“It’s nothing to do with my wealth.”
“I’m too blissed out to be insulted.That is for you to judge.You’re the one who’ll have to decide if I’m a gold-digger or something worse.But I want to remind you I intend to return to New Zealand.I’m happy to do that if you’ll let me go.”
“No.”The sound was sharp and held possessiveness.“Let’s take this time to become acquainted.I like you, Suzie, and I don’t say that lightly.I haven’t met a woman who challenges me like you, and I enjoy your company, whether we’re walking in the forest or working on an element of my honey business.If I was to search, I doubt I could find anyone who suited me so well.So please tell me you will stay of your own free will.See where this magic between us might go.”
Suzie stared at him, her mouth agape and her eyes wide.This man was asking instead of ordering her or forcing her to accede to his wishes.She narrowed her eyes, her brain working through the pros and cons.She’d wanted to go to university so badly, but Edwina’s absence would take the shine off the achievement.If she could… “You truly intend to pay me for my work?”
“Fair wages plus a bonus if we get the honey to market on time.”
“And I’ll stay at the castle?”She wanted this doubly confirmed.
“Feel free to use the current room and come and go at your leisure.”
“Can I spend time with my friends?The two remaining ones left from our original group.”
“You’re welcome to invite them to visit for dinner, but you mustn’t tell them about the honey.Just tell them enough to get them to stop asking questions.”
A sneaky thought occurred, and she wondered if he would balk at her suggestion.“What if I told them you were my mate?”She now suspected this was the truth, and the gathering was a brilliant cover.Not one shifter would mention it to a human.
Niall met her gaze, and she glimpsed his bear in the gold swirl that suddenly dominated his eyes.A slow smile crept across his face, spellbinding in its charm.It transformed him from a grumpy bear to a sexy shifter who’d attract any woman’s attention.
“I might enjoy that,” he said in a sexy rumble.
Her mouth dropped open, and she pressed her lips together once she realized.“You would?”
“I’ve confessed already.I like you a lot.You’re intelligent, excellent at your job, and you don’t bore me with your prattle.”
Suzie rolled her eyes.“Thanks, I think.”
He grinned, and her breath caught.He looked much younger and more carefree when he cast away his serious side.“Also, I enjoy looking at you.Plus, you aren’t afraid of my temper.”
“Okay.”
Niall pulled up in the parking lot for a pub Suzie hadn’t yet visited—The Black Bull.Once out of the vehicle, she snapped a shot of the pub sign depicting a snorting black bull.Fields sat on one side of the pub, full of contented Highland cattle chewing their cud.Suzie skipped in that direction and took a photo to send to her father.A cattle farmer, he’d enjoy seeing the hairy, horned beasts.
Niall waited patiently, leaning casually against the hood of his vehicle.A tiny smile played on his lips, and she had the strange desire to touch him or at least run her finger over his mouth and test it for softness.She had the oddest feeling that this man used his grumpiness as a barrier, and he was marshmallow-soft inside.She was seeing a side of him that most didn’t.
“Are you done?”he asked.
“For now.”She savored the touch of his hand on the small of her back as he pushed open the double front doors and showed her into the dimly lit pub.The floor was wooden underfoot, with several standing tables and eight tables with chairs to the right.
“Grab a table while I get us a drink,” Niall said.“What would you like?”
“I’m working my way through the local gins, so I’ll take a gin and tonic, please.Something with botanicals.”
Niall returned five minutes later with a pink gin and tonic, a beer for him, and two bags of crisps.“The kitchen is closed for another hour.”
Suzie nodded and took a sip of her drink.“Nice,” she said.“Is it a local one?”
“Made in Edinburgh, according to the barman.”Niall’s gaze went past her to the door, and he snapped out a curse.
Suzie half turned in her seat, but Niall’s hand shot out to stay her.
“No,” he said in an undertone.“Perhaps they won’t notice us.”He cursed again.
Suzie set down her drink and reached for a packet of crisps.The tension in Niall spread to her, and a bolt of apprehension shot through her when she saw the smile on Niall’s mouth—the one that didn’t reach his eyes.Whoever he’d spotted had knocked him off balance.She could practically feel his bear vibrating beneath his skin, which set her feline on edge.She tugged at the top of the crisp pack, exerted too much force, and spilled crisps across the table.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
