Highland Shift (Highland Destiny: 1) (10 page)

“Why don’t you wait until after they deliver? I’m sure they’ll be tracking in mud from the yard.”

“I will be laying down somethin’ for them to walk on to reduce the tracking, and this way I know ‘tis clean underneath. I will most likely be doing all the rooms twice today. Mebbe you would like to go talk to Faolan while you wait for the truck,” Lilly added, slyly.

Elena sighed. Clearly, Lilly wanted more for Faolan and Elena than she was going to get.

“Lilly, he doesn’t need me to go chase after him to try to cheer him up or anything else.”

“
Och, but you were a bit sharp with him this morning lass, I thought perhaps you might be wanting to apologize.”

Elena was stung. “Maybe I was a bit sharp with him, but you weren’t there yesterday when he asked to be excused to go talk to a beautiful woman. He’s made it clear; I’m not his type.”

“Is that what you think? That he had eyes for another? I doona’ believe it.”

“Lilly, you want to believe that I have feelings for Faolan and that he has them for me, but it just isn’t like that. He wants his revenge on Worthington, and believes I’m the key to making that happen. Once he gets his
vengeance, he’ll leave, and I’ll be left alone. I’ve been there, done that, and gotten the badge.”

“Doona’ be an idiot, girl. Go to him, say you’re sorry,” Lilly said, sounding cranky, then stormed out of the room, leaving Elena alone with her thoughts.

I’m not going to chase after that man!

She did decide to get Rascal and Shadow and take them to the barn while she worked on her piles. There might be mice or other adventures for a couple of rambunctious kittens. She told herself she was not going out there in hopes of seeing Faolan.

With one kitten in each arm, Elena struggled out the kitchen door and into the center part of the barn, closing the door behind her, to keep the kittens and the warmth inside. Someone had started a fire in the wood stove and it was warm inside. Both kittens crouched low to the floor, tails puffy, looking around to see if it was safe. Of course, Rascal was the first to recover, and he charged off in search of adventure. Shadow stayed by her feet a little while longer; just to be sure it was safe.

Thunk
, crash, clunk.

It was coming from the south wing. “Bloody hell,” then
thunk, crash, clunk
again. Soon it was a smooth rhythm, interspersed occasionally with a salty word. Elena walked over to the corner where the east part of the steading joined to the south wing.

Faolan had his back to her, and his shirt off. He glistened with sweat, and his muscles rippled as he swung a heavy axe.
Good Gawd! Was there a finer specimen of man anywhere on the planet?
He was splitting and stacking firewood, and he looked angry. He didn’t just look angry; he
sounded
angry. He muttered to himself, between swings. Elena couldn’t quite make out most of the words, but then one phrase sounded clearly, “I will bloody well kill her myself.”

Elena turned and left without saying a word.

Leaving Rascal out in the barn since he was stalking across the beams in the open ceiling, Elena took Shadow back to the house. Lilly looked at her expectantly, but Elena just shook her head and stormed into the library. Kill me himself! I can take care of myself, and if he thinks he can use me for his own benefit, well, I’m nobody’s fool anymore. Worthington hadn’t gotten the best of her, and Faolan MacGailtry wasn’t going to hurt her either.

The furniture truck arrived to interrupt her gloomy mood, and soon she’d forgotten all about anything making her unhappy. There is nothing like a truck full of brand new stuff to warm a woman’s heart. Shallow, maybe.
Therapeutic, definitely. 

The
deliverymen were only too happy to take a bit more money to move the furniture Elena restored from the barn into the house. Once everything was sorted into its proper room, and the truck had gone, Lilly, Red, and Elena moved the furniture from one spot to another, trying out different floor plans. Eventually even Faolan came in to help, and soon they were all bossing each other around, pushing and pulling, and generally having a good time.

Elena had the lounge and library situated and was ready to move on to the bedrooms. Lilly went to move the sheets from the washer to the dryer so they could make the beds. Red went to bring in some firewood, and suddenly Faolan and she were alone in his bedroom. “Elena, I…” he started.

Her anger flared instantly. She did not want to hear him tell her she shouldn’t have bought furniture for his room. She raised a hand to interrupt, “Don’t. I will see to my own room. You can set yours up however you want it. Or not. Sleep on the damn floor for all I care.”

She went into her room and pushed the dressers to where she wanted them. Then she pulled the ironwork headboard and attached the legs to the bed frame. She moved the rocking chair in front of the fireplace and pulled the nightstands to either side of the bed. It was only then she saw what she had done. In her anger at Faolan, she had dragged all the furniture around the room by herself, leaving long scratches in the waxed finish.

In dismay, she dropped to her hands and knees and began to rub frantically at the marred surface. As she rubbed, everything she’d been through since coming to Scotland crashed down on her. Someone she hated was trying to kill her. She‘d been badly beaten and nearly raped. She’d nearly made love, too. Now the man who spoke to her soul had dismissed her. He said he wanted to kill her too.

She started to cry. Some part of her recognized this was not her usual behavior; she didn’t cry and she never fell apart. Above all else, she was a survivor. She just couldn’t seem to stop herself. Shadow crawled out from under the bed and climbed into her lap, purring. Elena heard the door to her bedroom open, then close, but no one was there when she turned to look. Elena took a deep breath and decided it was time to pull
herself together.

They ate dinner that night in Red and Lilly’s flat, and the design of the unit fit the two of them perfectly. The small table in the kitchen was set for dinner. The little windows had cheery café curtains, and the kitchen counter had a small washer and dryer under the kitchen counter. In the lounge, they had set up a television in one corner and had a love seat and two easy chairs in a semi-circle. Elena noticed two recent-looking pictures of Faolan on the end table. The little radiators hanging on the walls seemed to be working just fine, and the flat was warm and cozy.

Everyone was already inside the flat by the time Elena had arrived. She’d taken extra time to get ready, sending Faolan on ahead when he’d knocked on her door. She’d used every trick the stylist back in Phoenix had taught her to make sure she looked the confident, sexy woman she wanted to be tonight.
So what if I’m not exactly Faolan’s type?

Elena was feeling more like her old self. She’d given herself a stern talking to while she’d been dressing, and she was more than ready to declare herself over her recent moodiness.

Rascal had still been in the barn when Elena came over, hunting some imaginary creature or another. He raced her up the stairs and through the door as soon as Lilly opened it, as if he owned the place.

Elena laughed and said, “I didn’t get you a housewarming gift, but it looks like one showed up anyway. Would you like him, Lilly?” Lilly’s smile was lovely as she picked Rascal up and crooned softly. He bumped her chin with his head, purring loudly.

In the kitchen, Elena offered to help, while Faolan and Red poured drinks. Of course Lilly shooed her out of the kitchen with a laugh, saying everything was nearly ready. They all sat together in the lounge, enjoying small talk. Elena was determined not to let the tension between Faolan and her carry over into the evening.

Apparently,
Faolan was too, because he was behaving like a different man. He was funny, engaging, and flirted shamelessly with both Elena and Lilly. He wore the faded jeans that he’d worn the night they almost made love and a steel-blue cable knit sweater. His hair was unbound, the mahogany mane falling to the middle of his back, the red and gold highlights more visible with it loose.

He laughed easily, and the tension that had been making his face and voice tight for days was gone. His electric mood made her
happy she had dressed up for dinner, but she still wasn’t sure how she felt about him. He’d made it clear yesterday that she wasn’t his type.
What was he up to now?

Elena wore a short black cocktail dress, shirred in the front to display her cleavage. She also wore her black hair loose, and it fell in waves to her waist. She’d even put on high heels, just to walk across the yard, but the added height lengthened her legs, and showed her calves to their advantage. She was feeling sexy in her low-cut dress and made a point of leaning over in front of Faolan a few times, just to see if she had his attention. It appeared from the bulge on the right side of his jeans that she did.
Mercy!

Red poured
Macallan freely before dinner, and Lilly followed up with wine at dinner to accompany a delicious pasta and salad. The meal was a lively affair, with a lot of laughter, mostly at stories told by Red and then topped by Faolan. Lilly and Red would hear none of it when Elena offered to help clean up. In fact, they seemed anxious to have their guests leave as soon as dinner was finished.

Everyone shared one after dinner drink, and then with a sincere thank you, Elena and Faolan took their leave. Lilly hugged her, and then kissed Faolan on the cheek, saying something in his ear that Elena couldn’t hear.

Elena wasn’t used to drinking and she was decidedly tipsy. Faolan took her arm to steady her as they crossed the yard. Again, Elena felt the fire that shot through her at his touch. They went straight to the library because Elena insisted she was ready to begin the job of sorting the books by category. Faolan poured them each a nightcap of Macallan, while Elena sat on the new leather sofa. He joined her, raised his glass to her, and said, “Cheers,” in his sexy brogue.

For some unknown reason, Elena found that hysterically funny, and she began to giggle. Elena never giggled.
Are you kidding me? Swear to God, I never giggle. Of course, I never drink, either. Here I am sitting on a deliciously soft couch with the sexiest man on the planet, and the best I can do is giggle. What I really want to do is rip his clothes off, but no, I giggle.
Her inner dialog made her laugh, a deep belly laugh that left her gasping for air.

Then something remarkable happened. Faolan snorted, then he chuckled, and finally, he started to laugh, too. His laughter was deep and rich and only made Elena laugh harder. Her laughter fed his, and it became a vicious cycle. Stomachs aching, and trying to breathe, they looked at each other, and laughed so hard tears filled their eyes.

Elena tried to stop, really she did. She held her stomach and tried not looking at Faolan, then he snorted and it was all over. She erupted into another fit of laughter. Faolan took a deep breath and tried to gain control. He straightened his face, looked serious, and Elena couldn’t help herself, she sniggered. Then they both lost it all over again. After what seemed like a very long time, they both finally pulled it together and managed to take a couple of deep breaths without fresh bouts of hysteria erupting.

“
Och, lass, you are good for me. I canna remember the last time I laughed like that. Maybe never.”

His arms stretched out along the back of the couch, and he started to play idly with Elena’s curls. She smiled, a wicked idea forming in her drink-addled brain.
He’s happy, I’m happy; I’m a virgin, and he’s a man.
She threw back the rest of her drink and poured them each one more. His head was back, his eyes closed, and still he twirled strands of her hair between his fingers. The situation was perfect, they were alone, relaxed, and Elena was just drunk enough to lose her normal inhibitions.
It was now or never.

Elena climbed onto his lap, her knees straddling him and she kissed him. She took his face in her hands, the way he had done before, and she stroked his jaw, first with her fingers, and then with her lips and tongue. He stayed very still, keeping his arms on the back of the couch, head thrown back, and eyes closed. Elena could tell she had his attention by the press of his erection between her legs. Her lips lingered over his neck, paying special attention to his collarbone, she ran her tongue up to his ear, and whispered, “Faolan.” His cock twitched beneath her.

Elena returned her mouth to his. She was hungry for him, she wanted him, and she wanted him to want her. Smiling lightly, Faolan let her kiss him. His lips parted, inviting her tongue, tasting it, sucking on it. Still his arms didn’t move from the back of the couch. Encouraged that he hadn’t stopped her and challenged that he hadn’t moved, Elena raised herself on her knees, putting her breasts at a height even with his mouth and leaned into him, daring him to keep ignoring her. She pulled her fingers through his hair, lightly scraping her nails against his scalp. Then she pulled his head forward, so that his face was buried between her breasts.

Faolan capitulated with a moan, and reached to pull the front of Elena’s dress down, revealing a lacy black bra that barely contained her lust-swollen breasts. He massaged her breasts and licked and kissed her nipples. He lifted one breast and put the nipple in his mouth and sucked hard, shooting waves of pleasure straight through her that connected to the achy need between her legs. When he pulled her other nipple into his mouth, Elena reached down and unbuttoned the fly on his jeans. She pulled away the material as best she could, then pulled her dress up over her waist and settled her hot, wet center against his swollen shaft.