HighlandHeat (3 page)

The two women kept up a senseless conversation, which he
ignored, instead choosing to look over the new arrival. He had yet to see her
from the front, but what he heard and could see definitely caught and held his
attention.

Trying not to be obvious about what he was doing, Hamish
looked over the woman walking in front of him in one long, slow sweep. First to
catch his notice was blonde hair that looked as soft as silk and cut rigidly
straight above her shoulders. This short style and her head movement gave him a
peek of her very tempting neck. The sight of her satinlike skin left him
wanting to kiss his way along the column to test exactly how soft she was. Then
there was a light mossy green slinky silk dress embracing her body, outlining
curves that made his mouth water. She had lush hips and an ass he’d love to
hold and stroke. Without any pockets to thrust his hand into, he knew it was
obvious to anyone who looked exactly how interested he was in the lady.

Having heard her talking, it was quickly becoming a
necessity to hear her sweet voice speaking to him and not another. This
discovery caused the tension already racing through him to ramp up. The power
this unknown person had over him made him uncomfortable, and despite this, he
couldn’t find the will to walk away.

Not from her.

Alain came up beside him as he stood off to the side,
silently watching the duo join the end of the line for a drink.

“The blonde in green. Saw her come in and knew she’d catch
your attention. Have you seen anything other than her fine ass?”

“Stop right there.”

“What?”

Hamish looked at his cousin as irritation brought his
eyebrows sharply together. Anger had filled him the second he heard the other
man talking about this woman as they had others. That had never happened
before. It didn’t matter that he’d been thinking the same thing. There was
something about this lady that felt different than others. This one felt very
personal. He didn’t want anyone to speak of her using these terms.

Thankfully, without him having to say anything, Alain
understood what he needed.

“Fine, give me your drink and go queue up for another.”

Hamish shrugged and admitted to himself it was a good idea.
Handing the glass over, he then closed the distance between them in four large
steps.

Standing behind the blonde in green, he inhaled her feminine
scent, and in return, his body grew even more interested. With his lust
gathering steam, his eyelids fell to half-mast as he breathed her unique
essence. Heather and a hint of something else made her unique and teased him,
giving him ideas of possessing this woman in the tall grass beside his loch in
the heat of summer. There was definitely something special here that pulled him
closer to her. This caused him a great deal of discomfort, which for him and
his condition wasn’t a good combination.

In the end, he decided the answer to this problem was to
discover more about her.

Being a typical organized man, he decided to list what he
did know. Her name was Grace, and she smelled and sounded of Scotland. As far
as he was concerned, it was a great start. There was also a sense of femininity
and delicacy about her that he found incredibly attractive. It wasn’t because
she was small and curvaceous. There was something else about her that called
his male instincts to the surface. The spike heels he saw her walking in when
she lifted her long dress so as not to trip allowed him to determine the top of
her head would come up to his chin. This meant flat-footed she’d reach his
shoulders or thereabouts.

While looking at her neck, he watched as her hand reached up
and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her wrist was slight and he
imagined how those graceful fingers would feel tracing intricate and erotic
patterns over his flesh. From that point on, he was lost in the need she
created in him without ever seeing her face or knowing her full name.

Entranced, he wanted to see and hear more from her. The
little glimpses he had of her made him hungrier for more and he wanted it all.
Ready to tap her on the shoulder, bring her around to face him, he was suddenly
thrown off course and left freefalling by her friend.

“Oh wait, I see Stan. Remember, I told you about Stan,
Stanley Martin?”

The woman in red spoke in an overly excited voice that
seemed to scratch its way across his brain. Before she received an answer, the woman
picked right back up where she’d left off. “No? Anyway, I know I mentioned him
because I want you to meet him. He’s single and very rich, you know. I’ll go
get him. Back in a minute.” The red dressed wonder took off like a whirligig in
another direction.

And that quickly, Hamish was turned off. It was if a bucket
of ice cold water had been thrown on him. He wasn’t shocked, but very
disappointed because she reminded him of home and tempted him to think about
his dreams. Sometimes the way life could be turned on a pinhead simply sucked.
That was all it took for him to be ready to walk away from the blonde without
looking back. There was no way he would be interested in spending time with
someone who was more interested in money than the person who had it.

That wasn’t a mate, at least not one for him.

While he was no longer interested in knowing more about her,
she was still a nice eyeful and he decided to take in the whole package before
he walked away. When his eyes finally left her backside, he noticed how her
back moved that she was agitated. She was glancing around with a growing sense
of uneasiness, then she turned around and looked right at him. His breath
stopped in the back of his throat. Looking into her eyes, he felt as if her
hand had reached out and tightly gripped his balls.

Apparently the foulness he’d heard a few minutes earlier
hadn’t diminished the fire burning in his groin. This lady was one hell of a
tempting morsel.

“Sir, I’m sorry to disturb you, but may I ask a favor?” The
Scottish burr in her speech was toned down, but it was still there and even
sexier coming through the most deliciously full red lips he’d ever seen.
Porcelain-smooth white skin clung gracefully over her high cheekbones,
enhancing crystal clear gray eyes.

Lust burned throughout him, even brighter than before and
raged out of control when he looked at her incredible breasts. They were
stunning and he knew they were natural. The woman’s cleavage was beautifully
presented between two triangles of silk. He wanted to pull the scraps away and
uncover the tips hidden beneath. Caught in temptation’s trap, he forced himself
to look away from the dark crevice and take in the rest of her, specifically
what he might discover about her body while mulling over her request.

The skirt of the dress drifted to the floor, skimming her
voluptuous curves and pooling in a small puddle of green on the floor behind
her. Twin straps traced from the cups up and over her shoulders until they
slipped beneath the sheer shawl she wore. Seductive and demur, a nice mix, he
thought. Hamish suspected he would’ve fallen for the image if he hadn’t heard
the earlier conversation.

In his opinion, she looked mouthwateringly perfect.
Unfortunately, her search for a deep pocket left an ugly taint across the otherwise
elegant and poised presence standing before him. What a disappointment.

Seeing her face-to-face and hearing her sultry voice speak
to him was all it took for his rod to regain its earlier rock-hard strength.
The tip pushed against the woolen fabric of his kilt. He was tempted to step
forward and take what he wanted. Feeling his body ignore his brain’s warning of
her ethical deficiency made him angry. Well, she was stunning, a night or two
spent between her legs would be no hardship, as long as he could ignore the
ugly fortune hunter issue.

“Of course.” He drawled, curious what she was after.

“The woman who just walked away would like to set me up with
a man I’m not interested in. And although I’ve said no many times, she won’t
listen to me. Would you mind paying attention to me long enough so she’ll leave
the issue alone?”

“Are you a lesbian?”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you prefer women?”

“Why does that matter?”

“Well, I heard her say he was single and rich—”

“Sir! How rude of you to listen in on our conversation. It’s
also insulting to think someone would be interesting because of his or her
financial status. You’re the most insulting, oh never mind.” An adorable bright
red flush spread across her cheeks as she spoke to him in anger.

It was the last thing he saw before she whirled around him
and left the queue. He turned to follow her progress as she stormed past Alain.
The beauty did a double take at the likeness between the two men and paused
long enough for one final word.

“Your brother is an asshole. I suggest you teach him some
manners before bringing him out in public again.” Chin thrust out, she
emphasized the point with an emphatic nod and continued to make her way across
the room. In too short a time, she’d been swallowed amidst the mass of people.

Hamish heard a little of what she’d said to his cousin, but
was spellbound by how animated she’d appeared. He walked over to stand next to
Alain, his eyes glued to the place where he’d last glimpsed the sexy firebrand.
Privately, he hoped for another glimpse. She’d been a sight of amazing beauty
and strength in a sea of mediocrity.

“What did she say to you?” he asked Alain when he came to a
stop beside him, curious at the other man’s smile.

“Hmmm, let’s see. To paraphrase, you screwed up big time.
There goes one beautiful woman when she’s full of fire. I think it’s safe to
say you pissed her off.”

With his eyes still glued to the place where Grace
disappeared into the crowd, he finally understood the restless, hunting feeling
he’d been experiencing this evening. The impatient edginess reminded him there
was something still waiting for him to find and secure it. And apparently his
time was up. There’d be no more delays in hunting for a woman, his woman.

Unfortunately, he had a gut feeling that she’d just walked
away from him.

Lifting a hand, he slid it through the hair hanging around
his temple and smiled when he felt the bony ridge start to grow. Time to leave,
but not before he knew the full name of the woman he intended to pursue.

“I’ll be right back,” he mumbled to his cousin before taking
off. It took little effort to find the lady in red. He changed direction and
moved toward her, ready to work his charm to obtain the information he wanted
and then leave before anything bad happened.

“Excuse me, ma’am. I wondered if you could tell me how best
to reach your friend, Grace. She had to leave as the result of an emergency,
but asked me for some information and I’d like to ensure she receives it.”

“You’re Hamish Buchanan, aren’t you? Well, sir, what a
pleasure.” The woman looked flirtatious and, in his opinion, it seemed she was
offering something more to him. It didn’t matter. He wanted nothing from her
except Grace’s details.

“Pardon me,” said Hamish, with his impatience for this woman
growing. “But I’m in a hurry as well. Earlier I saw the two of you together and
assumed you knew Grace well.”

“Yes, yes, of course. Grace Strachan, the best milliner in
and out of Britain. Recently she spent most of her time in Edinburgh. That’s
where her primary studio is located, although she does have a shopfront here on
Old Bond Street. You know, she graduated with a first from the Royal College of
Art, despite being miserable in the city. I don’t understand it myself, but she
can’t stand London. Of course, we’re friends from way back and I ensured she
received an invitation for tonight. Poor thing isn’t very active in this social
circle, you see, but such a—”

“Sorry, but I must leave. Thank you very much, um…” Hamish
didn’t want to be too rude. At the same time, he didn’t have the patience
needed to deal with this woman for a minute longer.

“Penny, Penelope Winton-Glasser. My father is Peter Winton,
Minister for Putney. Well, since I have your ear, I should mention I’m chair of
the Ladies—”

It seemed that the opportunity to hit him up for some
event’s sponsorship was too much for her to pass by. Shame, because his
tolerance for social niceties had gone with the sexy blonde.

“Yes, thank you, ma’am. I appreciate your help. Enjoy your
evening.” With a polite smile, he nodded and walked back to Alain.

“I’m leaving now, you coming?” Hamish reached for the
tumbler his cousin still held and finished the whisky in one tilt of the glass.
The amber liquid burned its way down to his belly and joined the fire Grace
Strachan had left roaring out of control.

“Of course. I want to see what you do next, especially since
your hard-on is about ready to drill a hole through your plaid.” Alain laughed
at his cousin’s predicament.

Hamish frowned at him. “You don’t need to tell me. I’m fully
aware of its presence. It’ll be taken care of by one sassy blonde and no
other.”

The quick pace he’d set quickly put them in front of their
hosts for the evening. Patience was quickly vanishing, but he still managed to
politely thank the elderly couple for their efforts and promised to be there
again next year.

They walked out of the opulent hall and into the cool fresh
air. Alain couldn’t help but grin at his cousin’s back. This was the first time
he’d ever seen a woman walk away from Hamish and he was intrigued. In fact, he was
curious to see what she could possibly do next. What he found even more
interesting than the lady’s actions was how it looked like his cousin planned
to chase her down. The man never had to do that before, nor wanted to. Maybe
this was the one who would rock his world and could fully accept him, and all
that meant.

Seeing his cousin stroke his temples brought both concern
and more questions. If he had to guess, it would be that the woman piqued
Hamish’s interest. On the other hand, there was also the chance things had
moved beyond control and he would need to act quickly to get Hamish out of the
public’s view.