Clara looked down at the balcony railing to see his hands shaking. She felt bad for bringing up an obviously painful topic. She’d gotten used to steering away from difficult topics with her ex, and while Kellan was nothing like him, she still had that skill. And she was willing to use it. “Well, I’m glad we’re getting to enjoy Glasgow. It’s more beautiful than I imagined, and we’ve only just gotten here.”
Kellan turned to her with a grateful smile. “I’m glad you think so. We can visit every country in Europe if you want.”
Except Ireland. He didn’t say it, but Clara could see it in his eyes. “That’s very generous.”
“It’s not generous. I like making you happy.” He ran his thumb over her cheekbone. “We still haven’t had that awkward conversation.”
She chewed on her lip for a second before catching herself. “I won’t lie. I had a great time the other night. The best. But I do have reservations about sleeping with my boss.”
“Tell me what they are. And maybe we’ll be able to fix them together.”
How could she phrase this so it didn’t make her sound totally helpless?
He already knows about your ex. He knows you left every part of your life behind. You might as well be honest.
“As you know, I left everything in Mississippi. Everything I’ve rebuilt has been with you and Declan. You pay my salary, I live in your home, I drive your car. You’re my only reference, if I did need a new job. So if things went badly between us, then…”
Light dawned in Kellan’s eyes. “I didn’t think of it like that. I should have.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “I promise you, no matter what happens between us, if you leave, I’ll give you severance pay and a fair reference.” His smile turned rueful. “But that’s not me trying to pressure you.”
Clara knew what it felt like to be pressured. “I can tell,” she said. They were there on a serene rooftop, surrounded by centuries-old buildings, and this kind, considerate man was doing everything he could to make her comfortable. And that made her want him even more. She wasn’t going to throw that chance away.
Clara stepped closer to him. “Your Irish accent is really sexy.”
His hands came up to rest on her hips. “Yeah?”
The feel of his hands on her hips spurred her into action. “Oh yes.” She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his.
He put one hand behind her head and his lips met hers, and he took over, kissing her with what seemed like as much pent-up passion as she felt.
“Let’s go inside,” he said.
Once there, she reached for his belt buckle. “I want you in my mouth. Is that okay?”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “If that’s something you want to do, I will never turn you down.”
She dropped to her knees and buttoned and unzipped his pants, pulling them down. She’d never been into going down on men before, but she really wanted Kellan’s cock in her mouth. Mouth watering, she opened wide, taking the head of his cock into her mouth.
11
Kellan
Kellan couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight before him. He wanted to engrave it into his memory. Clara, on her knees in front of him. He hadn’t dared to assume he’d get to sleep with her again, much less that she’d want to take him into her mouth.
But she had. She had knelt in front of him, and now she pulled back, and licked up and down his cock. She put one hand on the base of his cock, holding on, and she circled the tip of his cock with her tongue.
“Clara. Sweetheart.” He brushed his hands through her gorgeous red hair. “That’s so fucking hot. But I won’t last.”
She gazed up at him, blinking her pretty dark eyes at him. “You want me to stop?”
He traced the line of her jaw with one finger. “No. I definitely don’t want that.”
She stuck the edge of her tongue out and licked his cock all the way down. “I’ll go slower.”
He couldn’t suppress his groan of approval.
She moved on from licks and opened her mouth, hollowing her cheeks until she could fit most of his thick cock into her mouth. “Your cock is so big,” she said. “I like it.”
He shuddered, willing himself to hold still and not thrust forward into her mouth. “I can’t wait to be inside you again.”
She only hummed and took his cock farther into her mouth.
His nerves sang, volts of energy burst through his veins until he couldn't take it anymore. He pulled back and crouched in front of her, kissing her soundly. “Thank you. That was amazing. But I really won’t last now.”
She smiled at him. “My pleasure.”
He helped her to her feet. “You want to try out this lovely bed?”
She nodded, and he swept her up in his arms and carried her to it. “I want to take my time with you,” he said.
He gently sat her down on her feet by the edge of the bed. “Let’s get you out of this dress.”
“I’m wearing a little more than I was last time.”
He chuckled. “Yes, you are. More layers for me to peel off.” He unbuttoned her maroon sweater and laid it on the bed. He slowly peeled her long black dress off over her head, leaving her standing in front of him in a matching set of bra and panties, both maroon and lacy.
“I like it,” he said. He stroked his palms over the silky material. “Is it new?”
“Yes. I bought it when I shopped for this trip.”
So maybe she’s been hoping we’d sleep together again. Kellan sure had. “It’s very sexy. Turn around. Let me see the back.”
She turned around for him, and he lifted her lovely red hair off the nape of her neck. He kissed down the back of her neck and over her shoulder blades. He unsnapped the bra and let it fall away. Pressing his chest to her back, he brought his arms up to cup her breasts. He rocked into her, rolling his hips against her backside.
“How do you feel about getting on your hands and knees? I’d like to see your lovely bottom while I’m inside you.” His hands skimmed down her ribcage and came to rest on her delicate hip bones. He didn’t want to push her, but so far she’d been so eager, so responsive.
She leaned back, pressing her round bottom into his erection. “I think that sounds nice.”
He groaned. His cock was so hard that it hurt.
She spun around in his arms. “Now it’s my turn to undress you.” She placed her hands on his broad shoulders. “I like your sexy business suits. But I also like this sweater,” she said as she tugged his navy blue sweater over his head. “And these dressy jeans.” His jeans were still unbuttoned, and she pushed them down. He stepped out of them, until he was left wearing only his boxers.
He’d never had a woman take this kind of time with him before. Usually, they wanted his money, or even his body, but they didn’t take the time to pay him a compliment, or be playful with him the way Clara did.
It made his dragon want to grab her, and hide her away from the world so he could protect her and keep her safe forever. Mine, his dragon hissed.
Get a grip. She just left a bad relationship. We aren’t going to pressure her because you’re possessive.
But Kellan’s dragon wasn’t the only one that was possessive. The longer he spent around Clara, the more he wanted her. And not just in the bedroom. But his shifter nature made him more intense than a human man, and as he’d learned with Declan’s mother, not all human women wanted that.
Her small hands landed on his chest. He sucked in a breath. Even the feel of her hands on him nearly sent him spiraling over the edge. He covered her hands with his, and kissed her on the cheek. Then he turned her back around, and helped her crawl onto the bed.
Clad in only her panties, Kellan took a moment to memorize the way she looked before he joined her on the bed. It wasn’t just his dragon that wanted to keep Clara – he did too. He kissed down her spine and tugged her panties down, inching them slowly down her creamy thighs until they were all the way off.
Kellan grabbed a con
dom from his bag and rolled it on. He lined his cock up with her entrance and rubbed the tip over her folds, back and forth.
She arched her back. “Kellan! Don’t tease me.” She rocked back on her hands, shoving her pussy toward his cock.
“I don’t want to rush this,” he said, even as his cock ached. “I want to take my time with you. But I won’t make you wait anymore.”
She bowed her head and let out a moan as he pushed his cock into her pussy. Her snug walls gripped his cock as he began to thrust into her body. He needed her closer. He wrapped his arms around her chest and pulled her up to her knees, so that they were both kneeling up on the bed.
“I thought you wanted me on my hands and knees,” she breathed.
“I was wrong. That was too far away.” He kept one strong arm around her waist, supporting her, but the other he put between her legs. While he fucked into her pussy with his hard cock, he stroked her clit with his fingers as she bucked against him.
“Almost there,” she panted. And then her entire body went rigid and she came, pulsing around his cock.
He followed her, finishing inside her body with a satisfied moan. He lifted her hair again and kissed her neck. “That was delightful. And even better than the first time.”
“I agree,” she said, shivering as the aftershocks still rocked her body.
“Stay with me tonight?” he asked as he carefully laid her back on the bed and got them both cleaned up.
“What about Declan?”
“I’ll lock the door.” Declan could easily break the handle off if he wanted to, but Kellan hoped he’d trained him well enough to knock.
The following morning, the three of them headed out to sightsee. Clara had said she didn’t want to waste a second of their time together, and she’d chosen Tantallon Castle, which was an hour-and-a-half away from Glasgow. Kellan didn’t have his first meeting until that afternoon, so they had the entire morning to tour the area.
Kellan wasn’t familiar with Tantallon, as he’d been in many castles in his early life, so he didn’t bother to look it up. Which was his mistake, because he was caught off-guard at the sight of it.
He hopped out of the car, with his attention trained on Clara and Declan’s obvious delight at the castle ruins. He didn’t brace himself for the impact of seeing the coastline.
The cliffs weren’t as high or dramatic as the ones he’d grown up with, but the effect was the same. Gray rock, covered in mossy green grass, jutting up from a choppy sea.
In his mind, he saw his brothers, silvery wings outstretched as they sailed off the highest point. He remembered Brennan, daring them to see who could dive to the bottom of the sea. He saw his mother and father, guiding their clan through the spring celebration of the new hatchlings.
He saw the witches when they attacked.
He swallowed hard.
Near the edge of the cliff, Declan stood with his arms stretched out. His little face held such a look of wonder. His eyes were bright. His cheeks were flushed. His mouth was open.
Declan looked at Kellan and his eyes danced with wonder. “Dad.”
“I know.”
Kellan didn’t think to pull him back. It would have been for show. If Declan had fallen, he’d have shifted and flown. Clara did though, grabbing onto his sweater.
What had he done, raising his son on a flat piece of land in Texas, isolated from the environment where he’d thrive? How could Kellan have thought a swimming pool and rock wall would ever make up for what a young dragon shifter should have?
And now he was being careless, not worrying about Declan falling. Sure, the fall wouldn’t hurt him. But it would expose him. And while the area wasn’t crowded, there were people there.
This trip had been a terrible idea.
He’d forgotten to protect his son.
With Declan’s hand firmly in her grip, Clara put her hand on Kellan’s back. “Are you okay?”
He nodded. He wasn’t, but he didn’t want to worry her.
“Is it the castle? Does it remind you of home?”
Kellan couldn’t give her a complete answer, not without lying to her. “It’s the coast. All of it.”
“Thirteen years is a long time to be away from home.”
“Yes,” he said, taking her hand in his, and threading their fingers together. “It is.”
After a hearty late lunch of steak and potatoes, Kellan had managed to get his head back on straight. He’d come here for work, and he couldn’t spend his time so overwhelmed with grief that he couldn’t function.
The lecture hall at the University looked like something from a Renaissance painting. The polished wood benches had to be several hundred years old. It lent a very different feel from the sleek modern rooms he used in Dallas and Houston.
“Hello, ladies and gentlemen. It’s an honor to be here today. We’re all here for the same reason. Clean energy.”
People were smiling up at him, expectant. Most had laptops or tablets, some had pen and paper. All were dressed in business casual attire.
Except one.
One sat in the back row. She didn’t have on a suit, and her hair wasn’t neat. She wore a flowing green dress. She had no tablet, no paper. With his acute shifter vision, Kellan could see her eyes. They shone with hatred.
Kellan’s entire body went stiff.
That was not a woman.
That was a witch.
She’d found him. All these years later. Thirteen years he’d hidden himself away. And now she’d found him in an ornate lecture hall, surrounded by his peers.
Declan. Clara. He had to get to them.
He took a deep breath, preparing to dismiss himself from the stage. He’d apologize later, and donate a pile of money, and they’d forgive him for being an eccentric rich person.
But when he looked back up, she was gone. She hadn’t had time to exit the room. She’d vanished. And no one around her had looked up.
Witches could conceal themselves from humans, but not for long. And they’d never been able to vanish into thin air.
His racing heart thundered. Had he imagined her?
It was possible. Standing on the cliffs by the Tantallon Castle that morning, he had seen his brothers as they’d been over a decade ago. Could his mind have created one of the witches too?
He certainly felt unbalanced enough for his mind to play tricks on him.
He cleared his throat and looked up. The auditorium was looking at him expectantly. He loosened his tie and began speaking.
12
Clara
“Are you excited about the science museum?” Clara asked Declan as their driver dropped them off in front of the museum. Clara had never thought about the ease that came with being wealthy. She didn’t mind walking or taking public transportation, but it was convenient to be dropped off right at the entrance.
“Can’t wait!” he shouted. That afternoon when Kellan had left for the initial conference meeting, Clara had made a list of activities that Declan might enjoy. To her surprise, he’d chosen the Glasgow Science Centre, based on the pictures of the planetarium.
So far the trip had been better than anything she’d anticipated. And the intimacy she’d shared with Kellan last night had been even better than the first time. Declan was still just as energetic as ever, but the chance of scenery seemed to be good for him.
“I wish we lived here,” he said again for the tenth time. She thought it was sweet when he said it, but it had clearly bothered Kellan.
She paid for the tickets and the man handed them over. “Here’s a ticket for you and your son.”
Shock coursed through her body. She was getting too attached. She wasn’t behaving like a nanny.
Nannies didn't eat dinner with the family.
Nannies didn’t sleep with their employers.
This wasn’t her real life. He wasn’t her boyfriend, and Declan wasn’t her child. She’d fallen into the role of pretending they were a family. She was going to have to find a way to put s
ome distance between them all, before her role as pretend-mother blew up in all their faces.
He slipped his small hand into hers as they walked up the steps to the ticket line. “Miss Clara?”
She looked down at his big smile. “Yes?”
“Will you be my mom?”
“You have a mother.”
“I’ve never seen her,” Declan said.
She knelt in front of him. “Well, I may not be your mom, but I am your nanny. And being your nanny has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
His face lit up. “Really?”
“Really.”
As they entered the museum, her heart wouldn't slow down. Her stomach was tight. She couldn't keep going like this. She and Kellan playing house together was one thing, but now they’d confused Declan, and it wasn’t fair.
When people assumed Declan was her child, that was all it was; an assumption. It wasn’t the truth. And Clara wasn’t going to spend any more time lying to herself.
She was in love with Kellan.
Which meant things between them had to change.
That evening, Declan was so tired that Clara had to put him to bed early. Instead of the restaurant dinner they’d planned, Kellan ordered a catered meal to be delivered to their rooms.
“We can eat on the rooftop again,” he said once the food arrived, and his lovely Irish accent had reappeared. It made her want to cry.
He stopped to study Clara. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Let’s go upstairs.” They laid out the meal together. “Kellan.”
His head shot up. “I knew something was wrong. What is it? Did someone threaten you today?”
“What? No. Why would anyone threaten me?”
He visibly relaxed. “It’s a big city, filled with tourists.” He frowned. “I should have brought security.”
“Why don’t you have security? Or a bodyguard?”
“I’ve always assumed I could take care of myself. And Brennan’s always been all the law enforcement that I could handle. Maybe that was an oversight. I might hire some when we get back.”
Billionaire Dragon's Nanny (Irish Dragon Shifter Brothers Book 1) Page 6
