Wow. Even when he lowered his voice to a whisper it sounded deadly when he was angry.Sadie dropped her arms and slid from her knees to a cross-legged position on the blanket, tucking the long tail of Alec’s shirt down around her and well into her lap. Delia’s slut or not, she wasn’t about to sit with her kitty smiling at Alec.
She shrugged and flicked a hand in the air as though she didn’t care anymore—even though that was the farthest thing from the truth. If it were possible, her give-a-damn had shifted into overdrive. “I don’t know what to think, Alec. I had promised myself I wasn’t going to play Delia’s game, but then . . .” A sense of defeat crept into her voice. Oh hell no. Stop it. Get control.She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “I had sworn this gig was going to be all business—real business. But then I couldn’t . . . didn’t want to resist you. And now I feel like I’vebeen played by Delia . . . and maybe by you too.” There. She’d said it. Let the games begin.
She could see the muscles rippling in his jaw as he ground his teeth, and she could swear she heard what resembled a growl so low and deep it sounded like thunder. It wasn’t possible for his face to get any redder, but Sadie was concerned that the vein running up the side of his muscular throat was in danger of exploding. “Alec?”
He picked up the picnic basket and moved it to the edge of the blanket at their feet. Sadie could tell by his slow, purposeful movements that it was taking every ounce of his control to not throw the basket down the side of the mountain. Then he turned back to her, dark emotions flashing in his eyes, and edged so close to her that she could feel the heat of his rage radiating off his body. Sadie swallowed hard and wondered how far she’d get running down the mountain barefooted. “Alec?”
“Yer sister.” Alec stopped, bowed his head for a moment, then fisted a handful of his dark hair out of his eyes and lifted his head, and locked eyes with Sadie. “Yer sister is a heartless bitch that kens nothing about me or my family. As a matter of fact, I doubt that woman would ken what honor and decency were if they bit her on both cheeks of her bony arse.”
Sadie caught her lip between her teeth and clamped her mouth shut. Sounded like he had Delia pegged, but he could still be playing the game. After all, they were at the beginning of their six-week stint.
Alec reached out and barely grazed his knuckles under her chin. “I wanted to know ye better. After reading all those emails, after seeing ye the first time at the practice ring . . .” He paused, studying her, looking at her with such an intensity that she felt he was laying open her soul and trying to find the words to mend all the broken pieces back together. “I would never hurt ye, Sadie,” he finally whispered.
“And after the six weeks?” There. She’d said it. Even though she’d sworn she wouldn’t. After all, who wanted a woman who begged for some sort of guarantee or commitment after sex the first time? She sounded pathetic. “I go back to LA and you go back to Scotlandizing North Carolina?”
He cupped her chin in his palm and sadly shook his head. “I canna tell ye what the future holds.” His voice had dropped to an even deeper rasping whisper that Sadie would replay in her dreams. “Only the gods know that, Sadie. But I will swear to ye that I’ll never hurt ye. Not ever. And Ialwaysdefend those I love.”
“I’m not asking you to swear your love for me—or fight for me.” What an odd thing for him to say.She eased away from his hand, unable to think when he was touching her. “I just need to know that you’re not a part of Delia’s joke. I need to know that you two haven’t gotten . . .” She waved a hand to encompass the whole of the clearing. “I need to know that the two of you haven’t worked out some kind of deal for stuff like this.”
“I assure ye,” Alec said as he took hold of her by the shoulders and pulled her into his arms. “The only deal I’ve worked out with that”—he paused again, obviously struggling to tone down the adjectives he’d like to use to describe Delia—“thatsisterof yours is the contract for her company to film at the park.” He pulled Sadie so close his nose nearly touched hers. “And I asked that ye be my assistant because it was the only way I could think of to guarantee that yer days would be spent with me so that I might get to know ye better.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, then leaned back, lifted her chin, and looked her in the eye. “Today was a precious gift I’d hoped for . . . but I didna ken if ye would wish it. And if ye did not wish it, this day would not have happened. But when ye did . . .” Alec squeezed her shoulders and pressed his mouth to her temple. “When ye did, my heart fair soared,” he whispered against her skin.
An embarrassingly loud stomach growl broke the spell of the moment. Sadie eased away and stretched to pull the picnic cooler back between them. Those words. The meaning she’d felt in his deep, honey-toned Scottish burr. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying or had she just boarded the wishful-thinking roller-coaster ride straight to hell?
She retrieved his sandwich and handed it to him without making eye contact. “Here. Eat. We’re good now.” And they were. Her heart felt better after their talk and if Delia happened to find out what had happened, she’d handle that later.
The weight of his hand rested gently on her shoulder. “I’m glad of it. Truly, I am.”
A warm sense of peacefulness she’d rarely felt made her smile. Whether this lasted six weeks or sixty years, she’d take it. Alec MacDara was a rare find. Thank goodness, this day was going to have a happy ending after all.
She leaned forward and pulled out one of the squat, dented thermos jugs tucked in one corner of the basket. “There’s two of these. I hope Miss Lydia filled one with chicken and dumplings.”
Alec chuckled. “Check and see. If she did, I’m sure she packed bowls and spoons as well. The woman could manage the needs of a large clan with a snap of her fingers.”
As soon as she removed the cap, the warm, rich aroma of chicken and dumplings wafted up from the jug. “Score!” Sadie set the thermos aside and pulled the basket closer to find bowls and spoons.
Two plastic ziplock bags that had been tucked behind the pair of thermoses tumbled forward as Sadie pawed aside other items. Were those . . .? He had said he didn’t bring any.Sadie pulled the bags out and dangled them in front of Alec. “Did you forget you’d packed these?”
Alec’s eyes flared wide and his jaw dropped open. “I didna pack those.”
“Miss Lydia packed these?”
“That meddling old woman.”
“Oh my.” A snorting giggle bubbled free. Sadie pressed the back of her hand across her mouth. “Sorry . . . but itiskind of funny.” She piled the two, same brand as Delia had selected,super-sized with extra ridges guaranteed to please,baggies of condoms on the blanket beside the food basket. “At least now we know we’ve got plenty—for later.”
“I will speak to her,” Alec promised with an apologetic bow of his head. “I dinna wish her to offend ye.”
“I’m not offended.” Thankfully, her stomach chose that exact moment to chime in with another rumbling gurgle. “I’m hungry, and look—” She held up a tightly covered plastic bowl of whole strawberries in one hand and a gigantic economy-sized can of whipped cream in the other. “We’ve got berries and whipped cream for dessert!”
Alec pushed the basket aside and moved closer. He took the berries and spray topping out of her hands, set them on the blanket, then yanked his kilt out from around his body. “I’d ratherlaterbe now, ye ken?”
His impressive erection bobbed in her direction with anI’m so happy to see you againnod. Folding his plaid into a neatly squared bundle, he placed it on the blankets behind her, then gently took her by the shoulders and lowered her to it into a delightfully promising reclined position. He brushed a kiss across her forehead. “And I shall feed ye first—to recompense for Mistress Lydia’s boldness.”
The hungry rumbling of Sadie’s empty stomach shifted to a fluttering herd of excited butterflies. She nestled more comfortably atop the bundled pillow. “Miss Lydia didn’t insult me.” She hitched in a deep breath, her body aflame as Alec hovered over her with the strawberries and whipped cream. “But I do love strawberries and squirty cream.”
“Squirty cream,” Alec repeated. “I’ve never heard it called that.” He popped the cap off the can and sprayed out a small amount on the tip of his finger. “Here’s a wee taste, my sweetling.”
Sadie sucked the whipped topping off the end of Alec’s finger, not missing how he tensed and closed his eyes as she treated his appendage to a long, slow lick that would also be deeply appreciated were she to decide to use it elsewhere. “Strawberry, please,” she whispered.
