It took all of Bex’s willpower not to whip back the duvet and climb under the covers with him. The way his eyes held hers, with nothing but pure pleading in them, was enough for her to even forget the outside world existed. Only it did. Her conversation with Nigel had proved as much.
She chuckled. ‘Well, I’ll need a coffee. But I can bring it back up here if you want. Get you one too?’
Rather than replying, Duncan pressed his lips tightly together, only to wince. Only then did Bex notice the purply blue bruise that spread out across his jaw. Most of it hidden beneath his beard.
Gently, she ran her fingers across the tender skin. ‘He got a good hook in there.’
Duncan grunted. ‘I wasnae ready. That’s all…’ He frowned and rubbed his temples. ‘Did I hit him back? I kinda remember hitting him back and… why’d I think I saw your folks? Maybe he clattered me harder than I thought.’
‘Yeah, you definitely need a coffee,’ Bex said, standing up to leave.
‘But you’re gonna come back, right?’
She turned back to Duncan, only to see his frown had deepened further.
‘I was thinkin’ ’bout what my folks said. About hunkerin’ down. It would sure be easier to do if I had you there with me. And you wouldnae have to hide the dog up here, either.’
Bex tried to think rationally. Kieron was already out for her blood, and she wasn’t even with Duncan. She couldn’t imagine what stunts he might try to pull if she was. Not only that, but how would it affect Duncan’s case with the inheritance? Kieron wasn’t going to be the only one who claimed that she was trying to rig things to her own advantage.
The more time she spent with him, the harder it was to say no. And at the end of the day, it didn’t matter what Kieron, or anyone else, thought. It would be the DNA test that proved who was the rightful heir.
‘Duncan…’ she said quietly. ‘I’m sorry.’
His expression pinched. ‘For what? You didnae sock someone too, did ya?’
She laughed. ‘No, I didn’t punch anyone. If I had done it probably would have been you for getting so stupidly drunk.’ She let out a sigh. ‘It’s just all this stuff with the house and him kicking you out, it wouldn’t have happened if I’d gone about things differently. You know. Through the lawyers. The way I was probably meant to.’
Duncan’s shoulders rose upwards as he drew in a lungful of air. ‘Hey, you did what you thought was best. Cannae ask for more than that.’
She nodded her head, feeling all the unspoken questions filling the air around her. As she stood there, not sure whether she should stay or go, he reached out and took her hand.
‘Bex?’ he said softly. ‘Can I ask you something?’
‘Of course. Anything.’
He nodded before a smirk twisted on his lips. ‘Can you put some chocolate in my coffee? Make it a mocha? I think I need the sugar.’
With a shake of her head and a chesty laugh, Bex slipped her hand out of his.
‘Okay,’ she said. ‘One mocha coming up. And maybe while I’m downstairs, you can take a shower. That stale whisky smell is not good on you.’
She grabbed a towel from the side and tossed it at him.
‘You don’t want me to wait so you can join me?’ he asked, catching the towel with a grin.
‘Maybe next time,’ she responded, before she could stop herself, but then for some reason she couldn’t explain, she repeated herself anyway. ‘Maybe next time.’
21
Bex had planned to grab them both drinks and head straight back upstairs, but before she had even reached the counter to order, she spotted her parents sitting at a table, tucking into a full Scottish breakfast. From the way her dad was cutting his Lorne sausage into tiny pieces, she could tell that Duncan wasn’t the only one who had a hangover. No doubt Lorna had tried to make up for Duncan’s escapade by keeping them plied with drinks.
‘Hey,’ Bex said, resting her hands on the back of a spare chair, hoping that would give the impression she wasn’t planning on staying too long. ‘How did you sleep?’
‘Like a log,’ her father replied instantly, only for Bex’s mother to roll her eyes.
‘The bed was wonderful. The foghorn lying next to me in it? Not quite so desirable.’ She shot her husband a quick scowl before smiling back at Bex. ‘How’s the patient?’
‘A little worse for wear,’ Bex replied truthfully. ‘I just came down to get him some coffee.’
