Her what? To do what?
Lauren had barely gotten the unfortunate kink out of her neck before the girl was gone and a young man replaced her. Maybe a few years younger than her, he was relatively attractive as he bowed before her and lowered his head. “Are you ready to bathe then, miss?”
“No, I am not ready.” She frowned as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “And I certainly will not bathe with you here.”
“Do you not prefer the company of a man to a woman then?” he asked.
“I prefer the company of neither,” she huffed. “Not that is it any of your business.”
“Then I will call a woman back in to help, yes?” he said.
“No.” She shook her head and frowned. “What is your name?”
He perked his brows. “Do you truly wish to know?”
“I do.” She nodded. “Like any normal human being in my position would.”
“But you are not a normal human being, no, miss?”
“Of course I am,” she lied. If nothing else was straight in her mind, it was that something else was in her mind. Something she had denied for a very long time.
“Yes then,” he concurred and bowed his head. “My name is Einar, miss.”
Lauren ignored the strange sensation that rolled through her and nodded. “Thank you for sharing…” when he hesitated, she continued. “Now you can go.”
“I could not then and I cannot now,” he said religiously.
“But you can,” she assured. When she tried to stand and nearly lost her balance, he closed the distance, and put a supportive hand on her arm and the side of her hip. Just enough to be appropriate. Caught off guard, her eyes met the deep blue of his. There was something unusual about him.
Something she inherently liked very much.
“Who goes there?” came an all-too-familiar voice from the door.
Lauren sighed and called out. “It is none of your concern, Tait.”
Evidently, he thought differently because seconds later, he entered, a frown on his face as his eyes swept around the lodge. “I heard a man in here.”
“It was just Einar,” she began, her words trailing off as she gestured towards him only to find he’d vanished.
Tait’s brows slammed together. “Einar? I do not know that name.”
“He was just right here,” she murmured, glancing at the rear door. “He must have slipped out the back.”
“Nobody has come or gone since your sisters left,” Tait said, troubled.
“I can assure you they did. A woman then a man. Einar.” She folded her hands in front of her and focused on the bigger problem. “You had no right to barge in here. Please leave.”
“Actually I had every right.” He continued eying the place looking for Einar. “This is my lodge, woman.”
His lodge? How unfortunate. “My name is Lauren.”
Tait shrugged as an annoying grin tugged at his lips. Apparently, he was done searching out another man. He gestured at the water. “You will bathe then join your sisters in the main lodge, yes?”
“That was the plan, yes,” she allowed.
“Then please,” he headed for the corner table, “do not let me disturb you.”
She frowned as he filled a mug with what appeared to be ale. “What are you doing?”
He gave the mug a pointed look. “Drinking.”
“Then please do so outside.”
“But this is my lodge.”
“Then I will need another lodge.”
“No.” Tait shook his head. “I can only be so far away from you and will sleep nowhere but here.”
Her eyes widened. “We are not sleeping in the same room.”
“We will if we have to.” He gestured at the tub again. “Right now you do not need to worry about sleeping but bathing.”
Lauren inhaled deeply and remained calm. “As much as you would probably enjoy it, I am not bathing with you here.”
“Well, I am not leaving because whether or not I saw anyone enter, I heard a man in here. So I will not leave you alone.” He considered her before he murmured something and a tall screen appeared in front of the tub. “There. Now I will not be tempted by you, woman.” He removed his fur, plunked down and narrowed his eyes at her when she narrowed her eyes on him. “Now I can focus my thoughts on Shannon.”
Lauren ignored her strong reaction to his words and smoothed her expression. Regardless, there was no controlling the flare of defiance that screamed inside her. A defiance that had her doing the last thing she intended. Something she found extremely appalling and would never normally do. Something she would judge harshly if she saw another woman do it. Especially one who was married.
She tested his resolve about Shannon as she held his eyes and took her time stripping down before she sauntered around the screen and got into the tub.
Chapter Five
DID IT TAKE a great deal of strength not to toss Lauren on his bed and have his way with her? Yes. Would he? No. Instead, Tait grinned as she settled into the water. That little dragon had more fire in her than most. And he liked it. Maybe not who she was on the outside but most certainly the beastie trapped within.
Then again, that wasn’t entirely true. It turned out there were parts of her outside that he definitely liked. For some reason, he hadn’t expected her body to be so appealing. But then that was likely because her attitude had not allowed him to see much more.
Now, however, she had his undivided attention.
He shifted uncomfortably, fairly certain his erection would never go away, as he stared at the screen and had no trouble envisioning what was going on behind it. With his superior hearing, he could almost follow her every movement within his mind’s eye. Her slow, methodical motions as she bathed herself and tried not to splash too much. Anything to become less noticed. Not there.
She hadn’t intended to strip down in front of him and was embarrassed now. He knew it. Felt it. And that alarmed him more than he was willing to admit. Maybe it was the curse, but he sensed it was more. That a connection was forming between them he wanted nothing to do with.
Yet when he heard a man in here earlier, he went from mild grumpiness due to the scant distance separating them to raging jealousy. An emotion he was unfamiliar with and did not like at all. He had never cared if the women he laid with had other men. Sex was good for all and should be enjoyed as often as possible with whoever attracted you.
“I am finished,” Lauren announced, her voice crisp. A sure sign she had gone back to being as rigid as ever. “Though it is likely more than you are capable of, could you please avert your eyes while I get my clothes?”
“You think highly of my opinion of your body,” he remarked, eying the pile of clothes on a nearby chair. He almost walked them over, but her condescending tone changed his mind. “If you were so confident to undress in front of me before, why are you so shy now?”
Silence met his words before Lauren huffed, “I should have known you were every inch the barbarian I thought you were.”
A barbarian, was he? Tait crossed his arms over his chest and kept a bemused expression on his face as water splashed and she got out. While he thought for sure she would keep trying to convince him, she instead covered her breasts with one arm, the tempting triangle between her thighs with the other, and made her way to her clothes.
Gone was the defiant temptress but a stubborn, haughty woman as she scooped up her clothes and returned to the protection of the screen. Tait only caught a glance of her glistening soft skin and the sour look on her face before he did the last thing he intended.
He looked away.
With a heavy scowl, he downed the rest of his ale and shook his head. Since when did he look away from a beautiful woman? Especially when he’d been presented with a chance to admire her small, tight backside again. Nonetheless, he had and supposed he knew precisely why. Because she had not wanted him looking. Which led to a nugget of guilt that he had not just spared her the uncomfortable moment alt
ogether.
The hard set to Lauren’s chin when she finally dressed and stepped back around the screen confirmed that she felt the same way. Regardless, she had to realize she did herself no favors when she talked down to people.
Especially a fellow dragon.
That, however, soon became less important as he ran his eyes over her and the beast within flared with renewed interest. He was surprised how much he liked the look of her in his people’s clothing. The way the supple leather hugged her small curves.
“You look good,” he said with approval.
Yet something wasn’t quite right, and she knew it too based on the way she tugged awkwardly at her tunic.
When he stood and headed her way, her eyes widened. “Stay right there.” She shook her head sharply. “Just because I look like one of you now, does not mean I am one. Therefore, you will not touch me, do you understand?”
He was continually baffled by her logic. “Do you think I touch every woman in my village then?”
“Absolutely.” She gave him one of those less-than-impressed looks she issued out regularly to everyone and everything. “And now I see the way you look at me has changed for the worse.”
“I am looking at you as I have always looked at you.”
“No.” She shook her head again. “You are not.”
Tait bit back another sigh. “It stands to reason that I might look at you differently than before, does it not?”
“Of course.” She frowned at him. “Because I am dressed like you now.”
“No, because you took your clothes off in front of me,” he said bluntly, not sure why she was overlooking that. “And yes, because you are dressed as you are now.”
Only when she blinked several times in confusion then smoothed her expression did he start to suspect the truth. She might have stripped down to challenge his opinion about Shannon, but deep down, it seemed she did not believe he would actually find her nudity attractive. Confused by that, he instead focused on her clothing. “I think you might be more comfortable if your tunic was on correctly.”
“Most certainly not.” She smoothed her hand down her tunic. “The other side, the front of this garment, is indecent.”
Tait had no idea what she was talking about until she turned and gestured over her shoulder. “It scoops down too far.”
Understanding dawned on him though he supposed it should have sooner based on her typical unrevealing attire. “You cannot wear it as you are now. Put it on the correct way, and I will fix it for you, yes?”
“And how do you intend to do that?” She notched her chin. “By ripping it down further?”
It was a good thing his mood, in general, improved around her because she had a way of testing it more than most. “If I intended to take you, woman, you would have already been taken.”
“So you would have raped me?” She frowned and took a step backward. “Why am I not surprised?”
While tempted to bite back that lying with her was about the last thing he wanted to do at the moment, he held his tongue. He might not be fond of her, but it was clear she had mental problems and a fragile ego. So he did the best he could with her still wearing the damn garment backward and murmured a chant.
Lauren’s eyes widened as the shirt tightened slightly. “What did you do?”
“Something that would have been more comfortable now if you had put the tunic on correctly the first time,” he grumbled and poured himself another drink. “Go behind the screen and put it on the right way now.”
“Well, I certainly cannot wear it like this,” she spat before she went behind the screen and material started ruffling. “Please call one of my sisters back so they can provide me something more respectable…”
“More respectable than what?” he prompted.
“This,” she whispered but said nothing more as she finally came out again. If her dragon tail was out, he was sure it would be tucked between her legs. “This is much better,” she allowed, barely meeting his eyes. “Thank you.”
Tait nodded and took another gulp of ale as he eyed the tunic. Where it normally revealed a little cleavage, he had added holes and lengthened the string so she could tie it higher. And she had. Right up to her neck. Even so, it didn’t hide the curves she was determined to keep from the world.
He almost growled as his erection sprang back to life. Not what he needed considering how skittish she was acting right now. And sure as Odin ruled over Valhalla, her eyes widened on his groin before she took several steps back and would have stumbled into the screen had he not flicked his wrist and removed it.
Unfortunately, she ended up falling backward into the tub of water instead.
“Oh Mother Mary give me strength,” Lauren cried out and thrashed about trying to gain purchase.
Mother who? Determined to help her, he thought nothing of heading her way. When she caught sight of him, it made the whole situation worse because she struggled even more.
“I do not need your assistance,” she sputtered, making a sodden mess of the floor.
“Enough, woman.” He didn’t give her an option but pulled her out of the tub and wrapped his arms around her.
“Get away from me!” she screamed far louder than he expected given her size. She shoved at him, but he held tight and murmured a chant to dry her. Something he had done for other women so thought nothing of it.
Until now.
Until he did it for a female dragon who was not kin.
His dragon had such a strong reaction and roared up so quickly, red shrouded his vision, and he pulled her closer. Lauren went rigid, squeaked a denial then seemed to stop breathing altogether. Yet her heart thundered so hard it would put Thor to shame. Tait inhaled and nearly growled with need.
She was aroused.
And terrified.
Perhaps he should have thought this through before going to her rescue.
“What the hell is going on in here?” came Samantha’s voice moments before she flew in, her eyes wide. “Are you okay, Lauren?”
Tait released Lauren but caught her upper arm before she ended up in the water again.
“You, you,” she sputtered, her eyes round as the moon before she focused sharply on Samantha. “That was not what it looked like. I would never be unfaithful to Charles.”
“Don’t I know it,” Sam muttered before she embraced a still-stunned Lauren. “Are you okay?” She winked at him over her sister’s shoulder. “Tait didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“Yes…” Lauren shook her head. “No.” She backed away and smoothed her clothing. “He just…” She frowned and narrowed her eyes at him. “Honestly, Sister, I do not know what he just did to me.”
Sam didn’t need to ask based on the splashed water and Lauren’s soft, full and very dry hair. A small grin came to her lips. “He dried you with dragon magic, Sis.” She smirked as she wrapped a fur cloak around Lauren’s shoulders. “Don’t worry. It feels pretty damn awesome as it’s happening, but the effects wear off quickly.”
“Awesome?” Lauren spat, her tone caustic. “And what effects are those? Being dry?”
Tait couldn’t help himself. “Oh, I do not think you are dry in the least, woman.”
Sam snorted and shook her head. “More than I needed to know.”
When Lauren blinked in confusion, Tait barely contained his disbelief. She had no clue what he was talking about. None at all.
“Don’t say a word, Tait,” Sam warned into his mind. “Though I shouldn’t be based on how uptight she is and her dipshit ex, I’m just as surprised as you that Lauren has no idea what sexual desire feels like.” Her eyes met his. “Or at least she didn’t until you came along.”
While he meant to be truthful and respond that he was more interested in Shannon, he said, “So Lauren is no longer with her mate?”
“In her mind, yes. In reality, no.”
He was tempted to ask Samantha about Lauren’s mental condition, because it was clearly not sound, but hesitated for two reasons.
The first, he wasn’t sure how Sam would receive it. Secondly, and this caught him off guard, he wanted to ask Lauren himself. He wanted to understand what had hurt her so much. Because something must have to create the woman standing before him now.
“How dare you.” Lauren turned disgusted eyes his way. “My mind is perfectly sound, and it is rude for you to say otherwise.”
Tait narrowed his eyes on Lauren at the same time as Sam.
“What are you talking about, Sis?” Samantha said softly. “Tait didn’t say a word.”
“Yes, he did.” Lauren frowned at Sam. “It would be nice if you defended me, Sister.”
Samantha eyed her for a moment before she nodded. “Alrighty then.” She patted Lauren on the back and ushered her to the door. “I think it’s time to get you some food, hon.”
Meanwhile, Sam’s voice entered his mind again. “She hears your thoughts, Tait. You know what that means.”
“It means she is your kin and you and I are already connected,” he replied as he wrapped his fur and followed. “So it stands to reason Lauren, and I will connect as I will with all of your sisters.”
“I’m sure,” she agreed. “But there’s no mistaking what’s happening between you two.”
“There is nothing happening,” he assured. “I get aroused by all women.”
“I know, brown eyes.” She smirked over her shoulder at him as they headed for the main lodge. “But you’ve never, not wanted to be aroused by a woman you’re so attracted to, have you?”
“You are starting to sound as confusing as your sister.”
“Think about it,” she said. “The two of you are starting out just like Bjorn and I did. The whole love, hate thing. And trust me it’s a vortex you can’t escape. Especially now that you’re in one another’s minds.”
“There is no vortex,” he argued and opted for the truth after all. “And you should know once we figure out this curse, I intend to pursue Shannon.”
“Whatever you say, sweetie,” she echoed before leaving his mind.
Tait resumed frowning. He was already growing tired of the facial expression because it wasn’t one he wore often. If this was what Lauren constantly brought out in him, how could Sam possibly think they were meant for each other? Frowning all the time didn’t sound very appealing at all.
Soul of a Viking (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors' Kin Book 3) Page 7
