Chapter Three
Laura Drummond was a surprise. A challenge. Dallas placed the signed contract on the side table without taking his eyes off her. Although she was young, she possessed a classy polish. She’d tidied her blonde hair and it hung in sexy waves around her face, scraped her shoulders when she swung her head. Her brown eyes were the color of his Irish whiskey while her skin was pale and looked silky-smooth.
The sweats hid her curves, but he knew they were there. She wasn’t a skinny model wannabe, and he liked that—nothing worse than sharp bones. He preferred a little padding to cradle him when he made love to a woman.
Love.
The word gave him pause. This weekend would be about sex. A tiny voice at the back of his mind chuckled. She challenged him, made him laugh. She poked his curiosity. Unlike her siblings, she’d left Clare to live and work in Napier. She hadn’t acted the sponge and settled in luxurious comfort at the Drummond mansion.
“Do you like pasta?” he asked.
“Love it, although I don’t get to eat it very often.”
“Are you on a diet?”
She made a rude sound. “Someone wash the man’s mouth out with soap. You with the four-letter words.”
He grinned. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
“Tell me about the pubs,” she said, taking a sip of her toddy. “Do you have Irish music nights?”
“We do, plus the usual pub things. Darts. Karaoke. Quiz nights. Anything to bring in the customers.”
“Where are the pubs?”
“One is in Lester Street and the other is off the main street, near the main clump of art deco buildings.”
She nodded. “Where do you live?”
“The Lester Street pub has a flat above it. If I’m not here at the cabin, I stay at the pub. What about you?”
She wrinkled her nose. “The best way to pry myself loose from Clare was by promising to stay at the company apartment. It was a compromise. Once I get a steady income and save enough to pay the rental security bond plus the first week of rent, I’ll find my own place. Another degree of separation,” she said drily. “My family try to micro-manage me. They still think of me as the baby. When do I get to kiss you?”
“When I say so.” It was difficult to restrain his amusement but he managed. God, he loved a challenge. He’d needed this, needed her. His brothers were right. He was hiding behind the business, but Maria had ripped his guts out when they parted. Something about Laura spoke to him, made him want to totter back to normalcy.
“So, when you mentioned bossy, what do you mean?”
“I like to control the way my relationship goes.” He swallowed the dregs of his toddy while he marshaled his thoughts. “And sometimes I dip into kinky.”
“What sort of kinky? Spanking? Anal? Something along those lines?”
“Yes.”
A frown creased her forehead. “I’m not very good with pain.”
He moved closer and stepped into bossy mode. He slipped his arm around her tense shoulders and drew her against him. She sighed and gingerly relaxed. “Don’t worry about that. I know what I’m doing. You’re safe with me.” With the tip of his finger under her chin, he directed her gaze to meet his. “We’ll take things at your pace. I promise.”
“How did you learn this stuff?”
“Your family would say I practiced a lot with other women.”
Laura pulled a face. “You smell nice.”
“Thanks.” He smiled against her hair. Never in his wildest dreams had he suspected he’d cuddle with the enemy or that he’d feel happy about the experience. Already, he imagined his brothers voicing their opinions, telling him he was letting himself in for a shitload of trouble. Hell, he knew it, and yet she tempted him to march across enemy lines anyway.
“Why is it so important to you to get a job on your own, a flat? Your parents give you anything you want.”
“I know,” she said. “I’m lucky to live such a privileged life. But I want to do things on my own, make my own way. Hell, it’d even be fun to make mistakes. From the outside, living in the world of wealth is easy, but it’s a prison. My life has a set of rules, expectations, and if I don’t do what my parents or older siblings say, they withhold privileges. Achievements don’t mean a thing if a person doesn’t have to struggle for a goal.”
