Page 87 of Scotch on the Rocks

This was the promise of him and me. The promise of something more. And though I didn’t quite know what thatmorelooked like, I broke his hold to wrap my arms around his neck and held on for dear life.

24

Callum

Google search: Does defiling a historic site come with prison time?

Just as it had in biblical times (probably), the second my cum cooled against her skin, the rain started. It disturbed the pool’s glassy surface, turning it from a clear blue to grey as it lashed in icy sheets. Juniper half screamed, half laughed, her body squirming and sticking to my chest as she fought to escape the chill.

Breathless and dazed, I pressed a kiss to her sweaty forehead, dragging her bikini top back into place. All but pouting at the loss as I swiped a wet hand down her stomach to wash away the stringy white mess.

“I’m fairly sure what we just did counts as sacrilege.” She shivered and bit her lip.

“Aye.” It was the closest thing to a religious experience I’d ever encountered. I could barely even speak as I dragged her from the water, half expecting to find felled trees and crumbling stone.Did that really just happen?It seemedunlikely, and yet my half-sated cock was admirably fighting against the cold, begging for another round.

Wrapping the thick towel around her shoulders, I chafed her arms until her teeth eased chattering. The rain poured, no sign of letting up. “Get dressed. We’ll have to run for the car.”

She nodded, saying no more as she shoved her legs into her jeans without removing her bikini. I hurried too, clothes sticking and chafing in all the worst places. Forgoing my thick, knitted scarf, I wrapped it around Juniper’s waist, using it to lasso her closer before tucking it around the dripping ends of her hair and knotting it below her chin.Fuck,her lips were turning blue. “Ready? Careful on the rocks, they’ll be slick.”

She nodded hastily, accepting my outstretched hand as I slung both our bags over my shoulder and urged her onto the path, lifting her over a burn that had broken its bank and up the hill.

“What the hell is happening?” Juniper yelled over the roar of water, eyes on her feet as we picked our way between slippery rocks. The clouds had gone from grey to a menacing black. The waterfalls rushed as though trying to escape an enemy, spitting white foam. “Did you know there was a storm coming?”

The weather on Skye could turn at the drop of a hat, sometimes offering up four seasons in a single day.Thiswas another beast entirely. “No.” Not that I’d actually bothered to check, I’d been too eager to get a few hours alone with her. I was no better than a damn tourist, ill-prepared for Scotland’s wild nature.

I gripped her hand tighter. “Almost there, I can see the car.” The single vehicle in the large car park sat like a lighthouse in a stormy sea.

I unlocked the car before we reached it, yanking open the passenger door and lifting Juniper inside by the waist then racing around to the driver’s side. “Are you all right?” Throwing myself in, I cranked the heat until it blasted from every vent.

Water gathered on her eyelashes before snaking down her cheeks. “I might lose my fingers, but otherwise fine.” Laughing, she held her red digits aloft. I brought them to the vent, rubbing my own stiff fingers over them while she winced.

I felt like shit. “It would have been a fine idea to check the weather.”

“Probably.” But her tone was light and there was a flush to her cheeks, a thrill sparkling in her eyes. “You seem to have a knack for leaving me soaking wet.”

I spluttered. These dates always seemed to end in disaster. If I’d hoped to impress her, I’d failed spectacularly. “I wish I could say it was always intentional.”

“But fun nonetheless.” Surprised, my attention shot from her elegant fingers, still clasped in mine, to her face, her lips. A part of me expected her to regret what happened in the pool, explaining it away as a moment of madness.

“Can I kiss you again?” she asked shyly. My stomach just about dropped out my arse. After all that had happened, hearing that from her felt like diving off a cliff edge.

I nodded mutely and she moved, relief making the moment that much sweeter as her fingers sank into my wet hair. And all I could think was,Please don’t break my heart.

Her lips were thorough, moving with surprising gentleness, like she was drinking from my mouth. It took me a moment to catch up, but when I did, I pushed for more. Nibbling and then biting down on her bottom lip hard enough to make her hiss.

I could have had her here. Beneath the blanket of rain, no one would ever know. But she shivered and I choked down my desire. “We should get you home.”

* * *

“You’re acting weird.”

I frowned at the marble counter in my kitchen, pushing the mug of tea to where Juniper sat on the stool on the other side. Her hair had dried in chaotic curls by the time we’d pulled up outside my cottage. She’d cringed at the sight in my hall mirror, attempting to finger comb them into submission until I told her in no uncertain terms, “I fucking love your hair like that.”

She’d flipped me the finger, but I’d also noticed she’d ceased taming the ringlets. That was good with me. A little imperfection suited Juniper just fine.

“I might be acting a little weird,” I conceded, filling my own mug with boiling water. I was pushing my luck, was what I was doing. Somehow during the thirty-minute drive back to Kinleith I’d managed to tempt her into my cottage for a drink before her afternoon shift at Ivy House.

Tea.

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