A Scot Like You (The MacLarens of Balmorie, 2) by Kam McKellar Read Free Book Online

of him. He heard Hildie scratch at the door and bark. No. He wasn't going to do this now. Not in front of her.
    Goddamn it. Not in front of her.
    He squeezed his eyelids closed and then blinked a few times, trying to clear the haze of anxiety.
    Kate's soft hands cupped his cheeks. She was muttering words. She didn't know what to do; he could hear it in the slight panic in her voice. In the "fuck," she uttered right before she kissed him.
    Time stopped.
    It all just stopped, like someone hit the pause button.
    Then, slowly, the anxiety ebbed. His senses returned. Her hair smelled like apples. Apples . He loved apples. Her lips, soft. Her breath softer as she eased away from him. "No," he whispered immediately. "Please." Part of him winced at that, how desperate and weak it sounded.
    Her arms came around him and she was in his lap, pressing her lips against his, her hands still cupping his face. Lust detonated, wiping out every last trace of darkness inside of him and replacing it with the best kind of ache. A hard, hot ache. Dev was lost. He grabbed the sides of her face, angled his head, and took her mouth in a slow, blistering kiss that magnified his ache by a thousand.
    When they broke apart, he could barely breathe, his heart hammering so fast, he felt dizzy.
    Finally his sight cleared. Kate was kneeling back, a shell-shocked look in her wide eyes, her lips swollen and parted. Breathing heavy, too.
    Claws hit the floor as Hildie raced in from the main hall. She'd gone to the front of the house in order to get to him. She slid to a stop in the kitchen. The hairs on the back of her neck rose. She was confused. This wasn't normally how his anxiety attacks went. She must be sensing the difference in him. No doubt, Kate was putting off the same vibes as he was.
    "I'm so sorry," Kate said, eyes on Hildie and then back on him. His chest went tight. They were glassy, her eyes.
    Damn it.
    She backed away from him, not wanting to upset Hildie. "She's confused," Kate said, her voice thick. "I'm just. I'm sorry…" She fled out the back door.
    Still reeling, Dev fell onto his back. He rubbed both hands down his face and groaned. Hildie jumped him, licking his hands and face, tail wagging, whining. Dev sat up and hugged her, giving her coat a good rubbing, and telling her what a good girl she was.
    Just him and Hildie. The way it usually was.
    For months he'd told himself it was enough, being alone. Him and Hildie, dealing with being veterans together. But as he stared at the open door, he knew it wasn't enough. For neither one of them. He was beginning to understand that now.
    Knowing he needed to calm his heart rate and make sure he was good to go before he went after Kate, Dev remained on the blanket for a few minutes. Once he was up, he headed outside, looked around for Kate and then went for his truck. He was pretty sure she was on the road back to the cottage.
    Only problem, the truck wouldn't start.
    Undeterred, he lifted the hood and found the spark plugs gone.
    Hamish .
    Dev was sure that wily ole matchmaker had stolen his spark plugs in an effort to strand him and Kate together. Devin shut the hood and stood there a moment, amazed at the lengths Hamish would go. Ever since Ian had found Lucy, Hamish and Fran had turned their attention on him. Mostly, he ignored their efforts to set him up with whatever girl in the village or someone's daughter or niece, or have someone conveniently over for dinner.
    Shaking his head, he returned to the lodge with a smile on his face. He loved that old man and couldn't fault him for trying. While Dev and his brothers loved their Scottish grandparents and spending their summers here on estate, it was the Grahams who cared for them. Fran filled them with food, made sure they were bathed, and had clean sheets on the bed. Hamish taught them things they hadn't learned from their father back on their North Carolina farm, like how to fly fish, smoke salmon, wear a kilt, and jump buck ass naked into