CHAPTER7
Graham shoved the door of the hideous monstrosity open and rolled out to the blessed stability of the ground. He crouched on all fours on the hard sheet of stone stretched in front of Lilia’s house.
Great sucking gulps of the early morning air helped settle his churning innards—some. May the gods help him. His stomach groaned out a nauseating gurgle. What the hell had the world come to—forsaking horses for such unholy wagons surely fashioned by the devil himself?
Angus stumbled free of the metal chariot, his face drawn and pale as he echoed Graham’s unspoken thoughts, “I canna believe they gave up horses for such a thing as that.”
Alberti grinned as he rounded the beast, jingling the keys in one hand. “There now, chaps. Your first ride in an automobile wasn’t all that bad, now, was it?”
If he wasn’t so feckin’ ill, he’d knock that grinning bastard on his arse. Instead, Graham sucked in another lungful of air and huffed it out his mouth. May the gods strike him dead afore he ever had to ride in such a thing again.
The house door rattled and the hinges squeaked. Graham lifted his head and blinked.Damned, if she isna an angel descending from the verra heavens themselves.
Her long white tunic was belted at her waist while her silky blonde hair tumbled across her shoulders. Barefooted, Lilia scurried down the front steps and crouched down beside him. The soft weight of her hand on his shoulder nearly made him groan aloud. He breathed in another deep breath, forever memorizing the delicate sweetness of her scent. Damn, she surelywasan angel sent to save his battered soul.
She wrinkled her nose, sympathy flashing in her green-eyed gaze. “Bad first ride in the car, I see. I saw your exit through the window. Here. Inhale this oil of peppermint. It will help settle your stomach.”
Graham thumbed the cork free of the small glass vial, put it to his face, and breathed in—deep. The bile burning at the back of his throat gradually calmed to a tolerable level. “Thank ye, mistress.” He passed the tiny glass over to Angus. “Breathe it in, lad. It helps.”
Angus grabbed the bottle and snorted in a deep breath. “From now on, we walk. Or find a horse. Never again will I get in such a contraption.”
“Agreed.” Graham nodded and turned back to Lilia’s concerned gaze. “Thank ye for the healing oil. I feel much better.” Or maybe it was the mere sight of her smile that had settled him and made him whole.
He slowly rose, then held out a hand to help Lilia to her feet.
She cast a dubious look at his hand then quickly rose without touching him.
Disappointment weighed heavily in his chest. She didn’t wish to touch him. She feared the strange connection they had discovered last night.Aye.He supposed he couldn’t fault her for being a wee bit leery. Mother Sinclair’s words rang clear in his mind.Lilia thinks allowing anyone to help her is a sign of failure. She’s a stubborn hellcat.Well . . . stubborn hellcat or not, Mistress Lilia was meant to be his. And he intended to make damn certain that it came to pass. The surety of the thought surprised him. Aye, he wanted this woman.Wanted her for his very own.
“Come inside. I’ve got some coffee made and Vivienne is attempting to bake some scones but I wouldn’t get my hopes up about those if I were you.” Lilia gathered her robe higher above her bare feet and padded up the walkway ahead of them. When she reached the top of the stone steps, she turned back. “Alberti, are you coming inside or are you going straight to check on the shops?”
“Straight to the shops, lovie.” Alberti cast a pointed gaze at Graham and Angus then turned back to the car. “Call me if ye need me. Or have Vivienne give me a ring. I can be back here at a moment’s notice.”
The man called herlovie? In front of him? Graham glared back at Alberti. He’d tend to that insult later when Lilia was not around. “She will not be needing the likes of ye. I can assure ye of that well enough.”
He didn’t know what it was about that man but he didn’t like him. Alberti acted as though he had some sort of rights over Mistress Lilia. The fool best get that thought out of his head this very second. Graham stomped up the steps past Lilia, slid his hand past hers to the door latch and pushed it open for her. “Allow me, mistress.”
Lilia’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t think you can be snarky with my friends then sugarcoat it with chivalry. I’m not stupid.”
Again, Graham breathed in the sweet fragrance of her, steeling himself against the urge to bury his face in the silky tresses tumbling around her neck. Memorizing aromas was a carryover from his days as a dragon. Even if struck blind, he would know Lilia by her unforgettable scent. “I’d never be foolish enough to think ye stupid.” And he wouldn’t. He’d been around the other Sinclair women enough to know that ye damn well best be on yer toes whenever they were around.
Lilia gave him a look that nearly made him laugh out loud. Aye and for sure. Mother Sinclair didn’t lie. This one was a hellcat.He could see it in her eyes. “Yer family sends their love and they truly did send me here to watch over ye.”
“I’m fully capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much.” Lilia led the way down the hall to the small kitchen. She unhooked four cups from under the cabinets and lined them up beside a strange gurgling machine steaming on the counter. “And you can tell them that when you and Angus go back.”
Stubborn as she was beautiful too. She’d soon find out he could be a mite stubborn as well. “Angus and I will not be going back. Ye best learn that straightaway.” He eased closer and lightly tapped a finger across the top of her hand. “We are here. To stay. With yerself.”
She blinked up at him, her green eyes so wide and dark he thought he’d surely drown in their depths. He leaned in closer, mesmerized by her parted lips, their soft pinkness bidding him to steal a wee taste of her seductive sweetness.
“Crap on crackers!” Metal clanged, a heavy door slammed, and smoke filled the far end of the kitchen.
Whirling out of Graham’s reach, Lilia scooted across the room. “Are you all right? What did you do?”
Vivienne bobbed up and down between the stove, the floor, and the sink, plucking up black smoking bits of bread with a set of tongs and flinging them into the sink. “Run some water on those damn things before they burst into flames.” She waved the tongs at Graham and Angus. “Open the windows and the doors before the fire alarm goes off.”
“What the hell is a fire alarm?” Angus yanked open the back door and propped it ajar with a brick.
“I dinna ken.” Graham studied the latch of the kitchen window for a moment, thumbed it free then shoved the window open. He grabbed a towel and fanned away the smoke.
