“Aye, sure, I’ll leave you to it. By the way, I’ve already asked for the week off so no need to rush yourself. I’ll just be watching a few highlight programs on the sofa in the receiving room. You take as much time as you like. When you’re ready, I’ll be here to talk. All right?”
“Okay,” she agreed.
But…he didn’t move.
And neither did she.
Eventually she said, “You said you’re taking the week off?”
“Aye,” he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “In truth, I didnae really come here to carry you back to the village.”
Why did everything feel like a confession with this woman? She was like a priest. A sexy, beautiful, liable to punch a wolf at any moment priest.
“My wolf needs to spend some time with you,” he admitted quietly. “Because of the pregnancy. You ken how wolves are biologically wired?”
Her lips tightened. “Yeah, I’ve heard. Wolves have a primal instinct to protect their mates and offspring until birth. That’s why your workaholic brother is traipsing all over the world with my best friend rather than letting her go alone.”
“Exactly,” Magnus answered. “And that’s why I made the big announcement before requesting a week off. It’s the friendlies season, but honestly coaches can be real wankers about granting time off even before championship play. That’s why I needed a news headline to go along with my request.”
As believable a story as any, but Tara arched an eyebrow, her intelligent brown eyes flashing at him as she said, “Ah, I see. So, that was your whole reason for making the announcement?” her voice was dry with frank suspicion. “And none of this was about keeping me here in Scotland and making it so I couldn’t leave the country without someone clocking it?”
He winced, wanting to lie. But he opted for honesty in the end. “That wasn’t the whole reason, nae. But I wasnae planning on absconding with ye either. I wanted…I’d like to give ye a proper bairnmoon. It is customary in my pack for two newly mated wolves to go off together and get to know one another better after the heating is done. I’ve got my travel kit down in the car. I guess I thought I might take you on a beach holiday in Spain and, I don’t know, woo you? Try to convince you I’m not completely mental and that no matter your first impression of me, I will be a good mate and a good father? But now that I say it aloud, I can see how you might think I’m a nutter for going about it the way I did…”
Her expression became unreadable and he trailed off.
Was this what it felt like for normal human men? The ones who actually cared whether the woman they just holed stuck around until the next morning? If so, poor bastards. Human dating must be hell if it carried even a smidgen of the trepidation bordering on outright terror Magnus was currently experiencing.
Tara’s eyes narrowed, and he braced himself for her to say something cutting with her razor-sharp tongue.
But instead…
She carefully placed her hands on his chest and stood on her tiptoes, covering the University of Edinburgh logo on Iain’s sweatshirt. Then with her eyes still narrowed suspiciously, she kissed him. Tentatively, with an innocence he wouldn’t have guessed she possessed behind her cutting tongue and piercing brown eyes.
Tara’s kiss was so careful that if she’d been human, he would have demanded to see her ID card to make sure she was old enough to be doing such things with a 33-year-old man.
But of course, he knew she was old enough for him. Moreover…he liked her careful kiss. And he licked his lips when she pulled away, savoring her fleeting taste.
He wondered why she’d done it.
“So that’s what it feels like to choose,” she said, interrupting his pondering.
Magnus shook his head, confused by her words.
Tara looked up at him, her eyes two wide circles in a sea of freckles. “That’s what it feels like to choose someone.” She blinked as if seeing him for the first time. “That’s what it feels like to choose you.”
Magnus could only stand there, stunned. Unable to believe her change of heart. Though, by this point his cock had given rise during her fleeting kiss. It pulsed at her words, demanding he start believing his mate right now and moreover, put her beneath him.
Tara misunderstood his stunned silence. “I’m an awkward kisser,” she said wincing apologetically. “I know, it’s weird.”
Her words brought him out of his stunned state. He took the step forward he’d been wanting to take ever since she opened the door.
“Dinnae worry about this…” he searched for any endearment other than mo banrigh. One that wouldn’t cause any problems. He finally opted for “… mo leannan.” It was Gaelic for darling or sweetheart.
Then Magnus took her head in his hands and said, “I am most definitely willing to teach you.”
Chapter Nine
And teach her he did.
First came the lesson about how to properly kiss a Scottish alpha king. Magnus cupped Tara’s face in his hands and took her mouth with a lazy, tongue swirling kiss nowhere near as fleeting as hers. His kiss lasted for what felt to her like long, tantalizing hours. And when he finally pulled away, she found herself back in the bedroom with him, her hands fisted on top of his borrowed sweatshirt.
Next came the lesson on how to consort with a king. “Firstly, you must turn around. Let me take a good look at ye…”
Magnus took her by the hand and spun her around, a slow smile spreading across his face as he did so. He looked at her as if she were dressed in the loveliest ball gown he’d ever seen, instead of a towel and badly torn nightgown.
She rolled her eyes and tried hard not to smile at his antics. But something thrilled inside her as his gray eyes followed her twirl with frank appreciation.
“And now that the king has taken a gander of you, he will be honored to remove your clothes.”
“I can do it,” she began, lifting her hands to loosen the towel.
But Magnus gently knocked those hands away. “Nae, mo leannan. There will be no further law breaking from you.” And he slowly began to undo the towel she could have easily removed herself.
“I am almost positive there are no laws stating that you have to undress me.” Her voice was dry with disbelief.
“I assure you there are, mo leannan,” he answered, his eyes darkening as he took in her breasts. “Consorting with a monarch is serious business. It can decide the fate of entire kingdoms, which is why we made rules to cover this verrae important subject. Rules that mean I get to unwrap these beauties myself.”
As if to punctuate his point, Magnus undid the towel, then pushed down the straps of her ruined nightgown, letting it fall to the floor in a silky pool around her feet.
For a moment, he looked at her standing there completely naked, his gaze heating up with a desire she could feel across their mate bond.
“Now do I undress you?” she asked, feeling uncomfortable and awkward under his stare.
“Not without permission. Which means what you did to my clothes last night was highly unlawful. I’ll allow it this time as you were taken by your heat and likely didn’t know what you were doing.”
Arrogant. So arrogant. But still she asked, “Will you allow it now, Ri Faol?”
She’d guessed at his title from the story he told, but she must have guessed right, because his chest hitched, and his eyes softened, right before he said, “Aye.”
Two could play at this game, she decided. So, she took her time, holding his gaze as she pulled off his brother’s university sweatshirt. Then she slowly unbuckled his kilt and let it fall to the floor.
Instead of touching him right away, she looked him up and down in the same frank manner he’d looked her over until he chuckled darkly and said, “Yer a verrae good student, Tara. Now, lie down on the bed. I have a few more things to teach you about receiving a king’s kiss.”
Tara did as commanded, her body hot with curiosity and a sparking desire.
Magnus crawled after her onto the bed, lookin
g incongruous against the soft pink duvet. He was a huge splash of wolf that didn’t comfortably fit into her designer life.
But all thoughts of how opposite they were disappeared when he dipped his head down and his hot, wet mouth covered her lips…but not those on her mouth. His wicked tongue delved in and out.
Not long after came the lesson about how to beg an alpha king to take her, though she was no longer in heat. Which he thankfully did, sliding home between her legs and once more claiming her mouth so she had a taste of her own essence on his lips. Tara came with a long moan a few short moments later, her naked body wrapped around his, clinging to him as the storm hit.
Of course, they needed a shower after that. And that’s where she received the lesson about how to brace herself against a slippery slate wall as an alpha king took her with deep strokes from behind.
And if she thought Magnus might be tired after claiming her three times in one day, she quickly learned her lesson. Several actually. On the couch when she tried to return work emails while he watched the sports news. Then later at the stove as she was unboxing their Indian takeaway.
“Sorry, mo leannan. I cannae help myself,” he said as his hands slipped under the top half of the Kate Spade pajama set she’d put on when the delivery man dropped off their food. “I’m not used to the sight of a woman preparing dinner for me. Makes me want to take care of your needs the way ye are taking care of mine.”
“It’s just takeaway, and I’m a terrible cook,” she answered. “My family wasn’t even allowing me near the stove by the time I left out for college…”
“Doesnae fash me none,” he answered, as he pushed down her pink-and-red pajama bottoms and taught her what it felt like to be taken from behind while standing up.
It was dirty. Wrong. And, ohhhh…so good.
In the end, it turned out to be a very educational week indeed. At first, there had been some talk between them about trying to go somewhere. They considered Spain. Then they dialed that plan back to Blackpool... but even that seemed like too much to pull off. Magnus was insatiable. He barely let three hours go by between hitting her with one of his mauling kisses and manipulating her overused body until she found herself forgetting about her soreness and begging him to take her. Again.
Sigh…
Magnus appeared to take special pride in making her beg. Even after four days of non-stop sex, he continued to tease her about it mercilessly. “Are ye sure you want me inside you, Tara? I’d heard talk about you not liking me verrae much,” he asked that Saturday morning over the ruins of the breakfast she’d attempted to pull together for them.
Magnus had come out of the bedroom looking like an angry bear searching for his missing mate. When he found her preparing a breakfast tray, he thanked her for her consideration by shoving the platter aside and placing her on the counter so he could show her exactly what he was hungry for.
“Please, your majesty,” Tara pleaded, tugging on his hair.
She’d learned that addressing Magnus by a royal title was his sexual kryptonite.
He lifted his head from her core as she’d asked, his heavily muscled body moving with the agility of a true athlete. Tara let him see how much he impressed her right before she reached forward to take him in her hand with a naughty smile.
This was what a week of lessons had done to her. On Tuesday morning, she could barely fathom Magnus fitting inside her. But by Saturday, she boldly wrapped her hand around his long length and tugged it toward her aching sex without a reservation in the world. Magnus had taught her well. “And besides,” she added. “It doesn’t matter if I like you.”
He smirked as he said, “I will not be used as a tool to satisfy your lust, you greedy she-wolf.”
“You mean like you used all those human women before you knocked me up?” she teased.
A sudden shadow fell over his face. This time he didn’t just frown at her, he removed her hand from his cock and stepped back.
“Oh, hey. I’m sorry.” She bit her lip in worry. Magnus actually looked hurt. “I was only joking.”
When he didn’t immediately reply, Tara tried again. “Milly told me about the law you guys have—the one about wolves not being allowed to have a long-term relationship with humans, so I…um… understand, I guess….”
God, why was it so hard for her to do this with him? Her parents had raised her to regard others with compassion and patience. But it felt like she was handing over a secret nice girl part of her when she said, “I know you weren’t really using all those women, no matter what my boss said—”
“There were she-wolves, too,” he said, his voice low and flat. “Young widows with an eye on my crown. I used them like I used the human women. I wasnae a gentleman before I finally found you, Tara—or even decent about how I handled the business of relieving my sexual frustration. I’m a rugby player and a king besides…can’t remember a time when birds didn’t flock to me.”
“Okay…” she said, her brows going up while the rest of her face went down. And just like that, her sexy mood withered on the vine of his past. “If bragging about all the wolf and human women that came before me is your idea of foreplay, I’m here to tell you it’s not. I know you think I should be impressed by your stats, but…” She looked away from him, hating how vulnerable it made her feel to admit, “My wolf doesn’t like the thought of you doing to someone else what you do to me. Thinking about all the women who came before me makes me feel the opposite of turned on.”
She peeked up at him to see how Magnus was receiving her truth. The answer probably should not have surprised her, but it did. Instead of looking even a little bit contrite, a huge, arrogant smile spread across his face. Like he’d just eaten a canary. “You’re jealous!” he said, his voice set at 100% gloat.
“See, this is why I don’t like you!” Tara shoved him out of the way and pushed off the counter with a huff. “If you’re not making me beg, you’re acting like me telling you how I feel about all the women in your past is food for your ego—which is already, like, the fattest thing ever. Ugh!!!”
Tara started for the bedroom, wanting to be alone for the first time since she opened the bathroom door for him last Tuesday.
But before she’d made it more than a few steps, his arms came around her from behind.
“Nae, nae, Tara, that’s not it at all,” he said, folding her into his bare chest. “I’ve been looking for a sign—any sign—that ye fancy me as much as I fancy you. Ye’ll have to forgive me for being an arse about it. I was only grateful to finally get it. That’s all. Because in truth, my ego has never felt as small as it does with you, mo leannan.”
“Stop playing, Magnus!” she said, struggling against his hold. “You were just saying how women have been throwing themselves at you all your life. I know this isn’t the first time you’ve made someone jealous. I mean, the sex alone would get any woman’s head all twisted.”
“But that’s just it, don’t you see? I never cared if any woman was jealous. With me, it was always one night, show myself to the loo, and then sod off. I never wanted to linger. To spend days on end exploring one woman’s body. To spend the rest of my life knowing every aspect of the female in front of me. Cos’ you’re not just any woman, are ye, Tara? You’re not just my unexpected mate…”
Magnus squeezed her even more tightly and said, “What I was trying to tell you is you’re the only female, human or she-wolf, I’ve ever truly desired. The only one I have ever wanted to be with again and again—as many times as you’ll let me over the course of a lifetime. It has only been four days but I already ken there will be no other for me. I will never desire another female the way I desire you. And all I’ve wanted is a sign you felt the same way about me.”
Tara stilled, all sorts of alarms going off inside her. Magnus had trapped her again, and now he was pushing her further than she was ready to go after only four days of really knowing him. She waited for the claustrophobia, for the metallic thunk of the pack alpha’s basement ca
ge, for the usual punching rage. But it never came…
And eventually, her body softened inside his arms. “My wolf likes you, too,” she admitted. They were only five small words, but Tara expelled the same breath after speaking them as she would have after bungee jumping off the tallest bridge.
A moment of silence. Then he asked, “And your human? How does she feel about me?”
Tara stiffened, feeling “caught out” as her Scottish friends often said. She had no idea how to answer that question…. or how Magnus figured out she’d been purposefully holding that part of her back during their days together.
He exhaled, his arms loosening a bit. “You said you dinnae want to be trapped, and I dunnae desire that for you either. I’m aware you’re only here with me now because your wolf put your human in a poor position. I know that, but I still want all of you, banrigh, and I won’t settle for anything less.”
Banrigh…
She twitched inside his loosened hold, wanting to say something sarcastic or cutting. Wanting to protect herself, just like she’d been tirelessly doing for nine years. But, in that moment she realized there is a thin line between angry and scared. At least for her. And she’d stepped over that line.
Magnus frightened her.
And that realization made her admit, “Magnus, I’ve been a lone she-wolf for a very long time. But after Milly and Iain got together…they seemed so happy, I began to think maybe I should do that. Maybe I should be…I don’t know—more social with other wolves again. Maybe try to find a mate and settle down…”
And here came the hold again. His strong arms seemed to tighten reflexively around her. “You think you were jealous of my past women? Do you ken how jealous I get at the thought of you settling down with a wolf who isnae me?”
“Magnus, listen! The point is I like you!” she rushed out, cutting him off before his oversized pride could hijack the conversation. “But I don’t like liking you.”
Her Scotttish King_Loving World Page 8