“What do you mean?” The irritation in her voice told him he had hit a nerve.
“I mean that sometimes you seem to keep to yourself, even from your friends.”
She sighed and looked down at her hands. “Yes. I don't mean to, but old habits die hard, as they say. It was the only way to keep myself sane when I was younger.”
The fear she had felt lashed at him and he sucked in a breath. She glanced up at him. “What?”
He shook his head, not sure what had just happened. Had she just remembered something from her past. He had always thought her to be strong, and she was. But there was this vulnerable side of her that caused his heart to melt just a bit. He had thought to keep himself separate from her, as she did to the family; but now, he wasn’t sure if he could. He remembered the conversation he had overheard the day before. “You were talking with Jack, yesterday.”
She nodded.
“What is it he was talking about?”
“That you could help me with my quest?”
He nodded. He could feel her gaze as it traveled over his face. Fletcher knew she was trying to discern whether to tell him the truth or not. She had been keeping secrets, and he respected that.
“I'm not sure.”
“Rena, you can tell me the truth. We have to work together, and I think that it would be best if we didn't keep too many secrets.”
“We all have secrets, Fletcher. Not all of them are that interesting.”
“I respect secrets. How could I not with my family, but there is one thing you have to understand.”
“What's that?”
“The only thing that matters at the moment is completing this quest. The family needs this more than anything, and I will do just about anything to succeed.”
For a long moment she said nothing as he drove down the twisting highway.
Then, “I understand, and I will do anything to help you get there.”
The finality of her tone almost made him want to call back the words he had just uttered. Instead, he said nothing. Rather, he prayed that both of them could do what they needed to. He didn't want to think of the alternative.
* * *
The demon being now known as Aileen McDougall clicked on her mobile after two rings.
“Gavin,” she said, slipping in enough seduction to entice the McWalton laird. “I’m so happy you called.”
“Is that a fact?”
“Yes,” she said, leaning back in her massive claw-footed tub. She looked around the bathroom. It was bigger than the one-bedroom house she had grown up in last century. “I wanted to thank you about your last suggestion.”
“So, you found the ruby?”
“Yes. It wasn’t that difficult. How did you know that Russian oligarch had it?”
“Rumors. They want to possess anything that they think will make them more powerful.”
She knew there was more to it than McWalton was telling her. Even with her immortality, she possessed few other skills. She would pay top dollar to have the ability to read thoughts.
“I hope that you can come up here for the fundraiser I am doing for free Scotland.”
“Next weekend?”
“Yes.”
“My apologies, but I’ve got other plans. Make sure to send my assistant an updated list of the biddable items. You are taking early bids, correct?”
“Of course,” she said. Anger burned in her chest. The laird had been hard to corner, but she wanted to do just that. A good upstanding man like that made such a wonderful play thing.
“Well, I’ll talk to you later, Aileen. Again, let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.”
“Thank you, Gavin.”
She clicked off her mobile, then threw it across the bathroom. It slammed against the wall and shattered into pieces on the floor.
“Bastard.” They all treated her as if she were beneath them. Every bloody one of them, even her late husband. He had thought to buy himself a beautiful young wife. Little did he know she had targeted him. When she was finally finished with him, it took nothing more than too much of one medication to rid herself of the old, smelly wanker.
She leaned back again, allowing the jasmine scent to fill her senses and the heat of the water to relax her. Her quarry was soon to be here and then she would really start to have fun.
Aileen loved to make them beg before they died.
Chapter Eight
Anice stepped off the lift and took a right down the hallway. She could do this. She could really do this.
She stopped walking and leaned up against the wall. What the hell did she think she was doing?
She was getting a life. With her cousins married and her brother off with his soon to be lover—she knew they were going to be together on the trip, no matter what either of them said—Anice felt left out. She didn’t need a big romance. Like she told Rena, she would settle for a date or two. And that is just what she was going to do.
Anice smoothed down her skirt and reminded herself to keep calm. If she went in there acting like the basket case she was, it would be awkward. She had said she would do this and she would. In fact, Rena had made her promise she would do it while they were gone. The entire conversation had left her feeling a little out of sorts. Some of the things that Rena said sounded like something someone would say before they left for good. But, maybe it was her way. She hadn't known another faery.
Maybe she should have dressed differently. She looked down at her outfit. She wore this particular blue shirt because Phoebe had said it brought out Anice’s blue eyes. The short black skirt was one of her favorites, but she rarely wore it to work. It was more of a date night kind of thing. It made her feel powerful and sexy. She needed that today.
She’d worn her hair up, but sexier than usual, with a few strands of hair strategically left down. The stage had been set, all she had to do was walk down the hallway to his office.
Drawing in a deep breath, she ignored her sweaty palms and her out of control heartbeat. She pushed away from the wall and started down the hallway once more. Anice tried her best to ignore the strange looks she got from people as she passed by their offices. When any of the cousins showed up anywhere in the building, there was a buzz. She knew that Brody was in his office, and that he wasn't busy with some kind of teleconference. She smiled at his assistant.
“Is Mr. Stewart in?”
She nodded and picked up her phone. “Mr. Stewart, Ms. Lennon is here to see you. Of course.” She hung up. “Go on in.”
“Thank you, Mary.” The young woman gave her a grin.
“No problem.”
She drew in a deep breath and opened the door. There was no turning back now. Brody stood up as soon as she crossed the threshold.
“Ms. Lennon. Did we have a meeting?” he asked. God, that voice of his. He was from the Highlands and his brogue was deep. She loved the way it rolled over the syllables of her name.
She could understand the odd look on his face. She rarely made it down to Marketing. And if she did, she normally talked things over with Angus, who oversaw the department. She was all about PR until they hired Brody a few months ago.
“No,” she said shutting the door. “I have something I needed to ask you.”
He smiled, revealing those cute dimples. He was the entire package. Dark black hair given to curl if it got too long, deep blue eyes, that sometimes looked almost amethyst, and...well, he was bloody built. He wasn't as tall as her brother, but his body...Jesus. She wanted to see him without a shirt on. Or his pants. Or any clothes. Yeah, she would really like to see him naked. A lot.
“Ms. Lennon?”
Her face flamed as she realized she'd been standing there looking at him like he was her favorite treat. Because, at the moment, he was. She wanted a big bite of him. And licks. She would like to lick him. A lot.
She cleared her throat. “Yes, well, I wanted to ask you something personal. And the answer is up to you. If you decide against it, I will not hold it aga
inst you.” Although, she would be horrified.
“Okay,” he said, his smile dimming a bit and his voice turning cautious.
“I want you to understand that there will be nothing untoward if you should say no. As in for your job. What I mean is that you wouldn’t be fired.”
He studied her, then said, “Just spit it out, Ms. Lennon.”
“Would you like to go out for dinner with me?”
His entire expression blanked, and she realized she might have made a big bloody mistake. He was appalled by her question. At the moment, Anice wished she had Rena’s ability to disappear. Oh, she should not have listened to any of her family, and especially not Rena. They always seemed to lead her down a bad path. All the new women in her family seemed to be egging her on, but she knew they did it out of the goodness of their hearts. Still, if she had listened to her head, she wouldn’t be in this embarrassing mess.
“Never mind, I have to get back to work and I'm sure you do. Have to get back to work I mean. I mean at your desk.”
Oh, bloody hell, she sounded like an idiot. She turned on her heel and hurried to the door. She had her hand on the doorknob when a large hand slapped against the wood.
She looked over her shoulder and was surprised that he had made it around the desk so fast, and without a sound. He had the longest damned lashes. It would be comical if it didn’t make him even more attractive.
“Don't you want to know my answer?” he asked.
His breath feathered over her cheek. She had never really been this close to him. She drew in a deep breath as her heart started to race. The scent of him hit her. It wasn’t cologne, but something almost wild, like smelling night air. It left her dizzy with anticipation…but for what?
“Ms. Lennon,” he said, whispering her name. The sound was so intimate that she shuddered.
“Your answer? Don’t worry, Mr. Stewart, I understand.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“And how do you know my answer?”
“I saw it on your face.”
He frowned. “Then what day did you want to go out?”
She blinked. “What?”
“If you knew my answer by just looking at me, then you should know I want to go out with you.”
It wasn’t that she felt threatened, but there was a lethal quality to his words. It was as if he was a big, bad predator and she was his prey.
She turned around to face him, but that was a mistake. He was so close, but he stepped even closer. His body heat surrounded her. Her nipples tightened, and she was afraid it would show through her blouse.
“I...well, I don't...listen could you move back? You're making me nervous.”
He hesitated, then stepped back. She drew in a deep breath. His gaze dropped down to her breasts. It had happened so fast she didn't know if it had really happened. But it had. Had he done that before? Had he ever looked at her and thought the kind of naughty things she did?
“You were saying?” he said from behind clenched teeth as he rammed his hands into his pants pockets.
“Is there something wrong?”
He shook his head.
“Are you sure?”
“I didn't like that I frightened you.”
He wasn’t telling her the truth. She wasn’t sure how she knew it, but something behind his tone told her that there was more to his story than he was letting on. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and frowned. She was a woman who had spent a couple of centuries with four overgrown boys. Their manners had rubbed off on her.
“Bullocks.”
He chuckled.
“I wasn't frightened. I just haven't had much experience with men.” When he continued to say nothing, she realized what she had just admitted. I mean, if he didn’t know she was a virgin, he would definitely know that she had little to no experience. “Good God, I'm just going to leave now. I might move to Shetland and live in a shack.”
He chuckled. “Now why would you be wanting to do that?”
“Listen, I know that you probably have a very active social life—”
“Did you just call me a slut?”
“No,” she said in a rush, then she realized he was kidding. She sighed. “Seriously, I'm not this stupid.”
“I know. Do you want me to pick you up at the house?”
“No,” she said louder than she intended. She closed her eyes and tried to compose herself. “Sorry. I meant, we could meet in town.”
Brody studied her for a moment longer, then nodded. “How about The Last Drop? They aren't too rowdy on a Friday night.”
She knew the pub well. “That sounds brilliant. I'll see you there.”
He shook his head.
“No?”
“What I meant was that I’ll agree to meet you there…for a kiss.”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Just one kiss.” He pulled his hands out of his pockets and held them up. “No hands. Just a kiss.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip and something rumbled in his chest. “What was that?”
“Nothing, just you're driving me insane.”
“Oh.”
“Exactly.”
“Okay.”
“Okay what?”
“Okay, you can kiss me.”
Relief stole over his features, before heat flared in his gaze. He leaned closer and brushed his mouth over hers. That one little touch had her entire mind spinning. She drew in another long breath and more of his wild scent. She closed her eyes and leaned closer, wanting to feel everything. Primal need rose within her.
When he pulled back, her lips still tingled. She wanted more. She reached out, but he tsked causing her to open her eyes.
“I said one kiss, no hands. I don't think you will be wanting to tempt fate, Ms. Lennon.”
“Anice.”
“What?”
“Please, call me Anice.”
He smiled, full dimples again. “Only if you call me Brody.”
“Okay, Brody.”
Again, a look of relief seemed to filter over him before he quickly hid it.
“Seven on Friday?”
He nodded.
“I guess I'll see you then.”
He nodded again, as he shoved his hands back into his pockets.
This time he let her open the door. She smiled over her shoulder at him, as he continued to watch her until she hurried out of the office.
* * *
Brody shut the door to his office and stared at it. He still couldn’t believe Anice McLennan had come to him. And she had been so sweet, asking him out on a date. He had seen a lot of women act in his lifetime and that had been no act.
He shoved a hand through his hair and tried to think of anything else, but he couldn’t. Since the first time he had seen her, he had wanted her. It was like that in his family. They knew their soulmate by sight…and scent. Anice McLennan smelled of sweetness and seduction. His body still vibrated with the need to mate. This was going to make his dreams even more vivid.
He walked to the window that looked out on the street below. From that first meeting, he had been entranced. She’d slipped into his dreams more than once, teasing him, seducing him. He was embarrassed to admit how many times he’d awakened with his cock at full mast. Lately, even cold showers were not working.
So, they would have their date and, hopefully, he could control himself. He had a couple days to get himself prepared; although, he didn’t know if he could ever be in control again. He thought about his parents, uncles, aunts, cousins...not to mention his brothers. Their fate lay on his shoulders, and one mistake could cost them so much.
So, he pushed away the sweet thoughts of seduction and Anice Lennon. She was a means to an end, and he had to remember that. If he couldn’t, he would never be able to complete his task and save his family.
Chapter Nine
Serena wandered around her room trying to get her emotions under control. They had been in Wick for a few hours, and Serena a
lready felt as if she were itching from the inside out. She wanted to act and handle the whole thing herself. And by handle it, she meant kill the thieving bastard who had murdered her family. Or die trying.
But, she had to wait for her revenge. Not just for her friends’ sake, but also for Fletcher’s. They needed to get the ruby, then she could send Fletcher on his way.
She knew her friends knew something was up. They continued texting her, even more than usual. It was a bit annoying and so much like them.
Why did she think this was going to be easy? She had come to Wick with the idea that she would probably end up dying. Just the fight ahead scared her, but she had always been ready to die along with the murdering mad man. But now, thinking about leaving her friends and their family left a hole in her heart. Especially Fletcher. He was going to be the one she hated leaving the most.
She sat down on the big king-sized bed and sighed. He had shown her such sympathy in the car. It had been easy to feel it pouring off of him. And that connection...it had been stronger than any other connection she’d ever had for another human. Not since she’d lost her family had she felt like that. It was odd to know that at the age of two, she had that link and then lost it. Now, there was a man like Fletcher tempting to make that connection again. She’d been sure that he felt her pain as a child. That had never happened with a normal person before. Well, a normal immortal, she thought with a chuckle.
He was talking on the phone with one of his cousins as he ascended the stairs. His voice carried up. All of the cousins were loud, but Fletcher was probably the loudest, right behind Anice. Her bedroom door was open, even so, he stopped in front of the doorway waiting for permission. Such a gentleman. She nodded.
He stepped over the threshold of the room and suddenly, it felt smaller. He had never been a threat to her, but to her ability to think straight. Now, in this room, with her sitting on the bed, her will was dissolving.
“Yes, I’m sure we would have never thought about eating.”
Serena frowned at him. He mouthed ‘Phoebe’. She smiled.
Fletcher: The Cursed Clan: Book 4 Page 8