HighlandHeat (11 page)

Thankfully, from that point on their conversation became
less personal and therefore much easier for her to handle. She didn’t know
whether it was Alain or her who changed the direction of the conversation. It
didn’t matter because she was too pleased by the turn to think about it
further. There was enough going on in her head without having to hold a
meaningful discussion at the same time or unintentionally walking into another
minefield of sexual innuendo.

As soon as she got home and had a minute to herself in her
own space, she’d have to think about how she’d actually spent two days in a
man’s erotic playroom and not realized how much time had passed. It was looking
like she’d been on a bender, a seriously good sex bender. The way her body
still tingled with pleasure seemed to confirm plenty had gone on between them.

Once Alain dropped her off, Grace thanked him, stepped out
of the car and walked into the shop with her head held high. With a quick tug,
she made sure her wrap covered the state of her neck, then walked in the front
door with poise and purpose. Ignoring her own embarrassment, she cheerfully
waved at her startled store manager, employees and a couple of customers while
wearing the same clothes from two days ago.

As she made her way down the hallway, she called out over
her shoulder to Aimee, who she was sure had followed her.

“I know, I know, I should’ve phoned. As you can see, I’m all
right. I’ll be back down shortly and you can give me the third degree then.”

“At least tell me if that gorgeous Scotsman survived the
weekend?”

There was no holding her laughter back on that one. The
woman’s comment was exactly what she’d needed to hear as she worked to
reconnect herself with the person who spent two days indulging all of her
sexual desires. She turned back around and dashed back to give the woman a
quick hug.

“He did.”

“Will you be seeing him again?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Luv, I have no doubt he’ll make every effort to ensure he
does. Don’t worry about coming back down, we have everything under control.”

“No, I’ll be down later. I need to shower, change and get my
head back in focus.”

“Fine, we’ll see you when we see you.”

With a momentary lightening of her heart, she made her way
up the stairs, past the floor that acted as the stock room to the top level
where her apartment was. Grace unlocked the door and walked in, pleased to be
here.

It wasn’t a large place and happened to suit her needs
perfectly. She set her hat, wrap and purse on the table, then made her way to
the couch where it sat beneath a large window. Slipping her feet out of her
shoes, she sat down and folded her legs beneath her. She leaned over, rested
her chin on the ledge and looked out over the rooftops.

Within seconds of finding the peace this place offered, her
mind drifted back to Hamish Buchanan and how they’d spent the past couple of
days together. The finer points were sketchy, but she definitely remembered
wonderful sex, eating in bed and even him carrying her into the bathroom when
she needed it. What she didn’t remember was the details like if the blindfold
ever came off, if they used other toys besides the anal balls, things like
that.

Right now everything she recalled was surrounded by
darkness. Did he drug her? No, no, that was one thing she felt sure about. To
do something so vile was far beneath the man.

It took a few seconds to register her phone was ringing and
that she needed to answer it. It would surely be Aimee and Grace was prepared
to tell her again that she’d be down in an hour.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Grace.”

Whether she’d been expecting someone else or not didn’t stop
the surprise she felt at hearing the now familiar deep sexy voice coming down
the line. The Scottish burr ran through her body, raising goose bumps along the
way and working on softening her upset. Her lips parted and her breath started
to come more quickly. He did this to her with just two words, what could he do
with more? Grace wasn’t sure what to say, so kept it simple.

“Hi.”

“What are you doing right now?”

“Sitting on my couch trying to figure out how mad I am with
you.” Good, she gave herself a quick pep talk. Don’t hide anything from him.

“Please don’t be upset. If I could’ve been with you when you
woke this morning, I would’ve been.”

“Hamish, for two days I was in that play room of yours and
I—”

“I know, great, wasn’t it?” Pleased, and without any real
doubt what her answer would be, came from him loud and clear.

“Yes, but—”

“No buts, lass, it was perfect.”

“Okay, it was wonderful, fine, but I feel like I missed
something I should know and am not at all comfortable with that.” She believed
this and yet still couldn’t put her finger on what it was or why she thought it
did.

“Do you know that I’d like to see you again?” There wasn’t a
hint of doubt or insecurity in the man. He came across as confident and yet not
demanding.

“That’s a given. I’ve just spent two days as your love
puppet. No man would choose to walk away from that.”

“Well, I want more than your submission in the bedroom. I
want much more than that.”

“I see.”

“Do you, Grace? Do you know how it hurt to leave your side?
Do you know I wanted our first time together to be perfect? I wanted you to
know how very special you are, except I couldn’t seem to stop myself from
taking you over and over. There’s an insatiable hunger building inside me and
it’s for you.”

Her quivering hand moved up and covered her mouth. Telling
her what he was feeling made her heart leap and stomach drop. They were a good
pair. No doubt about it, but she wasn’t ready to throw in the towel and let him
have total control over her. It was time to give him a few hard truths.

“It was terrifying to wake up in your room, in the dark and
all by myself. I didn’t like that at all.”

“I’m sorry, because I wanted to watch you wake up, see you
in the sunlight.” She heard his voice deepen and felt her body respond to him.
She wanted him, but knew it wasn’t enough to be all about sex for him.

“I enjoyed what we had and while you gave me a taste of your
brand of desire, I actually want to be more than someone who gets you off.”

“Don’t ever doubt you engage all of me. My brain and body.”

“Pretty hard to do from where I sit right now. I feel used,
Hamish, and don’t like it one bit.”

“Don’t, please don’t think for a second that I hunted you
down merely for sex. What we shared was much more than that. It’s just that my
cock ruled the time we spent together.”

“Sweet words, Hamish, but I don’t want to hear any excuses.”

“None given. I know I’ve screwed up from the beginning.”

“What do you mean?” She liked this man, really liked him and
wanted to be able to see past her anger. There was a real chance of something
more between them.

“First, I insult you. After that I basically keep you as my,
what did you call it, love puppet? Yes, that’s it, love puppet, without caring
about your responsibilities. Then, to finish it off with a cherry on top, I’m
not there when you wake up. This isn’t what I intended to happen when I stopped
by your shop on Saturday. I promise, Grace, none of this was planned. What can
I say? I lost my head when I set eyes on you and my brain went with it.”

Grace listened to him and appreciated how he didn’t offer
any more excuses for what happened. Although the head loss thing was pretty
close, it was one she actually understood. She didn’t exactly behave as she
would normally either. It wasn’t usual for her to go have wild and kinky sex
with a man who insulted her one minute and gave her flowers the next.

“I’m upset about what happened and don’t know what to do.”
What else could she say? Apparently confusion ruled her mind.

“Will you go out with me tonight? Start again as we mean to
go.”

“I don’t know, Hamish. I can’t afford to lose more days like
I already have. Not right now.” There was the new season coming up, the
awarding of her royal warrant and the fact that her success was reliant
entirely on her. If she didn’t do the work, then there’d be nothing to sell.

“How about good food and interesting conversation, but no
sex?”

“I’m not so sure we need to go that far. What would you say
if we eat and talk, then decide about sex?”

“Ms. Strachan, are you negotiating with me?” There was a
delighted element of surprise to his query and she felt empowered again.

“Why not? I’m a businesswoman who knows what she wants and
it just so happens to be you, all of you, not just your delightfully kinky
passion. We’ve done that one already, let’s see if we can go for more and this
time bring our brains to the party.”

“Deal. I’ll pick you up at six. How do you feel about
Chinese food?”

“Seven-thirty and what about a curry?”

“You’re just begging for my hand to spank your ass, aren’t
you?”

“Absolutely. Do we have a deal?”

“Deal.”

“Hamish?”

“Yes, lass?”

“I like the way you do business.”

“You wouldn’t know it, but I have a reputation as a
hard-nosed businessman. I can be ruthless, brutal, demanding everything as
suits me. Apparently when it comes to you, I lie down and roll over.” His
laughter was contagious.

“It’s all good as long as you’re hard and demanding when
it’s necessary.”

“No need to worry about that. With you I can’t seem to be
anything except hard and horny.”

“Now that’s the image I’ll take with me while I clean up and
change before going downstairs. Thank you.”

“You’re naked now?” His voice lowered like it had when he
was about to do something deliciously naughty with her body and it made her
shiver.

“Nope, but I’ll get there in a second and think of how well
your hard-on can lift a kilt. See you tonight.”

With joy filling her, she blew a kiss down the line and hung
up. There was no way to keep the smile off her face. It was simple, really.
There was something about the man that encouraged her to feel more alive than
she ever had before. She was looking forward to exploring him further,

All of him.

Mind, body and soul.

After she hung up, Hamish was thoughtful. When he set out to
claim Grace, he’d brimmed with confidence in his success to bring her to his
side. Then, while he had her in his grip, he’d been even surer they were meant
to be together. Now that she wasn’t here and was angry with him, his assurance
that he had control over what was happening between them or where they were
heading had diminished.

It was taking a great deal of effort for him not to drive
over to Frivolity and bring her back to his home so they could start the day
differently. Of course he knew this wasn’t a realistic idea, but he’d keep it
in mind because he was sure he’d be more in sync with everything if he could
reach out and touch her.

Stretching his legs, he put his bare feet up on the coffee
table and leaned back into the couch. He stared blindly into the fire he built
once Grace left with Alain. He didn’t want to think about not being there when
she woke up. He didn’t want to miss loving her and watching the wonder of a new
day brightens her eyes. That was where he wanted to be, with her, wherever that
might be, and he couldn’t do it.

Unconsciously he stroked a finger over his horns and thought
about how they were the reason he hadn’t been there when she’d needed him most.

Slipping away from her warm and satiated body was one of the
most difficult things he’d ever had to do. This morning, before dawn, with his
horns fully exposed and unable to do anything about it, he’d been sure it was
the best solution available. There was no way he could second-guess this
decision, nor would it do him any good to ask questions now that it had been
done. He had to move forward and ensure she knew he cared for her beyond the
sex.

What he was absolutely positive about was that it wouldn’t
help his case if she found herself sharing a bed with a man sporting horns.

It had been almost impossible to keep the protruding bones
hidden for two solid days. They’d started actively sprouting from the sides of
his head the second she’d taken him in her mouth. Thank goodness the room had
been lit in such a way that he could see her, but she couldn’t see him, at least
not clearly.

Early this morning, when he opened his eyes in the dark
room, his head ached tremendously. The effort of trying to keep the horns
hidden had finally caught up with him. Beyond just his head, pain encompassed
his entire body. He’d used everything he could to keep her from discovering
them, especially when her hands roamed freely over him.

In his lifetime, there’d been less than a half-dozen people
who had ever touched the unique bones and no one except him since he hit
puberty. He was curious to know how another’s touch would feel, especially one
from a lover. That’s where he stepped onto shaky ground. He definitely wasn’t
ready to tell her everything, not yet and maybe never.

Grace was the first woman he even considered bringing so
deeply into his life, far enough to know his secret. He’d thought quite a bit
about it this morning and if he ever reached the point where he could tell her
about the horns, then it had to be handled very carefully. He wouldn’t simply
let her wake up and find them there. Too much was at stake if it didn’t work
out. In the end, it might be telling the truth was too high a price for him to
pay.

The worse case was what he had to think about. Generally
this brought to mind the same question and today was no exception. How hard
would it be to spend the rest of his life trying to keep someone he cared about
from discovering horns grew from his head?

Shrugging his shoulders, Hamish rolled his head along the
back of the couch to help ease some of the tension settling in his neck. The
idea of making himself vulnerable to another was not something he’d choose to
do. It just wasn’t him. However, if he wanted to be with her, he most likely
would have to do this to some extent. So far, everything he knew about her said
she was worth the risk in finding himself exposed as a modern day monster.

Despite this morning, it seemed to him like they were off to
a good start. They had the sexual compatibility thing down and they had talked
some, although nothing serious. Either way, he wouldn’t be sure until she said
so herself.

Moving his hand down to cover his hard-on, he was no longer
surprised to find himself eager for her. For two days they’d indulged
themselves in each other’s bodies and it had been divine. They’d spent little
time sleeping, a bit talking to each other, but mostly he’d allowed himself to
feast upon her as much as he wanted and to their mutual satisfaction. As far as
he was concerned, it had been perfect. Their time together solidified his
belief that she was going to be a part of his life. The challenge for him was
not to ruin it before she had a chance to know more about him than what she’d
already discovered. She was more than a love puppet and he was more than the
skill in which he brandished his cock.

Leaning forward, he lifted his coffee mug and settled back
against the cushions of his comfortable couch with a snort of self-disgust
before sipping the hot brew.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t been thinking clearly enough on how
to make certain Grace knew how special she was to him, in and out of bed. That
had been a really stupid mistake. After speaking with her, he was sure at some
point she must’ve thought she’d been a one-night stand. Okay, technically a
two-night stand, which couldn’t be further from the truth. In his mind, it was
obvious how much he cared for her
because
they hadn’t come up for air
since he delivered the flowers at her shop on Saturday morning.

How wrong he was.

Hamish thought about it some more until he realized this was
the perfect example of how men and women looked at things. These issues hadn’t
mattered to him before because he’d never had a relationship where he cared.
There’d been less than a handful of women who’d stayed around for any
substantial length of time. Granted, even those few hadn’t lasted in his life
any longer than a couple of months. Apparently he had quite a bit to learn
about being a good mate for Grace.

Frustration struggled to take hold of him as he remembered
this morning, but pushed it back. There was no point in getting worked up and
agitated. It would make trying to calm down enough for the horns to retract
more difficult. Hamish did, however, remind himself it was understandable to be
pissed. He’d opened his eyes this morning and discovered, regardless of all the
pleasure she’d given him, they were still out and at full curl.

This was new for him. Usually, once his needs had been
satiated, the horns would retreat, not all the way, but down to be ridges
easily hidden beneath his hair. None of this occurred with Grace, so he’d had
to do something and quickly.

Several hours had passed and they were still curled around
the side of his head. There’d been a little progress in their retraction, only
the bones remained unfurled far enough that they couldn’t be hidden beneath his
hair. In fact, he was sure that if she chose right then to walk through his
front door, no question, they’d immediately grow back to their complete curl.

Despite the ups and downs he was going through right now,
this was actually an interesting and exciting period in his life. It was full
of new adventures and experiences, all because of one particular woman. One
thing he was going to have to do was reinforce his power over his body. For the
first time in years, he was faced with having to take back control over the
horns and he knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

Bringing the mug to his mouth, he took a sip of the brew and
realized he couldn’t dwell on the mistakes he’d already made or trials he’d
have to face to keep her in his life. There was little doubt in his mind that
this morning wasn’t going to be the last gaff he’d make. Unintentional or not,
they were sure to happen again. What he had to do was stop wasting time and
come up with a plan for keeping her at his side no matter what he did wrong in
the future.

So what did they have going for them?

Obviously they were compatible sexually. They’d also already
had a chance to talk about their mutual interest in property development and
the various aspects of it. They both worked hard and were successful because of
it. There were more things he knew about her personal and professional life,
but not from her own lips, so he didn’t include them.

It was a substantial list, with much more to learn. By no
means did he want to know everything about her, instantly. There was great joy
in discovering what made her special. At the same time, he wanted the
opportunity to unearth her secrets and desires, hopes and dreams, as well as
those things that made her sad and fearful. Those were the reward of a true
lover.

If he pulled everything together, then the ultimate goal was
both simple and convoluted. He wanted Grace to love, know and respect him, no
matter what. To do this she had to want to bring him inside her heart, like she
had her body, and from there he’d find a way to her soul. Of course this wasn’t
going to happen in one night or two, although he could get things started.

The earlier he did that, the sooner she’d be his.

Alain chose that moment to come back to the house. His
longtime cohort didn’t say a word on his way into the kitchen or once he
settled on the other end of the couch drinking from a mug, watching the flames.
There was something different about his cousin. He wasn’t being his usual
teasing and cheerful self.

“Thanks for coming over here to help me out this morning.”
It was the truth. He knew the timing of his call had interrupted the other man
with his own bed companion. Without looking at him, his cousin broke his
silence.

“I like her.”

“Who?”

“Grace, you fool.” Alain finally looked at him and was
frowning.

“Well,” said Hamish, “I didn’t know if you were talking
about the woman whose bed you left when I phoned or mine. I had to ask to be
sure we were on the same page.” There was something definitely going on with
the man. It wasn’t like him to be so short.

“Sari is complicated. Your Grace isn’t, she’s delightful.
She blushed so prettily when she realized how much time had passed while
playing with you upstairs.”

“What do you mean complicated?” Interesting. He’d never
known the other man to describe a woman with such a term. Before Grace, they
were of the same mind. Women were for pleasure and there was nothing convoluted
about that. It’d been a while since his cousin had dated anyone seriously.
Although, if he remembered correctly, there had been one particular woman his
cousin had described as problematic. It was back when Alain was at college and
ended up having his heart broken. What was her name again?

“Leave it, Hamish.”

“Why? I could do with not having to think about my own
problems for a few minutes. Call it a diversion, whatev—”

“No.”

Warning bells went off in his head. Now wasn’t the time to
pursue this, they’d have to talk about it later though. He had a gut feeling
that this was an area his cousin needed to talk to someone or it could eat him
alive. In his opinion, when things weren’t going smoothly, it never helped to
keep them bottled up inside. Nothing was ever solved that way.

“Fine. For now, but you aren’t off the hook about this.”

“Your hands are full with your own lady right now. Why don’t
you focus on her and let me deal with mine.” Alain’s irritation was palpable.
They’d definitely have to come back to this. Just because his own life was all
in a tumble didn’t mean he wouldn’t be there to listen to his cousin open up.
For the time being, he’d do what Alain was asking of him.

“How was Grace when you saw her?”

“Scared. Lost. Confused. Poor thing didn’t seem prepared to
be left in a dark room all alone after days filled with debauchery.”

“Take the attitude down a notch, cousin. I know she’s pure
gold and there was nothing depraved or wrong about our time together.” There
wasn’t any anger in him because he knew his cousin didn’t mean to sound so
cold-hearted. Not Alain and not about someone he knew was important to Hamish.

“Damn! You’re right, I’m sorry.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about this Sari?”

“Yes, yes, I’m sure. How did it go? Is Grace yours now?”

“Nope, closer, but no, she’s not mine yet.” There, he’d
finally said it out loud. It was hard to admit, and yet after all his soul
searching this morning, he’d concluded he didn’t have a clue how to woo this
woman.

“What do you mean? This morning she looked very satisfied to
me, albeit irritated with you for leaving her to wake up alone.”

“Don’t get me wrong, she’s very happy with her time spent
with me and in my bed. We’re very well matched when it comes to sex. However, I
have to admit to having fallen short in almost all other areas. Apparently I
should’ve left her a note saying I wasn’t here and that I’d call her later.”

“I suppose something like that would’ve been better than
nothing at all. That’s a simple mistake, though.”

“Actually I’ve made a couple of slip-ups, such as living
down my rude comments made to her during our introduction.”

“Hmmm, that was pretty bad, but I think it became worse when
she discovered she didn’t know the address of where she was to arrange for a
cab to pick her up.”

“See what I mean? My stupid mistakes are causing problems
with my love life.”

“I take it you’ve called Grace and explained what happened
to you this morning?”

“Kind of and I’m sure I haven’t heard the end of it yet. She
couldn’t decide whether to be pissed or pleased to hear from me.”

“Smart cookie that one.” The first real smile lit Alain’s
face and his own matched it.

“Oh yeah, that she is.”

“So, I’ve been curious about something. What exactly
happened that caused the lass not to realize two days had passed her by?”