by Cali MacKay
“Come on, Maggie. It’s getting late and you’ve got to eat. Let me buy you dinner.” Andrew leaned against the worktable, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his long legs stretched out in front of him, a flirty smile on his lips.
“I’ve got work I need to wrap up after I finish with the wiring, and already have dinner plans.” She barely looked up at him, and instead concentrated on her connections, her movements tense as annoyance set in. “If ye don’t mind, I need to focus on this so I can get out of here.”
“Dinner with…what’s his name? Conall, right?” Andrew looked smug when she threw a glare in his direction. “You don’t really think I believe the two of you are together, do you?”
She stood, her jaw clenched and her muscles coiled, her eyes locked on his, tired of being polite. “Frankly, I don’t give a shite what ye believe. I’m not interested in dinner or a pint with ye. Not now. Not ever. Now if ye don’t mind, I’d like to finish up without having to make up yet another excuse to avoid yer company.”
His hand shot out and grabbed her by the arm, stepping towards her, his words forced past a clenched jaw. “Who the hell do you think you are, speaking to me like that?”
“I’m the person who’s going to make ye sorry if ye don’t let go of my arm.” He was really pissing her off. No more being nice-even if she had to work with him. He’d just crossed the line.
He let go of her arm, looking stunned, as if realizing what he’d just done. “I’m so sorry…I don’t know what came over me.”
“Maggie…are ye in here?” Conall was calling her from the hall, and it was clear he’d be there in a matter of seconds.
Andrew took a step back, still looking shaken, and without another word, headed off in the opposite direction just as Conall walked into the room.
Conall watched as Andrew left out one of the side doors before turning to look at her, his gaze wandering over her face, her body. “Hey, are ye all right? Ye look a bit shaken.”
“I’m not shaken, I’m furious.” Despite Andrew’s apology, she was pissed off-but the last thing she wanted was to involve Conall further than she already had. Shite. She shouldn’t have said anything-not that he couldn’t see something was wrong, and the obvious reason for it would be Andrew. “It’s nothing.”
“Maggie, ye know I’m neither blind nor a fool, right?” He shook his head, his lips pursed into a tight line.
“Don’t suppose ye’d like to get out of here and grab a bite to eat? I have a few steaks at the cottage.” She really could do with the distraction of his company. If not, she’d just stew over the incident with Andrew and play out the details in her head, wondering if there had been any way to avoid things getting to this point.
His eyebrows rose in a way that reminded her of the nuns who used to teach at her elementary school. “I’m not letting ye off the hook, but I will take ye up on dinner since I’d rather not cook if I don’t have to. Just have to head home and let Piper out first.”
“Why don’t ye bring her with ye? We could take her out for a walk afterwards.”
“Aye, maybe I will.”
Though they parted ways, he stood there waiting to make sure she got on her bike and was still watching her as she took off down the road. She thought the gesture sweet. Still…the incident with Andrew left her not wanting to involve Conall any more than she already had, and that probably meant that falling into his bed for a romp might not be wise. Things had a tendency to get complicated once you threw sex into the mix, and Conall already seemed complicated enough on his own, without helping the matter along.
Once home, she got started on dinner, knowing she’d be able to forget her troubles if she focused on cooking. She liked that despite living in the cottage for only a few weeks, it was already feeling more like home, rather than another place to just rest her head. It was also nice that the additional bedroom would give Liam a place to stay once he wrapped up the updates for their other client. Constantly working together, she missed her brother when he wasn’t around, even if he could be a pain in the arse.
Maggie jacked up the temperature on the Aga and quickly tossed together the ingredients for a traditional Irish brown bread, knowing it would bake up in time to be served with the rest of their meal. Inspired, she figured an Irish theme would be appropriate and got started on the colcannon next. With the potatoes boiling, she caramelized some onions, sautéed some kale, and browned some crispy bacon, setting them aside to add to the potatoes once they’d been mashed with butter and cream. It’d be a perfect accompaniment to the steak, well-seasoned and cooked to medium-rare.
Dinner was nearly ready by the time Conall showed up with a bottle of wine and Piper in tow. “Hope a Merlot will work for ye.”
“Sounds perfect.” Maggie gave Piper a good scratch, and then unhooked her leash. But when she stood, it was to find him looking at her with his brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t appreciate ye not being honest with me about what happened today with Andrew.” His gold eyes pinned her to the spot, though she was in no mood to rehash things. One hell of a way to start the evening, too.
“Listen, love. It’s been a rough day and I’d rather not dwell on it.” She spun to head into the kitchen when he grabbed her hand.
“That’s not how I work, Maggie. I don’t like secrets or half-truths. Not with lovers, nor my friends. And since ye’ve involved me in this thing with Andrew, then I’d appreciate some honesty.”
“And I don’t like rehashing things that are of no consequence. I never should have involved ye in this mess and for that I truly am sorry. I’m not normally one for regrets, Conall, but bleedin’ hell…if I could change it, I would.” She let out a frustrated sigh. What the hell was she supposed to do? Not like she could turn back time-and there was no point in upsetting him. Telling him what happened would only involve him further and escalate things with Andrew. “I’m going to burn the food.”
She made her escape into the kitchen and busied herself with the finishing touches on dinner, though she could feel his hard gaze on her.
“I’m not letting this go, Maggie. You got me involved and now that I am, I want the truth, damn it. I’ll not wander about clueless to what’s happening around me-especially when I’m mixed up in this mess.” He closed the distance between them, his movements stiff, contained, his voice strained under the control he was exerting. “Ye owe me that at least.”
What the hell were they arguing about? It was clear he had a tendency to get annoyed pretty quickly, but she hadn’t expected to see any real heat-or passion-from him. The man was getting more interesting by the moment. Not that she would take advantage of all that pent-up tension. Nope-not at all.
With her arms crossed in front of her chest, she cocked her head and pinned him with a stare, her lips curling in amusement. “Ye’re awfully persuasive, love, and sexy to boot. But if ye think I’m going to involve ye any further than I already have, then you can guess again. I may have screwed up by dragging ye into this, but I try to learn from my mistakes and I won’t let ye get caught up in this mess more than ye already are. Now if ye don’t mind, I’ve got dinner to serve.”
Ignoring the curses he was mumbling under his breath, she turned back to the stove and pulled out the plates she had heating, setting them aside. Before she could reach for anything else, he spun her around and pulled her close.
Her breath caught as he covered her mouth with his-taking, tasting-his stubble rough against her soft skin, a hint of pain to heighten the pleasure and send a shudder of need through her body. Fisting her hair, he pulled her head back to feast on her neck, nipping down the length of it, causing goose bumps to dance across her skin.
His kiss deepened as he pushed her against the counter so her world fell away, so there was nothing but him, his hard muscular form, tense, pressed against hers, fueling her desires. She ran her hands down his chest and to his hips, pulling him closer. By the gods, she wanted him something fierce, then and there, dinne
r be damned.
He pulled away just enough to break off their kiss, looked at her as if he’d devour her in a heartbeat, took yet another hard kiss, and then stepped away, leaving her reeling and desperate for him.
His breathing was still heavy when he pinned her with a hard stare. “Don’t ye dare tell me Andrew doesn’t concern me-because it does, damn it. Now ye better tell me what the hell happened or ye’re on yer own.”
After that kiss, his ultimatum was like a slap to the face, her shock warring with her anger. Well, she had more than enough of a temper to match his. “Like that, is it? Ye think you can just kiss me and then make demands? Well, I already told you I don’t need yer help, so you can go to hell, Conall Stewart. Get out. And don’t go thinking I’ll be coming by to walk yer dog, either.”
“Good! Maybe I’ll finally get a bit of peace and quiet instead of getting woken up at the crack of dawn.”
And just like that, he grabbed Piper and left, not another word spoken between them.
***
Maggie’s argument with Conall had put her in a sour mood, and with his end of the job easily managed from home, Conall had done just that. She hadn’t seen or heard from him in days, which of course only made things worse. If he did ever show up again, she knew she’d somehow manage to smooth things between them, even if she was still annoyed with him-and herself, truth be told-for the stupid argument and a ruined dinner.
She debated showing up at his house to call a truce, but her pride got in the way. As far as she was concerned, she was right to not involve him further. With three brothers, she knew well enough that things would escalate if she told Conall that Andrew had grabbed her arm, even if the man had already apologized-not that it justified what he’d done.
Even the job seemed to be protesting her crankiness. She kept hitting one snag after another, which did little to improve her disposition. What she needed to do was concentrate on the reason she was in Dunmuir-and that had nothing to do with Conall. He was nothing but a distraction who’d ruined her happy-go-lucky mood. And with the problems that kept popping up all over the jobsite, she had to stay focused.
Doing her best to ignore her thoughts of Conall, she got back to work on the display case where they’d be housing the Highlander’s Hope, fingers crossed that nothing would go wrong. She pulled on her welding mask and with sparks flying, finished the metal housing that would hold all the detectors used in keeping the jewels safe. Turning off the torch, she popped her visor back, happy for the fresh air. Yanking off her gloves, she turned towards her tools and ran right into Andrew.
“Easy there.” He held onto her as if she might lose her balance and tumble, though his touch had her stiffening, her anger sparking.
She took a step back and out of his arms, her brow furrowed with annoyance. “What can I do for ye?”
“Been in Glasgow the last few days, and didn’t like the way things played out between us the last time I’d seen you. I wanted to apologize for being an ass. What you do outside of work is none of my business, and I get that you’re not interested.” She didn’t say anything, still not trusting him. He shrugged and took a step back. “I guess that’s it. Again, sorry for causing you trouble.”
He turned to go, but she now felt guilty for not saying anything. “Thanks-for the apology.”
He looked over his shoulder and nodded before continuing on his way.
Chapter Six
Conall was in no mood to deal with Rowan, who’d dropped by unannounced. “I’m working.”
Not that she cared. She wandered in past him, red hair bouncing, and plopped herself on the sofa. Seizing the opportunity, Piper jumped up where she didn’t belong, and nestled against Rowan, who gave her a rough scratch behind the pup’s floppy tan ears. “Hadn’t seen or heard from you since the party, so I figured I’d check in. See what you’re up to.”
“What I’m up to is trying to get some work done-and I can’t do that if ye’re here to harass me.” He pulled Piper off the sofa and sat down next to Rowan. “Shouldn’t ye be bugging Angus?”
“He’s out on a complicated foaling a few hours north of here. Probably won’t be back until late tonight.” Shifting to sit sideways, she slung her elbow over the back of the sofa and propped her head in her hand, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “So…where’s Maggie?”
He glared at her, though it resulted in nothing more than Rowan’s smile widening. “How would I know? Did ye try the cottage?”
“Crap. Has it already gone to hell? What did you do?” When his glare turned to a scowl, she gave him half a pout, her brows drawn over those bright green eyes. “Oh, come on, Conall. You know you can talk to me. After Angus, you’re my best friend.”
“Then that’s a sad state of affairs, ain’t it?” He let out a weary sigh, guilt nagging him for pushing Rowan away. “What do ye want me to say? You were right that night at the party-there was nothing going on between us. Some bloke was bothering her, and I was a convenient ploy to be rid of him.”
Rowan shook her head no, sending her loose curls spilling over her shoulder. “She may have been trying to avoid this other guy, but I saw the kiss she planted on you, and I can tell you now, the girl likes you.”
“She may have at one point in time, but I’ve since managed to muck things up. Not like it matters, aye? She’ll be gone in a few months’ time, and it’s not like I need the headache of a relationship.” Yet the mere mention of Maggie had him thinking of how she felt in his arms when he kissed her. The way her curves fit against his body. How his heart tripped over itself as their kiss deepened and she pulled him close.
Rowan let out a sigh and leaned forward. “You can’t have screwed up that badly, Conall. And don’t go giving me that crap about not wanting a relationship. No one wants to be alone, and frankly, it would do you a world of good to have a bit of fun. Not to mention, get laid.”
His head was now throbbing. “Rowan, I swear ye’d drive a man to drink.”
“Aw. You’re so sweet.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek before getting to her feet. “Call her, Conall-or even better, pay her a visit. ’Cause if you don’t, then I’m afraid I’ll be forced to meddle. And you wouldn’t want that, now would you?”
He had to laugh. “You’re such a pain in the arse, lass.”
“And yet you still love me.”
***
Conall wandered through the jobsite, and though he told himself he was there purely for work, he found his gaze wandering about with the hope of seeing Maggie. Not that he’d be apologizing, since he’d done nothing wrong. But he did need to keep things civil between the two of them. They still had to work together, and the longer they went without seeing each other, the more awkward it would be.
Though he didn’t immediately see her when he entered the main room, he felt her presence. And then he spotted her, a small smile upon her lips as she stood there-speaking to Andrew, of all people. His chest tightened and his muscles stiffened as he fought to extinguish the spark of jealousy that threatened to ignite.
He thought about continuing on his way, but she looked over at him, and then smiled-the kind that reached her eyes and made them sparkle like the summer sun on a lake. He let out a deep breath as she excused herself to Andrew, and started heading in his direction.
“Hey there. Been a while.” She reached out and gave his hand a quick squeeze before letting it go. “Hope ye’ve been keeping well.”
His gaze flicked to Andrew, who was watching them. “See ye’ve patched things up with yer friend there.”
He didn’t like the man. And it went well past any jealousy he might harbor when it came to seeing him with Maggie. Maybe it had to do with one too many jerks, just like Andrew, giving his sister a hard time. But this wasn’t his sister and he should let it go. Let Maggie do whatever she damn well pleased. Instead, he found himself wanting to punch Andrew before tossing Maggie over his shoulder and dragging her to his bed to claim her as his own.
“He apologized f
or being pushy, and I figured since I still have to work with him for several more months, it might be best to let it go and try to get along. Surely you can see the merit in that. No?”
“Och, aye. I’m sure he truly means it, too.” Bloody hell. How was it the woman always got his back up? And in such short time. He’d barely known the lass a few weeks, yet she’d already gotten under his skin. “Sorry. Not like it’s any of my business. You can do as ye damn well please. But if ye have a moment and can pull yerself away from yer newfound friend, I need to go over a few changes I’d like to make to the security schematics.”
“Pull myself away, is it? And do as I damn well please?” Her eyebrows flicked up as she pinned him with a glare, her jaw tight. “Ye know ye can be a real arse, Conall.”
He shrugged, annoyed with himself for upsetting her when there was no need for it. “So can we get to work or do ye have other plans?”
She made a production of checking her watch. “It’s a bit late, don’t ye think?”
Bollocks. He hadn’t really checked the time, and it was already after five. “Tomorrow then.”
Silently cursing, he turned to go when a capable hand grabbed his arm and he found himself looking into her blue eyes, those full kissable lips of hers curling in a shadow of a smile. It was all he could do to not pull her to him and cover her mouth with his, desperate to have her in his arms. He wanted to kiss her until she yielded, wanted to take her pressed against the wall or bent over the table. She called out to every primal urge in him and it took all he had to resist her.
With her head cocked and one brow perked, she stood there, arms crossed, leaving him to wonder if she could read his mind-to wonder if she was aware of the effect she had on him. “You owe me for a ruined meal-one I worked hard on, mind ye-and since ye don’t like to cook, ye’ll be buying me dinner.”
“Am I now?” A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he was left shaking his head and wondering how the hell she’d snuck in past his defenses and left him falling for her. He might be damn good at securing any type of network or server, but he’d left himself wide open.
