Page 12 of Joanna's Highlander (Highland Protector 2)

Joanna blew out a despondent breath. “I’ve gotta go.”

“So, we’re good then? Keep the status quo as is?”

Stretching as high as she could reach, then bending at the waist and flattening her palms on the floor until the backs of her legs felt a renewed rush of blood, Joanna groaned. “Yes. We’re fine.”

“Jo…really? You know I don’t want you miserable. Not after all you’ve sacrificed to help me and Tyler.” Lucia’s voice grew so soft that Joanna had to pick up the phone and turn up the volume to hear her.

“How many times do I have to tell you that we’ve helped each other? We’re family.” Joanna did her best to speak with renewed energy and determination. Lucia and Tyler had helped her get over the tanking of her career and the revelation that the man she’d planned to marry already had a wife—and also didn’t have a problem beating the living shit out of her when she’d finally decided to challenge him. She’d helped Lucia and Tyler get past Jason’s death and piece together a fledgling tour-guide business to help them all survive.

She took Lucia off speakerphone and held the phone to her ear. “Really. I’ll be fine. I just needed to talk it out. You know how I am.”

“Well, if you’re sure…” Lucia’s voice tapered off, her tone clearly saying she wasn’t convinced that Joanna really meant it.

“I’m sure.” The metallic bong of the clock on the nightstand sounded. Joanna rolled her shoulders and grabbed the doorknob. “I’ve got to go. I’ll look for you and the pack of second graders at the park tomorrow. Tell ‘T’ that I love him.”

“Will do,” Lucia replied. In a lighter tone, she quoted one of Tyler’s favorite superheroes. “Remember, young one. You are fearless and wise. Believe that you can do this and it will be so.”

Joanna punched the off button on the phone and belted it into the holder strapped to her upper right arm. “Fearless and wise, my ass,” she grumbled as she locked the door to her room, then stuffed the antique skeleton key into the slender bag strapped around her waist.

She rolled her shoulders again, then shook out her arms as she trotted down the hall and jogged down the steps. Grant MacDara was a fine-looking man and seemed…so…dammit.She blew out a frustrated breath, unable to settle on the word that accurately described the male trait he possessed that caused such an unsettling assault of emotions and severe case oftake me until I scream your namemore and more each time she was around him.She’d never been this attracted to anyone—not even Matthew, and she’d supposedly been engaged to that liar’s sorry ass.

All her postpubescent life she’d been a loser magnet and fallen for the wrong guy. If she was this attracted to Grant, something had to be really wrong with him. Super wrong—like he-hid-the-bodies-of-his-enemies-in-the-mountains-behind-Castle-Danu kind of wrong. She just hadn’t figured out what it was yet or seen any reason to avoid him—other than the danger of sabotaging a potential lucrative contract with Highland Life and Legends. She’d heard rumors about him. Moody. Loner. Asshole. So far, that’s all they’d been. Rumors.

So what was wrong with him? She’d never fallen for a legitimately “nice” guy before. She’d always paired up with jerks. It was like she had the wordgulliblestamped on her forehead andunsuspectingtattooed across her ass. Had to be a damaged recessive gene she had or something carried over from childhood. Abusive father. Cowering mother. Well…cowering and passive until Mom got a gun and brutally ended the abuse and then took her own life after she’d shot her husband. Joanna shook away the dark memories, forcing yet another chapter of her life back into lockdown.

“Maybe he’ll change his mind and not show up,” she mused aloud as she rounded the last corner and hit the final landing with both feet. “He doesn’t exactly look like he’d run—even if a bear was chasing him.”

“Aye, lass. Ye ken the right of it there. I ne’er run from anythin’.” Grant’s deep, sexy voice surrounded her, triggering a series of shivers starting right between her thighs. “But ye’ll also find I ne’er break m’word, either.”

Damn, damn, dammit.Already panting for air and she’d just jogged down the stairs. Who was she kidding? It wasn’t the jogging that had gotten her out of breath.That Scottish brogue of his is deadly.“You were supposed to meet me on the porch. Remember?” Joanna rounded the corner, then froze in her tracks.Holy shit.The sight before her was just too…She’d seen lots of “eye candy” during the stops at Highland Life and Legends and Grant was always number one on that list. In fact, as far as she was concerned, kilted hotties were the main attraction at the park. But she’d never seen him like this. “Holy shit” didn’t begin to describe the effect of this look…especially since she’d stolen a peek at the package under his kilt—words just couldn’t begin to cover it.

“And there you are,” she finally squeaked out with a wave of one hand. She blinked hard to make sure that she hadn’t slipped into one of her favorite fantasies outside of the bedroom rather than in the privacy of her bed. “Uhm…I know it’s late March, but it’s still kind of cold at night. You know?” She ran a finger around the high neckline of her running shirt and blew an imagined strand of hair out of her eyes. She sure as hell wasn’t cold, but it had nothing to do with the weather or the thermostat in the hotel.

Grant MacDara, standing there in his bare-chested, kilted state, generated more heat than a roaring bonfire. He wore what looked to be soft brown moccasin-like ankle boots with the leather straps wound tight up and around his muscular calves. This kilt was different from the one he’d worn earlier. It was fashioned from a faded, nearly threadbare tartan and hugged low about his hips. The drape of it was a good deal longer in the back than the front, but the soft material settled across his body perfectly so Joanna could totally appreciate the delicious outline of the man’s fine ass and his hard, corded thighs. He’d tied back his dark blond hair with a strip of leather, then tightly wrapped the ends around the ponytail that hung down between his shoulder blades.

The white globed sconces in the hallway created the most enticing gleam on the smooth, hard planes of Grant’s chest. His laddered abs looked as though they’d been sculpted of marble, then dipped in bronze. The pale triangle of blondish brown hair starting between his pecs shimmered into a quicksilver trail all the way down to his navel, then disappeared under the waistline of his kilt.

Joanna’s fingers itched to trace their way down that tempting trail and reach the grand prize at the end. She silently scolded herself.No! Can’t risk the contract.

Grant looked tanned…kind of. How the hell could he be tanned just coming out of the dead of winter? A spray job, maybe?Nah…she very much doubted that any of the MacDara men were the type to go with a faux tan.He must work outside stripped down. A lot.That thought triggered another shiver and made her swallow hard.

Joanna finally realized she was standing there in the middle of the hallway with her mouth hanging open. She covered her mouth and feigned a cough. “It’s March,” she repeated. “Aren’t you going to get cold?”

Grant’s lopsided grin became a full gleaming smile. “ ’Tis a mild night.” He winked and added, “And I’ll be runnin’ beside you, ye ken?”

Yeah…I ken all right. I’m going to ignore that little comment for both our sakes.Casual flirting had suddenly become dangerous—serious even. She felt it with every aching throb from the waist down. Joanna pushed past him and opened the door. Leaning back against it, she gallantly motioned toward the porch. “After you, sir.”

“Och…nay, lass.” Grant grabbed the edge of the door just above her head, then slid in so close beside her, he nearly nudged her with his made-for-stroking chest. “A MacDara always puts his lady first and ensures she’s well pleased.” He proffered his hand toward the porch and smiled. “After you, m’lady.”

Ensures she’s well pleased—oh shit.Biting her lip to keep from commenting, Joanna walked out, skipped down the steps, then while jogging in place, turned back to Grant still standing on the porch. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“You coming or not? I’ve still got some work to do when I get back to my room tonight. We need to get this five-miler started.”Please let him change his mind.Joanna repeated the silent chant over and over, but her heart just wasn’t in it. Grant looked entirely too tempting up on that damn porch. Hands on his hips. Smart-ass grin. He needed to go away. He might not look like a mistake right now, but the innocent-looking ones tended to morph into a shitload of trouble when you least expected it.

“I’m merely waiting to see which direction ye choose,” he said with another wink. “After all, my stride is about twice the length of yours.” He sauntered off the porch and walked up beside her with the fluid, seductive grace of a panther stalking its prey.

“How do they say it here?” he asked, scowling as he appeared to search his thoughts. “Ah! I remember now.” He looked at her with a smile that made the heart rate monitor on her fitness tracker start beeping. “I was givin’ ye a head start.”

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