By the timethe sun decided to peek her bonny face over the edge of the horizon, I was even more exhausted than I’d been when I laid down to sleep. After the argument with the lass last night, I hadn’t been able to catch a wink. I was a raging mess—my body and soul both aching to climb into the bed adjacent to mine so I could gather Arabella into my arms and tell her that it was all a big misunderstanding. That I didn’t find her repulsive—in fact, she was the bonniest lass I’d ever met. My arms ached to hold her, my lips tingled with the need to kiss her again, and my fingers curled and uncurled restlessly as I imagined what that soft, silky skin would feel like in my hands.
I’d gotten a little taste of that last night, when my hands had rested on her waist as I’d kissed the breath out of her. I’d finally gotten the chance to touch those curves that had been tempting me since the moment I laid eyes on her, and doing so was the biggest mistake of my life. Because now that I’d had a taste, I wanted more. I wanted to spread those legs and take my fill, until she’d forgotten how to speak. Until the only thing she could say was my name, over and over as she begged me to give her more.
Stop entertaining such thoughts, ye daft prick!I scolded myself.Yer never going to be able to keep yer hands to yerself otherwise!
And the thing was, as much as I wanted to take Arabella into my arms and make sweet, fierce love to her, I couldn’t. Because if I did, it would interfere with my powers, and I wouldn’t be able to protect her.
I lay in bed for another few hours, listening to Arabella’s steady breathing. She’d cried herself to sleep last night, and it damn near killed me to stay away, to give her the space she needed, when I wanted so badly to kiss away those salty tears. But once she’d exhausted the tears, she’d quickly fallen asleep. I was hoping that when she woke, she’d be well rested, and in a better mood to listen to what I had to say. Because I couldn’t let us leave things the way she had last night. I needed to tell her the truth.
Her eyes opened slowly, still heavy with sleep, and my breath stilled at the way those golden-brown orbs caught the sun. The lass’s eyes were so expressive—they sparkled with humor, simmered with passion, burned with anger, softened with compassion, all at a moment’s notice. I hadn’t known her very long, but I could always tell her mood by looking into her eyes.
But the moment she caught sight of me staring at her, that expressive gaze shuttered, and she turned away.
“Mornin’ lass—” I began as she sat up, trying not to notice that she was still in her bra and panties. But she cut me off with a sharp slice of the hand.
“Don’t talk to me,” she said, not even bothering to look my way as she stumbled out of bed. “Not until I’ve had at least three cups of coffee.”
I swallowed my words, watching as she made her way to the bathroom. By the goddess, but somehow she was even sexier than she had been last night. The sound of water spraying the tub filtered beneath the closed door, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to imagine the sight of her slipping out of her underthings and stepping beneath the shower spray. Of her taking the bar of soap and sliding it across her damp skin, between her breasts, down that flat stomach, then even lower, until…
Stop it!
She took a long time in the shower. I wasn’t sure if she did it to torture me, or if long showers were her normal routine. But the wait was driving me crazy, so to pass the time, I began to exercise. Sit ups, squats, burpees, anything I could think of that didn’t require equipment.
I was halfway through my third set of one-handed push-ups when the door opened, and Arabella walked out wearing nothing but a thin cotton bathrobe. Her eyes widened, and I caught the briefest flash of admiration in them as she watched me lower my bare chest to the floor. But that gaze shuttered again, and she turned away from me, heading for the sanctuary of her bed.
I finished off the rest of the set, then stood up and wiped the sweat from my brow. Arabella was staring resolutely at the blinds, as if the plastic slats were potential enemies and she had to watch their every move to make sure they didn’t launch an attack. It was absurd. Why couldn’t she just look at me?
Because you’re a blithering idiot, that’s why. Ye handled her with as much tact as a horny bull last night. How did ye expect her to react?
“Lass,” I said, then winced at the hoarseness in my voice. She turned that veiled gaze to me, and I cleared my throat. “I was thinking we’d go get breakfast and fill up on some of the coffee ye asked for after I shower up.”
“That’s fine,” she said, her voice deceptively casual. “Just be careful of my clothes when you get in the shower. I hung them up to dry.”
I nodded, then retreated into the bathroom.Gaia save me, I groaned inwardly as I caught sight of her underthings hanging on the shower rod. The lass really was trying to torture me. Careful as I could, I removed her bra and panties, then transferred them to the towel rack. The cloth was damp against my fingers, and I instantly started thinking what it would be like if they were damp for other reasons. If, instead of pushing her away last night, I’d gathered her into my arms and carried her to the bed. I had no doubt that she’d already been wet last night—her nipples had been hard, and she’d moaned into my mouth with such need that I’d almost given into her. I’d wager her panties still carried a hint of that arousal, and it took everything in me not to press the black cloth against my nose and inhale greedily.
Cold shower. I need a cold shower.
I washed and dressed as quickly as I could, humming an old Gaelic melody Agnid used to sing to me in an attempt to keep my impure thoughts away. Couldn’t very well fantasize about a woman while singing a childhood lullaby. At least, that was my theory. Arabella dressed as soon as I was done. After checking out of the motel, we headed out to find breakfast. The drive was silent and filled with tension thicker than blood pudding, but I didn’t dare break it. Best to get some coffee and food into the lass before attempting to get through that bonny head of hers.
We ended up at a quaint establishment called Black Bear Diner, with wooden furnishings, bear-themed décor, and pillars that were fashioned to look like tree trunks. The hostess showed us to a booth in the center of the room, then left us with our menus. Arabella immediately picked hers up and began perusing the offerings, studiously ignoring me. Holding in a sigh, I studied the menu myself, searching out the biggest breakfast platter I could find. A man of my size needed fuel, not fruit salads and smoothies.
The wait for our server to take our order, and then for our food to arrive, seemed interminable. Thankfully the coffee came almost immediately, and Arabella and I served ourselves right away. The lass took hers black, I noted—nearly as black as the looks she’d been giving me when she thought I wasn’t looking.
What if she doesn’t understand yer explanation?a meddlesome voice asked.
I blocked it out because I wasn’t sure I could handle it if she thought I was lying, or decided to hate me anyway. I gritted my teeth against the anxiety churning in my gut. Goddess alive, but I couldn’t remember ever being worked up about anything like this in my life! When did I allow this woman get under my skin so? Aye, she was a bonny lass, but she was hardly the first woman I’d ever been attracted to. And when ye had as many willing women to tumble in the hay with as I did, ye were bound to have to turn away a few. Why on Gaia’s green earth was this one so difficult?
Because you actually care about her, the blasted voice in my head said, a little smugly this time.And because you want to sleep with her, despite your better judgment.
“The devil take it!” I exclaimed, banging my fist on the table. This internal back and forth was enough to drive even the sanest man out of his mind. There was no point in chasing my thoughts around in circles. Regardless of how I felt about Arabella, I’d been tasked by Gaia to protect her. And I would see that task through, no matter if Arabella hated me or not.
“Uh, what was that all about?” asked the woman plaguing my thoughts, staring at me as if I’d lost my ever-loving mind. The tips of my ears burned as I realized several others were staring at me—that outburst had been public rather than inside my mind as I’d thought.
“Er, sorry.” I scratched the back of my head and gave her a sheepish smile. “I was, ah, simply wondering what was taking our food so long.”
“Well, you can stop banging on the table now,” she said frostily as the waitress showed up. “It’s here.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I muttered, ducking my head and focusing on my food. Christ, I was acting like a whipped dog! How did the tables turn so fast that I was suddenly in the wrong, even though I’d taken the high road last night? I’d done the gentlemanly thing and kept my hands off her even though my shaft had stood up and begged me to do otherwise. And I’d done it so I could ensure she remained protected. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. This wasn’t right, the way the lass was treating me. Not after all I’d done for her.
