by Donna Grant
His attention was pulled from the menu to Claire once more. He couldn’t stop staring at her. Her skin looked as if it glowed, and he had the overwhelming urge to reach across the small table and run his finger from her neck down to her breasts.
His cock hardened just thinking about it. Would she like his touch? Would she lean toward him, seeking more? He looked at her lips. He couldn’t wait to taste her, and he was definitely going to kiss her.
V made his fingers relax on the menu. The night was still young. They had hours alone together. No one from Dreagan was there watching, observing his every move. It was just him and Claire.
She looked at him over her menu and smiled. That’s all he needed. She was content and relaxed. And while desire pounded through him as it had since that morning, he found that the ache he’d realized was gone at lunch still hadn’t resurfaced.
They placed their orders. With the waiter gone, they looked at each other over the single candle on the table. V didn’t usually spend a lot of time conversing with the women he was with. But he wanted to know more about Claire.
Before he could ask her anything, she said, “Tell me a secret.”
V blinked. “A secret?”
She grinned. “Everyone has them. Tell me one.”
“I expect the same in return.”
“Deal,” she stated with a grin.
V thought about it for a moment. She was right. He had many secrets. Nearly all of them he couldn’t share. But there was one he could. “I doona particularly like people.”
“I can see that. There are days when others are especially rude that I can’t stand to be around them.”
“I’ve spent so much time by myself that being with others is sometimes painfully difficult.”
“Is it now? With me?” she asked hesitantly, a small frown forming.
He shot her a grin. “No’ in the least. I promise you. Your turn.”
“Hmm,” she said, tapping her chin. “I hate clothes shopping.”
“Now that does surprise me.”
She leaned forward conspiratorially. “That’s because I get a box delivered every month with clothes. Essentially, I have my own stylist. She knows what I like and what I don’t. She knows my sizes, and we talk about what I’m looking for or need, and then she gets it to me.”
“I had no idea anything like that was even available.”
“It’s not just for women, either. They have a men’s division. And a kids’.”
“Interesting. I suppose with all the shopping the women at Dreagan do, I assumed all of you enjoyed it.”
Claire shrugged one shoulder. “I like clothes. I just hate trying to weed through racks of them looking for something. Shopping online is even worse. There is just so much to choose from. With my stylist, it’s her problem to find things.”
“I can see how that would be nice.”
“Makeup on the other hand,” Claire said with a laugh. “I shop for that way too much. I have quite a bit of it.”
“It’s something you love.”
“It is. Some might think too much.”
He considered that a moment. “Can you love something too much?”
“If we’re talking about things like makeup, a job, a way of life, or where you live, no. People? Maybe.”
“Have you ever been in love?” Since he hadn’t, he was curious to know about her.
She looked down at her hands that were linked on the table. “There was a guy in school I thought I loved. Then I met one at University and realized what I felt for the first one was nothing. I got my heart broken a dozen times after that. All the while, I believed that I knew exactly what love was.” Her eyes slowly lifted to meet his. “Then I watched Sophie fall in love. I saw the way Darius treated her, how devoted he was. And I knew I was seeing true love from someone other than my parents, who I’d believed all this time were a rarity. Sophie and Darius give me hope.”
V nodded, understanding exactly what she meant.
“People bandy the word love around a lot,” Claire continued. “I’m not sure most people know what it means. Now that I do, I refuse to settle for anything less than what Sophie and Darius have.”
“You shouldna settle. No one should.”
“It’s the fear of being alone. That’s why so many mistake what they’re feeling for love. Or perhaps they want it so badly that they grab hold of the first person who likes them back.”
V cocked his head at her. “You have no’ done that.”
“I can see why so many do, though. Everywhere you look, there’re couples. It’s hard not to want that, dream about it, wish to experience it. What about you? Have you ever been in love?”
V shook his head slowly. “Never.”
“Do you believe in it?”
“It’s hard not to when I’m surrounded by so many at Dreagan who are in love.”
“Do you want to fall in love?”
He swallowed. “Yes.”
Thankfully, the food arrived, so the conversation ended as they dug into their meals.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“You’ve surprised me.”
Claire smiled at V’s admission. She lifted the glass of whisky to her lips and drank. “You didn’t think women liked Scotch?”
“I knew they did, I just didna expect you to be one of them. You doona have the look.”
“There’s a look?” Claire asked with a chuckle. “Should I be offended by that?”
He quickly shook his head. “Please, doona be. I didna mean it that way. If you’d seen the women I have while drinking whisky, you’d understand.”
Claire held up the glass and looked at the amber liquid. “I drank my first whisky at University. It was horrid. I hated it. But one of my friend’s boyfriends came from money, and he told me that not all Scotch is the same.”
“It isna.”
She grinned. Of course, V would say that. He was part of the most famous distillery in the world. “I didn’t believe him until he brought a bag full of the tiny bottles to our room. That night, he taught me and my friend all about whisky.”
“All?” V asked, brow raised.
“All that he knew,” she admitted. “I discovered that I preferred single malt and that the more expensive the brand, the more I enjoyed it. I got away from it for a long time, but being so close to Dreagan, I started drinking it again. It’s an expensive habit that I only indulge on special occasions.”
V leaned back in his chair, watching her with a half-smile that made her all too aware of how sexy he was. “That’s shite, lass. You have a direct connection to Dreagan. Surely, Sophie or Darius has been giving you all the bottles you want.”
“I wouldn’t dream of asking for that.”
“You shouldna have to. I’ll bring a bottle tomorrow.”
She set down her glass. “I wasn’t fishing for that.”
“I know.”
“Well, thank you.”
Claire couldn’t believe the evening was flying by so quickly. The conversation had gotten deep before dinner, but once the food arrived, it was as if they silently agreed to move to lighter subjects. He’d asked her about University, and before she knew it, she was telling him all her crazy stories while they ate.
“I’ve dominated the conversation,” she said after their plates had been removed.
He licked his lips after taking a drink of whisky. “Your exploits are quite entertaining. I could listen all night.”
“It’s your fault. You kept asking questions. Now, it’s my turn.”
His smile faltered a fraction. “Ask away.”
Though he said the words, she didn’t feel as if he really meant them. Claire took another sip of the whisky. “The dinner was delicious. This place is fantastic. Thank you for bringing me.”
“It was my pleasure. Truly. And, Claire?”
“Yes?”
“Ask your questions.”
She crossed her arms on the table. “I get the impression that you’d rather I didn’t.”<
br />
“We’re getting to know each other. If I doona want to answer something, I’ll tell you.”
“Okay,” she hedged. Damn. Now she had to come up with something that she hoped V would answer. “Who are you closest to at Dreagan?”
V drew in a breath as he contemplated her question. “I interacted with Con more than the others while I was away. However, Roman and I are pretty close. He helped me locate what was stolen.”
“I’ve seen Roman. That is to say, Sophie pointed him out to me when I was at Dreagan, but I’ve never met him.”
“What do you think of Con?”
“He’s intimidating,” she confessed with a laugh.
V grinned. “He would enjoy hearing that.”
“No doubt. Actually, he was very polite.”
Claire finished off her drink. As she set it down, she realized that V’s was also empty.
“Do you want dessert?” he asked.
She grimaced at the thought of more food. “I don’t think I could take another bite of anything.”
Their gazes met and held. Claire’s thoughts were no longer on food but on V. The way his blue eyes looked at her, she thought he might be thinking the same thing.
She licked her lips, tasting the remnants of the Scotch, and to her surprise, his gaze lowered to her mouth. Her heart raced as her blood heated. She didn’t want to desire him, but it had been out of her hands from the moment she looked into his eyes. There was something special about V that she connected with. As if they were two pieces of a puzzle that fit together.
“Is there anything else you want?” he asked.
It was on the tip of her tongue to say, “you,” but she managed to hold back. Then she wondered why she didn’t say it. The only way to know if something might happen was to take chances.
He smiled slowly, causing her stomach to quiver at the intense look in his eyes. She didn’t want the moment to end, but it did with the arrival of the waiter.
In no time, the check was paid, and they were walking back to the car. Claire didn’t want the night to end. She was thoroughly enjoying herself. Maybe it was because it wasn’t a real date. She knew V most likely wasn’t interested in her, so she didn’t feel like she had to put her date face on and try to say and do all the right things to impress the guy.
In the car, V started the engine, but he didn’t put it in drive. His head swung to her. “Are you ready to go home?”
“Not if you aren’t. I’m up for anything.”
“Is that so?”
She shot him a flirty look. It was time to take a chance. “Oh, yes.”
“Then I know the perfect place.”
“You going to tell me?” she asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.
V’s gaze was locked on the road. “You’ll have to wait until we get there. I hope you’re adventurous.”
“I hope so, too.” Claire wasn’t at all daring. Or spontaneous.
And yet, tonight, she’d been both.
Her gaze was directed out the passenger door window. The moon was nearly full, but the stars still shone brightly. “As a child, I used to lie on the ground at night and just stare up at the sky.”
“Were you looking for something?”
“I just loved the stars.”
“Do you still look up at them?” he asked.
She glanced at him. “Sadly, no. Every once in a while, like tonight, I’ll take notice of the moon and stars. I remember how much joy I used to get out of simply looking at them, wondering if there was life out there other than us. I’d dream up all these different places and imagine the people there.”
“You were no’ part of the stories?”
“No.” She frowned and looked at him. “I wasn’t, actually. When people make up fantasies like that, it usually includes them, doesn’t it?”
“I doona think there is a right or a wrong way for something like that.”
Claire folded her hands in her lap, her mood dimmed by the realization that her daydreams had been anything but normal.
Then V spoke. “When I was a lad, all I wanted was to explore. My mum died soon after I was … um … born. It was just my da and me for many years after that. He knew I stayed because of him, so he urged me to find my way in the world.”
“That was good of him.”
“While I explored, he stepped in to help out someone of our clan. In the process, he was killed by a rival clan.”
Claire knew that the clans had to be dragons. At least, she assumed. If only she could ask. “I’m so sorry.”
“It was a verra long time ago,” V said.
She touched his arm, wanting him to know that she understood his pain. “That kind of pain never goes away.”
His gaze briefly met hers. “Aye.”
Her hand fell away as he slowed and pulled off the road. She had no idea where they were headed. They had driven back toward Dreagan, but the road took them deeper into the forest.
“If you doona like where we stop, tell me. I’ll take you wherever you want to go,” V stated.
She smiled, nodding. Claire enjoyed being with him. And she liked how she felt when she was with V. The last thing she wanted was to go home. The simple fact that he hadn’t ended their date after dinner made her very happy.
It wasn’t long before she saw the loch through the trees. She sat up straighter, trying to get a better look at it. There were lochs all over Scotland, but this was one she hadn’t seen before.
V pulled to a stop on the side of the road and turned off the engine. Her head swung to him. For long moments, he was silent, simply holding her gaze. Then he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. By his silence, he was leaving the decision of whether to get out up to her.
Claire followed and came to stand next to him at the front of the car, looking out over the water. “It’s spectacular.”
“Do you trust me?”
She’d said she wanted to take chances. Well, here was one right in front of her. She looked down at V’s outstretched hand. There was only the briefest of hesitations before she put her palm against his. “Yes.”
He smiled and pulled her after him as he walked to the edge of the loch. The water lapped gently against the rocks lining the shore.
“I don’t see any houses,” she said.
“This is part of Dreagan.”
“Oh.”
He leaned toward her and pointed to a peak toward the left. “That’s my mountain.”
“Yours?”
“Aye. Each of us at Dreagan has our own.”
Of course. Where else could a dragon go but inside a mountain? Why hadn’t Claire thought of that before? “It’s lovely.”
He straightened. And for the next five minutes, they stood in silence. Claire was lost in thought about the Dragon Kings and what they might do if they learned she knew their secret. But that quickly shifted to the realization that V hadn’t said anything.
Maybe he was waiting for her to talk. The longer she remained silent, the more he might think she didn’t want to be there. And the more she thought about that, the more she was cognizant of his body next to hers. They still held hands, their shoulders brushing against each other.
“Want to go for a swim?”
His question startled her. Claire blinked up at him. “Are you serious?”
“Aye.”
“But … I don’t have a swimsuit.”
His grin was slow curving his lips. “Neither do I.”
This wasn’t something Claire would do. It was rare for her to sleep with a guy on the first date, but this wasn’t even that. This was V seeing her naked to swim.
And why the hell shouldn’t she?
Life was too short. Not to mention, she was an adult. She didn’t have to answer to anyone but herself. It was time she did something just for her. Something that made her happy. Something fun.
“Yes.”
V didn’t hesitate in removing his shoes and unbuttoning his shirt. Claire couldn’t believe what
she had agreed to. It was so out of the norm for her, but it felt right. And she felt safe with V.
She bent to unbuckle the straps around her ankles. Then she removed her heels. Next, she took off her jewelry and set it all inside her shoes. Her pants were next.
It wasn’t until she had one leg out that she realized she wasn’t taking advantage of watching V. Her gaze shot to him, and her heart skipped a beat. His shirt was gone, giving her a wonderful view of his amazing chest and all the hard muscle there from his shoulders down to his washboard stomach.
He looked up then and smiled at her as he unfastened his pants. Claire swallowed heavily and finished removing her own pants. She turned to the side and folded them before grabbing the waist of her shirt and pulling it over her head.
She let it drop atop her pants. Then, with a deep breath, she faced V. He stood beneath the moon in all his glory. And was he magnificent. Every inch of him looked molded from granite. From his wide chest to his narrow hips and long legs.
Her gaze snagged on his hard cock, and her blood ran like fire through her veins. She snapped her eyes back to his face, but it was in shadow. She couldn’t see his expression to know what he thought of her looking at him. Then she realized that if he didn’t want her to look, he would already be in the water.
“You can change your mind,” he said.
Claire shook her head. “I don’t want that.”
He turned and walked to wade into the water. She thought she saw a tattoo on his back, but the shadows made it difficult to see. When he got waist-deep, he dove beneath the surface. Claire watched, mesmerized. She had to shake herself to remember that she was supposed to be in the loch with him.
But she wasn’t going to do it with her bra and panties on.
She unhooked her bra, letting it fall from her fingers when V’s head surfaced. He stilled then, watching her. Claire slowly tugged her panties down until they puddled at her ankles.
With more confidence than she’d ever had before, she made her way toward the water. As soon as she stepped in, V stood. The water rushed down his chest to fall back into the loch at his waist.
Once more, he held out his hand. Claire reached for him as she walked deeper into the cool water—and into something unknown.
