Yet even as the thought grew into the most compelling— demand, Keir already guessed that she would refuse him. She would no doubt have a raft of principles— behind her refusal too. Number one being that he had hired her as his temporary secretary, and that was the only obligation she’d come to Glenteign to fulfil… Not to alleviate any carnal desire her boss might have!
She was clearly a woman of integrity, and he couldn’t fault her for that—even though it didn’t help his case right now one little bit.
‘I don’t need your help to walk down the corridor into the library, dammit!’ he replied irritably. ‘I’ve scalded my arm, not broken my leg!’
As he got up and went through the door, Georgia stared at him in astonished disbelief. ‘Well, I’m so happy to see that your accident hasn’t curtailed in any way your ability to be as cantankerous and belligerent— as ever!’ she declared out loud to his back.
Turning at this daring attempt not to be brow-beaten— by his temper, Keir felt his blood throb with renewed heat as he confronted her beautiful indignant— face. Driven to act by purely primal instinct—he— crossed the floor in one fluid stride and with his uninjured arm yanked her hard against his chest.
‘This has been coming for a long time,’ he ground out, just before he covered her mouth passionately with his own.
The hard yet compelling mouth that took command— of her lips was bordering on the brutal with its untamed, ravenous demand. But as the velvet magic of Keir’s hot silken tongue ruthlessly seduced her, causing— an explosion of untrammelled sensation throughout her body, Georgia felt an answering cry of profound need ring out in her heart. To feel such raw physical need was a revelation to her. She’d suppressed— so much that to have those potentially dangerous— feelings blown apart now by this man’s expert, ruthless kiss, was deeply shocking and yet wildly liberating at the same time.
She had been guarded all her life. Always, always she had thought of her brother’s welfare first, and of how his upbringing might be jeopardised should she allow herself to fall in love and commit her future to someone else. What if the man she fell in love with could not find it in his heart to be kind to Noah? What if he didn’t understand the closeness between brother and sister and sought to end or destroy it?
These questions had always loomed large whenever— she’d nursed fantasies about meeting someone special…someone she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
Now, the heated addictive pressure on her mouth started to ease, degree by tormenting degree, and Keir’s arm slackened a little on her waist. To Georgia’s surprise his kiss became gentler, kinder—more— seductive even—and her chest was tight with emotion and yearning. When he finally withdrew his lips from hers, she saw such raw, unfettered need reflected— there in his amazing blue eyes that it made her feel almost faint with longing.
‘I think I will go and lie down on one of the sofas in the library,’ he teased gently, his nostrils flaring a little. ‘I seem to have acquired a sudden added complication— in that my blood pressure has just gone sky-high. What remedies do you have for bringing it down again, Nurse?’
Now it was Keir’s turn to sweep back a lock of hair from Georgia’s brow, and the tender way he did it elicited such joy inside her that it made her lightheaded. Perhaps she ought to be furious with him for taking such a liberty as to kiss her so uninhibitedly and brazenly. But of all the emotions that were sweeping through her right then, fury did not feature at all.
Clearing her throat with difficulty, her lips still throbbing from his hungry, fiery kisses as though they would never cease to ache, Georgia wondered if her compliance showed in her eyes. ‘Rest,’ she advised softly, her hazel glance reflecting myriad greens and golds. ‘Plenty of rest. I’ll tell Moira to take your tea into the library.’
‘Thank you.’ Smiling ruefully at having to leave her, Keir finally set Georgia free with a light brush of his hand against her cheek.
His touch felt as if it burned her. She watched him move towards the door as if she were in a trance.
‘I will see you later,’ he promised. And leaving her, he made his way down the hall to the library…
CHAPTER SEVEN
HE’D BEEN DEEP in the throes of the most erotic dream he’d ever had…Now, stirring to wakefulness on one of the old overstuffed sofas in the library, his brow damp with perspiration and the very devil of a searing pain in his arm, Keir sat up feeling dazed, and rubbed his hand round his studded jaw.
It was hard to tell which pain was worse…The scald he’d acquired from the hot coffee, or the strong throbbing ache in the region of his groin…The dream had been so damn real that Keir could swear he’d been making uninhibited passionate love to one dark-haired, hazel-eyed sorceress who, in turn, had done things to him that would make a grown man sink down onto his knees and give thanks that he had been incarnated as a male in this lifetime…
‘Bloody hell!’ He exclaimed out loud. Not because he shouldn’t be nursing such lascivious thoughts about his temporary secretary, but because she wasn’t there with him to carry out his fantasy for real…
Keir reflected that now he had enforced an intimacy between himself and Georgia that there was probably no turning back. Perhaps it had been reckless of him, but even his infamous iron will could not resist the pure temptation that was Noah Cameron’s shapely, beguiling,— sister. Things had really started to get out of hand when she’d pushed back that lock of hair from his brow. Her touch had been so exquisite, so infinitely kind, that Keir had been undone by it. No one had ever touched him in such a tender, almost loving way…
He froze at how dangerously his emotions seemed to be unravelling. What the hell was he thinking of? Georgia Cameron fascinated him, and he definitely admired her as a person—how could he not when she had so many amazing qualities?—but right now he had only one goal in mind as far as she was concerned,— and that was to simply seduce her. Anything beyond that—especially anything remotely appertaining— to emotional need—was simply a fantasy on Keir’s part, no doubt brought about by what had just happened to him.
Yet, even if that most basic physical need were fulfilled, would he find it that easy to let her go? He wanted more from this woman than mere sex—although— he hesitated to confirm in his own mind what that something ‘more’ was.
He’d always found it difficult to relate to the concept or even the possibility of needing a deeper response from anyone. He even kept his platonic friendships as uncomplicated and commitment-free as possible. There was a deeply held belief inside him that somehow the taint of his unhappy past would ultimately end up destroying those friendships,— and so inevitably he did not allow anyone to get too close to him. There were very few, if any among his acquaintances, who could really say that they knew him.
Now, glancing down at his watch, Keir experienced mild shock when he saw the time. Had he really slept most of the afternoon away?As he made himself stand, he— tried to shake off the slightly unreal and stuffy feeling in his head that made him feel as if he’d been drugged. He was thirsty, he was hungry, and his burn throbbed like merry hell! Had anybody in the house-hold— come to check on him whilst he’d been sleeping?
As he reached the door and wrenched it open with a disgruntled frown, Keir knew full well the person he’d hoped would have undertaken that task was Georgia.
Georgia had set off walking about half an hour before dinner, to try and get her head straight. She’d hardly had any peace since Keir had kissed her, and now her feelings were in absolute turmoil.
Walking in nature usually provided a release from such inner turmoil, she’d found, and so she’d resorted to the one thing that might help her. But now she realised that the inevitable spell of the mountains and lochs had weaved their magic too potently around her senses, and the distance she’d inadvertently— covered because of her enchantment was too great to allow her to get back to Glenteign in time to sit down to the evening meal with everyone else.
Damn!
Even Hamish looked up at her with reproach in his big dark eyes, his great tongue lolling as he panted hard at his exertion. Dropping down onto her haunches, Georgia affectionately stroked back the champagne coloured fur on his head and sighed heavily.
‘I’m sorry, Hamish! I just lost track of time. Never mind—you’ll have your dinner as soon as we get back to Glenteign, I promise. We’d better get our skates on, though, because it looks like it might rain again!’
Glancing up at the darkening grey clouds that were gathering so threateningly in the previously flawless blue sky, Georgia sensed sudden fear knife through her. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was to be caught out in a storm to equal the one they’d had last night! It was one thing being inside, watching— it safely from a bedroom window, but quite another witnessing the full brunt of its elemental passion outside in the open!
Falling into a jog, she nervously increased her pace as a sudden spot of rain splashed onto her face…
‘Where the hell has she got to?’
The harshly expressed question did not fail to conceal the underlying anxiety in Keir’s voice as he paced to one of the huge dining room windows and glanced out.
Watching his stiff back in the dark cashmere sweater, and feeling the tension in him transmit itself to the other members of staff in the room, Moira silently admitted to her own concerns about the young secretary since she’d failed to turn up for dinner. She’d seen her go out with Hamish shortly after she’d finished work—and she hoped the girl had not gone and got herself lost. It was easy to do if a person didn’t know their way well round these parts. The mountainous region around Glenteign was so vast that even an experienced guide could easily make a wrong turn. Now the Chief’s obvious anxiety over Georgia’s absence was putting her on edge as well. Especially as outside the rain had started to pour as though it would never cease, and they’d all heard that angry rumble of thunder vent its spleen above them only moments ago.
‘Someone had better go and find her.’
Standing up from the dining table in the smaller, more— intimate dining room where they’d just had their meal, Moira glanced across the polished maplewood— table at one of the young gardeners employed on the estate—a lad who worked alongside his father, who— was head gardener there. Both men knew the area well.
‘Euan, will you go? The lassie told me she was a bit nervous of storms, and she might get disoriented trying to find her way back in the rain.’
‘I’ll go.’ Already at the door, and pulling it wide, Keir turned briefly to glance at the others round the table. ‘She’s probably not far away.’
‘Get a mackintosh from the mudroom before you go, Chief. You don’t want to be getting soaked to the skin or get that dressing all wet after your accident today!’
On her feet as she started collecting up the plates to take them into the kitchen, Moira didn’t hesitate to advise him.
Without a word, Keir turned and went out.
Just as he reached the bottom of the concrete steps that led down onto the gravel drive, he saw a blur of vivid colour in the distance and realised that it was Georgia, jogging towards the house, Hamish slightly ahead of her. The relief that washed through him could not be measured.
But even as he sensed the tension ease out of his shoulders a scissor-flash of lightning slashed through the sky with an ear-splitting crack, and Keir saw Georgia pause to look up. She started to run again, but a moment later she seemed to trip and pitch forward in the middle of the glistening emerald lawn. Immediately— the faithful Labrador ran back to be with her.
Without another thought, Keir started to run towards her. The driving rain pummelled at his clothing where he hadn’t bothered to do up the waterproof— he’d quickly donned on the way out. When he reached her, Georgia was starting to struggle to her feet, her red linen dress covered in loose wet grass and splashes of mud. Her long dark hair was tangled, and almost plastered to her shocked face, and her hazel eyes couldn’t contain their fear.
‘What have you done to yourself?’ he demanded, concern making his tone gruffly impatient. ‘You haven’t hurt your ankle?’
‘I just slipped on the wet grass,’ she replied, shivering. ‘I’m all right…really.’
She might not be hurt physically, but Keir easily detected that the lightning strike and the thunder had shaken her up badly. Giving no thought to his own injured arm, he swept her up against his chest and started to hurry with her towards the house.
‘You don’t have to carry me!’ Georgia protested, shocked. ‘Keir, I’m quite capable of walking… really!’—
But he carried her just the same, his dark face stoic and determined as he held her, his racing heart attesting to the maelstrom of emotion that was going on inside him at being able to hold her so close, uncaring— that her own soaked clothing was making his even wetter.
By the time they reached the house and Keir had ordered the faithful Labrador to go round to the back door Moira was at the front, her face amply illustrating— her anxiety and relief.
‘What happened, lassie? Are you hurt?’ The kindly housekeeper reached out to help her from Keir’s arms, but the Laird’s almost warning glare made her drop them down by her sides again immediately.
‘I’m not hurt. I’m fine—honestly…I told Keir I was fine! I simply slipped on the wet grass because I was hurrying to get out of the storm, that’s all.’ Her teeth chattering, but on her feet once more, Georgia glanced at the other woman with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. ‘Can I ask you if you’d mind seeing to Hamish? He’s gone round to the back door. I just need to get out of these wet clothes and go and get a hot shower.’
‘Of course I will, my dear! You go and get yourself dry before you catch your death!’
‘Thanks…I appreciate it.’
Withdrawing from them, hating being the centre of attention, Georgia stepped quickly away from the protection of Keir’s warm, hard body to cross the chequered entrance hall and start ascending the grand winding staircase.
‘I’ve put your dinner in the oven to keep warm,’ Moira called up behind her. ‘You come down and have it when you’re ready.’
Even though the spray from the shower had been wonderfully reassuring and hot, Georgia sat in her towelling robe on the edge of the quaintly old-fashioned— brass bed and sensed her body shiver as though it might never stop.
What had possessed Keir to pick her up and carry her like that? As though he wanted to put himself between her and harm? The threatened storm might have secretly terrified her, but she was far more scared of the torrent of wild feelings that gripped her whenever he came near.
Staring at the wall, she recalled the look of surprise on Moira’s face when she’d reached out to help her and Keir had somehow dissuaded her with just a single determined glance. Things were beginning to get complicated,— she realised. As if some unstoppable force was having its way and there was nothing she could do about it…Unless, of course, she decided to leave…
Her heart racing, Georgia glanced across at the casement windows of her room, at the rain that was still rattling the little square panes. A disconcerting emptiness and a yearning that she didn’t want to name gnawed at her, and the depth and power of the sensation almost drove her to tears.
‘Georgia? Is everything all right?’
At first she was disorientated, not knowing who spoke, then in almost the same instant she realised that the extraordinarily compelling voice could only belong to Keir. Standing up to go to the door, she tidied the front of her robe, making sure she was adequately— covered, at the same time cursing silently that she hadn’t dressed straight away—because once again she was at an embarrassing disadvantage.
But there was no need to open the door, was there? Georgia could merely assure him that she was fine and he would quickly go away again.
‘Yes…everything’s okay. I’ll be down shortly. I’m just—I’m just getting dressed.’
‘Open the door, will y
ou? I want to see you.’
So much for that plan! Feeling her breath grow tight inside her chest, she briefly wiped her palms down the sides of her robe before reaching for the door catch.
‘What is it?’
Her aim had been to simply open the door just a little—enough for him to see for himself that she was fine—and Georgia was unprepared for that decision being immediately taken out of her hands.
He swept decisively through the opening, then shut the door firmly behind him, and the sheer physicality— of the man simply overwhelmed her as she found herself staring up into his starkly handsome face, his searing blue eyes burning her with the force of intensity she saw glimmering there. Helplessly suspended in the tension of the moment, her limbs feeling peculiarly as though they no longer belonged to her, Georgia went very still. Her heart continued to beat but she didn’t know how…
Before so much as another word or even a breath had left her lips, she felt herself seized by Keir’s strong muscular arms and impelled almost roughly up against his chest.
‘I only needed a temporary secretary,’ he commented,— almost with disdain, as he glared down into her shocked face. ‘And now I can’t even think about work with you around distracting me! Just what the hell am I supposed to do about you, Georgia?’
CHAPTER EIGHT
HIS MOUTH WAS on hers before she could utter a word, and suddenly their breath was one breath. His kisses tasted of the Glens, with their intoxicating pure fresh air, and almost made her high. His body against hers was like tempered steel, hard and honed, with— an almost desperate undercurrent of need that wouldn’t be constrained.
He’d demanded to know what he was supposed to do about her, and Georgia knew the question was equally true for her. What was she supposed to do about her growing feelings for him? The spellbinding— magnetism that was created whenever they were near each other now indubitably held sway. It was as she’d observed…an unstoppable force that knew no bounds.
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