Would he be willing to keep things casual until she could get her life sorted out? That way, no one would get hurt if things didn’t work out. Really, she shouldn’t even go down that road, but she found herself thinking of him more and more with each passing day, and as of late, she didn’t think either of them could stay away from each other, even if they tried.
When she looked up at him, her stomach fluttered and her pulse skipped a beat, so she felt like a teenager with a schoolg
irl crush. Going up onto her tippy toes, she kissed his cheek. “You’re the sweetest guy I know, Angus. No one even comes close.”
There was a delicious tension between them and he looked at her with such intensity, she nearly gasped, their kiss in his mother’s kitchen still fresh on her mind. His hands trailed up her back, cupping her face as his gaze fell to her lips for a moment before returning to her eyes.
And then he kissed her, slow and sweet, yet with an intensity and passion held in check, coiled tight just below the surface. She lost herself in him as he deepened their kiss, her head spinning as she wished it’d never end. Oblivious to the crowded bar around them, she held onto him, trying to pull him even closer. She couldn’t ever remember wanting anyone more.
He pulled away, the air between them charged like a thunderstorm on a scorching summer night. He bit her lip, once, twice and then nuzzled her as he held her to him. His words were but a whisper in her ear, laced with humor and need. “Sweet, huh? Who knew?”
***
Rowan sat cross-legged in the middle of Angus’s bed, the adjoining door to her hotel room open. With her laptop on the bed and Angus sitting behind her, she tapped away, looking for any information on her mom’s roommate. “I’m not even sure that’s her. There’s so little to start with, and it’s all unlisted.”
“There’s also a good chance she got married, and we’re looking for her under her maiden name.”
He was right. Damn it. “This is impossible.” They’d been at it for hours.
“Take a break, love. Ye’re getting frustrated.” He put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Bloody hell. Yer shoulders are in knots.”
He sat up, and with both hands on her shoulders, started to massage her stiffened muscles, working his way down her back. And damn if the man didn’t leave her melting into a puddle of mind blowing amazement. “Oh, god. Don’t stop. And how the hell are you still single? Seriously?”
“I don’t know, love. You tell me.” He laughed, his breath warm against her ear, sending a shiver of want through to her core. “Somehow, ye’ve managed to resist my charms with little difficulty.”
“Yeah, right. Little difficulty.” She thought of how he made her knees go weak with each kiss, and if it hadn’t been for the lack of privacy in the pub, she’d have jumped him then and there without a second thought. “Your hands are like magic.”
“Is that so?” He continued to work the knots out of her shoulders, his fingers strong as they pressed and kneaded, leaving her like jelly. “I’ll admit, I don’t often do this-at least not on humans.”
She looked over her shoulder at him. “What do you mean?”
“I took a course on therapeutic veterinary massage. Usually, I work on horses, but the same principles apply.”
“Horses?” A smile sprung to her lips, finding it all too funny. “Either way, you’re damn good.” With a sigh of contentment, she leaned back against him, needing to feel more than just his touch. He wrapped an arm across her chest and snuggled her close.
“It’s one of my many hidden talents. Just don’t tell anyone, or I’ll have all the old biddy’s lining up outside my surgery, looking to have their trotters rubbed.”
She burst out laughing. “You’re so bad, Angus. So very, very bad.”
“Aye. Rotten to the core.” He nipped at her ear.
Though her body thrummed with need, she couldn’t fully enjoy herself when her mind kept straying back to finding her mom’s roommate. Hopefully, Angus wouldn’t hate her for what she was about to ask.
“Angus… you said Conall was good with computers. Do you think he could help me track down Imogen?”
He let out a deep sigh, and loosened his hold on her as she turned to face him. “I don’t know, love. It’d depend on whether or not there’s information out there to be found, and more importantly, if he’s willing to help ye. He’s a cantankerous sort-and that’s when he’s in a good mood.”
“But if the information did exist, he’d be able to find it, right?”
Angus ran a brisk hand through his hair with another weary sigh, as he clearly mulled things over in his head. “Aye. He’d be able to help. Truth is he’s more of a legal hacker-testing the security of corporations. If there’s something out there, then he’d be capable of finding it-if he wanted to help ye.”
She smiled. “Leave that to me.”
He groaned in mock protest, as a crooked smile crept to his lips. “That’s what I’m afraid of, love.”
Yet he had nothing to worry about. Not the way he looked at her, the way he made her feel… it was as if she was the only one who mattered, as if anything was possible. “You’re amazing, Angus. You know that, right?”
She could resist him no longer. Slipping her hands around his neck, she leaned forward and kissed him, her breath mingling with his, their pulses beating as one. She lost herself in him as their kiss deepened, his hands slipping to her waist to pull her close, his muscles hard against the curves of her body. Her breath hitched as she lost herself in him, her body thrumming with the want of him.
When he slowed their kiss and pulled away, the look on his face sent her stomach plummeting.
“Rowan…” He brushed her cheek with his thumb, her face cupped in his hand. “What are we doing, love? Not that I’m complaining, mind ye. But…”
The way they were going, she knew it’d only be a matter of time before they’d be having this discussion. “I don’t know. But do we have to analyze it and put a name on it? I really like you, Angus. Isn’t that enough?”
“Is it?” He brushed a curl from her face, his touch hot against her skin. “I don’t know what ye’re looking for, love, but ye’ve said ye don’t want anything serious, and I’m afraid I’ve ne’er been the kind for a one-night stand.”
Damn it. She liked him-a lot. “I wish I was ready for something more, because you’re as perfect as they come. But I don’t think I can manage anything serious right now.” She cupped his cheek and gave him a lingering kiss. “Couldn’t we just take it a day at a time? It’s just that I need to find my father, I’ve got the gallery to open, and to be honest, I’m still feeling burned after Stephen.”
“Aye, love, I know ye have a lot going on, but truth is I don’t tend to be very laid back with this sort of thing.” He gave her a shy smile. “I’m sure ye know by now how I feel about ye.”
A smile sprung to her lips as she thought of those kisses, his flirting, how protective he was of her, and how he did everything he could to help her. None of it was done lackadaisically or halfhearted, but rather with his full enthusiasm and attention. “Yeah, I sort of noticed, and to be honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Except…”
“I know, lass. It’s just a bit too much for ye at the moment.”
“Angus… I don’t want to give up what we have between us.” She thought of his kisses, how he touched her, and how much she wanted him, thought of what it would be like to have that sort of intensity and dedication when sharing someone’s bed. “Are you sure you can’t do casual?”
“I’ve ne’er tried.” He looked lost in thought, as if thinking things through. “Honestly? I think we could call it casual, but in the end I’d still fall head over heels for ye. And what then, love?”
She was tempted to take a chance, but the thought of hurting Angus if the relationship got to be too much for her, had her taking a step back. “Forget I said anything. It was a bad idea. Probably best if I go.”
When she got to her feet, he took her hand. “Och, love, will ye not stay a bit longer? It’s still relatively early, and I could do with the company. Maybe we could just take things slow. Ye ne’er know-we might find yer father and get yer gallery done in no time at all, and then we’d have no reason to stay apart-unless ye found ye wanted to. But this way, it’d give me time to court ye as ye make up yer mind, without things going too far.”
“Slow? Not casual?” She supposed there was a difference.
“Aye, love. Slow.” An
gus brushed his thumb across her lips, his eyes locked on hers. “We’d take our time-get to know each other better. ‘Cause I can’t do casual. I can’t fall into bed with ye and then pretend it was no more important than having a pint at the pub.”
She pursed her lips to keep from laughing, while mulling things over. It might work. That way, things wouldn’t get very far and if they fell apart, there’d be a better chance of their friendship surviving. “I’m willing to give it a try, though you might need to take the lead on this one. I’m afraid I’ve never really done slow before.”
“I like taking the lead.” He twined his fingers with hers and brought her hand to his lips.
There was just one thing she needed to know-and she always felt awkward asking. “Just so we’re both clear, what does this mean with regards to dating other people? I’m fine either way, but nothing ruins things faster than that sort of misunderstanding, and after Stephen, I don’t want any surprises.”
His thumb ran lazy circles on the back of her hand. “I’m not terribly good with sharing, but I also want ye to be happy. So we’ll keep it to just the two us, but if ye find that ye’d like to date another, I’d appreciate ye telling me in advance-and I’ll do the same.”
What was good for the goose… “I can live with that.”
“Then we should seal it with a kiss, aye?” Cupping her cheek, his eyes softened and he leaned in to kiss her in a slow and most thorough manner. Just as she deepened their kiss, he pulled back, his fingers knotted in her hair and his breath heavy. “We’re taking it slow, love. That’s what we agreed on, no?”
That kiss left her with a pulsing need that had quickly moved south. Taking things slow would all but kill her. “We did, it’s just that I don’t know how good I’m going to be at this. I’m not terribly patient.”
“Then I’ll need to be patient enough for the two of us.”
Chapter Ten
Back in Dunmuir, Angus drove through the village with Rowan at his side, mulling over the most recent turn in their relationship. He knew it’d be hard to keep things moving slowly between them, but it was a challenge he was happy to tackle, and maybe it’d make it easier to keep her out of trouble.