When I trail my gaze back up to his face he's smirking at me knowingly.
Totally unashamed of himself.
Am I embarrassed?
I should be.
Probably.
It has been years since I've pursued a spontaneous attraction. My line of work makes me a target for people looking to use me to get ahead. To get attention. To get their name in the papers.
My heart pinches with the fresh reminder of the hurt Mike left me with. And the reason I am here in Scotland in the first place.
I shouldn’t be checking out Duncan like he exists purely for my viewing pleasure.
My head clearly isn’t on straight.
"Sorry-ach fuck!"
The words to apologize for the blatant eye-fucking are cut off when he sprays me in the stomach with the freezing cold water.
A laugh of disbelief tumbles out of my chest and I blink open my eyes to see him standing in front of me holding the hose with a kink to stop the water flow. "Was that necessary?" I ask.
"Well, you’re covered in mud."
"Yeah but now I'm also soaking wet and covered in mud."
"Well there's only one thing to do about that."
I roll my eyes but strip down too, leaving my soggy clothing in a pile a yard from his on the ground. "Better?" I demand impishly.
"Much." I’m overheating on a dreary cold May highland day as his eyes take in my body. He wets his lips as his gaze traces the ink sprawling up my arms and across my chest. What does he think of them? Is he curious? Mike never asked, never seemed interested. But if Duncan asked I’d tell him everything in one breath.
He turns towards the tap and I shake my head. He must be a playboy with how comfortable he is with flirting. Like it’s his natural state of being.
And getting involved with some fuck boy is not remotely a possibility.
"Listen, I'm sorry for-AHH!" Again he cuts off my apology with a spray of water to the face.
"Missed a spot."
I wipe my face and lunge towards him. "Fool me once you nit!" I reach for the hose and Duncan bobs out of the way. When I turn to him he's pointing the hose at me and closing in.
I raise my hands in surrender. "Easy now."
"Oh, I highly doubt any of this will be easy." He steps even closer and my heart takes flight. I could lose myself in his eyes, in his body, in his joy.
It would feel so good.
Total escape.
But I'd be using him. It's not possible to move from one relationship to the next so quickly. Not when the last meant something.
Or I thought it did.
"Rhys." Duncan says darkly as he steps even closer and I feel the presence of the house at my back.
"Duncan."
