Ian (Las Vegas Sidewinders Book 15), page 9
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. Phay will drop the rest of them off since the whole gang is going tonight.”
“Meaning who? Your friends, your sister, and your brothers?”
“I don’t think you had a chance to meet all of them,” he said. “Next in the birth order is Liam, who’s twenty-five. Then Lachlan, who’s twenty-four; Malcolm, or Mac, is twenty-two; and Finn is twenty-one.”
“Damn, your mom just popped them out back-to-back.”
“Apparently, she and Dad wanted a big family but she didn’t want to have to get her figure back just in time to get pregnant again, so we all came close together. It’s nice, too. With so many of us, there could be a big difference in ages, but just a little over six years stretch between Isla and me, and Finn.”
“Do twins run in the family?”
He shook his head. “We’re the only ones I know of, on either side.”
“Interesting.”
“Well, then, are you ready to go?”
“Sure.” She got up and slid her hand into his as they walked to the guest room to get her things. “I’m going to miss it here,” she admitted. “I mean, not many Americans can say they stayed at a castle that isn’t a hotel or open to the public.”
“I’m glad I could provide such an authentic experience for you.”
“Well, and then there’s Merrie.”
He laughed. “Oh, yes. She’s indispensable. It’s truly the only thing I miss in my life in Vegas—having a housekeeper like Merrie. I would steal her away but I think my grandfather would seriously cut me out of the will. She’s been with the family for almost thirty years. Started as a nanny, and eventually took over everything.”
“Is she married?”
“Yes. He lives here as well, though he works in Edinburgh as a bartender. They never had children—I don’t think she can—so they plan to live out their lives here, even when Merrie’s too old to work. Grandfather has it in his will, that she and Tomas can stay here no matter who lives here or who inherits it.”
“Does it go to all six of you?” she asked.
“My siblings? No. Technically, it goes to whomever takes the title of Duke.”
“So, you.”
He shrugged. “Yeah.”
“You really don’t like talking about that at all, do you?”
“Not particularly. At least not until Grandfather and I have talked on Monday.”
“Seems like that’s going to be a big deal.”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Well, I’m all packed and ready to go,” she said as they got to her room. “If you grab my suitcase, I’ll get my purse and backpack.”
“All right.” He wheeled her suitcase to the stairs and carried it down with her trailing behind him.
They walked outside and he stowed it in the back of her rental car. He was about to get in the passenger side when she handed him her keys.
“I’m a modern woman and all that, but since I don’t know my way around yet, I’m happy to let you drive.”
“Sure.” He got in and they pulled out of the estate and onto the street.
By the time she was checked in and had changed clothes and touched up her makeup, they barely made it to the restaurant in time. Everyone else was already there and seated in a room in the back.
“There you are,” Tore called out. “Thought you two were having a quickie before dinner.”
Ian cuffed him on the side of the head. “Dude. Knock it off and be polite.” He was mostly kidding, but Everly seemed really shy when it came to public displays of affection, and while he wasn’t sure why, it wasn’t fair of Tore to constantly make her uncomfortable.
“I’m just kidding around.” Tore eyed Everly, looking contrite. “You know that, right?”
“It’s okay.” She smiled as Ian pulled out her chair for her. “I might be a bit of a prude.”
“Well, I don’t have a shy bone in my body, so I apologize in advance for anything stupid I say. Deal?”
She chuckled. “Deal.”
Ian sat beside her and introduced her to the brothers she hadn’t officially met yet and they all greeted her politely. He noted a little wariness in Lachlan’s eyes—he was always the serious one—and humor in Mac’s, since he teased Ian mercilessly about remaining single for so long. Liam didn’t say much, but Ian figured he’d give him an earful later about American tourists and how stupid he was for inviting her to the house, but Ian didn’t care. Isla, Finn and his mother already liked her, and his gut told him his grandfather would too.
It was just the three oldest of his brothers who were worrywarts. Liam had gone through a broken engagement last year, with a girl he’d been with since high school, and it had hit the whole family hard. She’d said she wasn’t ready to settle down and then married a guy she met in London six months later. So Liam trusted no one, Lachlan didn’t like American women for some reason, and Mac thought Ian should come home and settle down with a nice local girl. They’d be polite, though, or he’d kick all their asses.
“I can’t believe our vacation is almost over,” Dax said. He was sitting on Ian’s other side, with Isla across from him.
“You could stay longer,” Isla told him. “It’s not like you have a family waiting at home.”
“I’m going home to Calgary to see my parents and then it’ll be August and I’ll be getting ready for training camp.”
“You’re welcome to stay longer,” Ian told him. “But you’d just be on your own more because I have some family matters to attend to the next week or two.”
He squeezed Everly’s hand under the table, hopefully letting her know he wasn’t too busy for her, but he didn’t dare look at her, or Dax would understand what he hadn’t said. He had no issue with Dax staying; he just wanted to have time to get to know Everly too.
“It’s all good.” Dax knew his friend well. “You’re busy and I really do owe my parents some time. Besides, my day with the Cup will be when I’m home, so I can’t change the date.”
“I don’t think I’ve been to Calgary,” Isla said thoughtfully. “Maybe I’ll fly out and surprise you when you have your day.”
Everyone on their side of the table fell silent. Finn raised his eyebrows curiously and Tore opened his mouth, but then he glanced at Everly and, amazingly, shut it again. Ian didn’t consider himself overprotective, but the idea of something going on with Isla and Dax was hard to wrap his head around. Had this been going on without his knowledge?
“Calgary is great,” he said, hoping to break the awkward silence. “You’ll like it and I’m sure Dax will be a great tour guide. Won’t you, buddy?”
Dax nodded slowly. “Well, of course. If you really want to come…” His voice trailed off.
“We’ll see how much time I have until classes pick up again,” she said nonchalantly. “I might head to Norway when Zaan has his day as well.”
Ah, she was fucking with them now. Ian became painfully aware he didn’t know his sister as a woman at all, and he wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, because the last thing he wanted was to get involved in her sex life. Although, if she was sleeping with Dax, he might have to say something.
“My day happens the last week of July,” Zaan told her, “so let me know.”
Dax’s eyes darkened slightly and Ian sensed a jealousy he’d never seen in his buddy before. What the hell was going on?
“Stop gawking,” Everly whispered in his ear. “She’s a grown woman and the whole bunch of you is acting like possessive dads with shotguns.”
“You’re right,” he whispered back, reaching for her hand under the table. “Well, I for one,” he said out loud, “am ready for some downtime. We’ve been on the go for weeks. I’m ready to lie on a beach somewhere. I may hop over to Portugal for a few days.”
“It’ll be hot this time of year,” Liam pointed out.
“That’s the point,” Ian responded with a chuckle.
“Don’t you get enough heat in Vegas?”
“Never enough heat,” Ian said, laughing. “My Scottish soul has learned to embrace it.”
“What do you do for work, Isla?” Everly asked her, deftly interrupting whatever smug comment Liam was going to make.
She was definitely a keeper, somehow always looking out for his sister and even his friends. It was sweet to watch and made him want her more than he already did.
“I’m an assistant professor of physics and astronomy,” Isla said.
“University of Edinburgh?” Everly asked in surprise.
Isla smiled. “Yes. My twin isn’t the only one who was an overachiever.”
“She played world-class women’s soccer as well,” Ian said proudly.
“Tore my meniscus,” Isla sighed, “and that was the end of that. But it’s all right. I love what I do.”
“Gazing at the stars all day,” Liam muttered.
“Oh, bugger off.” Isla shot him a look. “You’re in a foul mood today. What’s wrong, haven’t gotten any in a bit?”
Liam scowled but didn’t respond and Ian gave his brother a warning look. Whatever was going on could wait one more day until his friends were gone. He had a feeling the whole family, with the exception of Isla and Finn, were waiting for him to make some kind of announcement and that simply wasn’t going to happen. He and his grandfather were going to talk first. Then he’d make a decision on a timeline for his future, but he already knew in his heart of hearts he wasn’t leaving hockey for at least a year. He wasn’t ready and the last couple of weeks had made that abundantly clear.
15
Ian was distracted and mildly irritable all through dinner and afterward, as they wandered the streets of Edinburgh, going from one pub to another. Luckily, Everly was the kind of woman who sensed he was out of sorts and didn’t try to pry anything out of him. She also didn’t take it personally, apparently confident enough in herself to understand it had nothing to do with her. That alone made him like her even more, and he was suddenly anxious to get away from his family and even his buddies.
“You want to get out of here?” he whispered when they got to the third pub. It was almost midnight and he was done with everyone but her.
“Sure.” She nodded.
He leaned in and kissed her, gently but firmly, hopefully showing her how much he wanted to be alone with her. It wasn’t even about sex at this point, but getting away from all the responsibilities of his life.
“All righty then.” She gave him a look of understanding. “Let’s go.”
Ian made excuses and they slipped out, catching an Uber to the bed and breakfast where she was staying. They didn’t talk on the ride, merely sitting close to each other with their fingers laced together. There was definitely something going on with him, but it wasn’t because of her, so she was hoping he would talk to her once they were alone. His brothers had been a little hostile and brusque, as if they somehow resented him for something, and poor Isla looked to be caught in the middle of everything. His buddies from the team seemed aware but unwilling to get involved, which had made the evening awkward at best. She hadn’t been surprised by his wanting to leave, but she’d been taken aback by his abruptness.
“You want to talk?” she asked as she settled in a chair by the window.
“Yeah. Maybe.” He sat in the chair across from her, staring out the window with an almost brooding look on his face.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think we just slid back in time to the 1600s or something. Your face is so serious, and the room could be lit by candles, the light is so low.”
He gave her a smile. “Is that a fantasy of yours? You an Outlander fan?”
“I don’t know,” she laughed. “We don’t get the station it plays on, so I’ve never seen it. But I’ve heard it’s pretty sexy.”
“Can’t say I’ve seen it myself,” he admitted, “but the lads keep nagging me, saying I can tell them if it’s accurate. Told them I wasn’t alive in the 1700s, so I have no fucking idea.”
She laughed softly and got to her feet, walking over to him and sitting on his lap. “I won’t nag you to watch it. Promise.” She settled against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “How about a massage?”
“What?” He looked startled.
“To help you relax. Come on. Whatever it is, it can wait.” She got to her feet and held out her hands. He took them slowly and she guided him to the four-poster bed. “Take off your shirt.”
He didn’t say anything, but did as she asked. The effect left her breathless. He was literally the man of her dreams. Broad shoulders and ripped abs, a tapered waist, and biceps she wanted to dig her nails into. Best of all, though he was all cut and ripped, he wasn’t one of those guys with overly bulging muscles that made him look disproportionate. In her eyes, he was absolute perfection.
She gently pushed him onto the bed, motioning for him to lie on his stomach. He folded his arms and placed his hands under his chin as she straddled his back. This might come off as sexual, but in reality, she truly wanted him to relax. He was such a great guy, and had been so good to her, she wanted to do a little something to make him feel better if at all possible. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, squeezing just enough to feel the tightness beneath the skin.
“You’re tight,” she murmured.
“Haven’t worked out in two weeks,” he said. “I need to. It’s always the best way for me to de-stress.”
“I go to the gym three times a week,” she said, rubbing the heels of her hands down his spine. “I wish I had time to do more, but I’m so busy all the time. I work full-time and pick up freelance work too, so it’s constant.”
“I understand the feeling.”
She worked on a knot in his right shoulder blade and another one in his lower back, gentling her touch as he started to doze off. Whatever was going on with him seemed to have caught up with him tonight, and as much as she would have liked to make love with him, she was happy just being together. Something about him made her feel safe, which was ridiculous since she wasn’t in any danger. But his presence calmed her in a way no one but Margot and Gracie had in years. More than that, she was starting to trust him, which wasn’t like her at all.
She quietly slid off the bed and tiptoed into the bathroom to wash off her makeup and change into shorts and a T-shirt. When she came out, Ian hadn’t moved and she doused the lights. Crawling back on the bed, she gently touched his shoulder and nudged him.
“Come on, get under the covers.”
He stirred slightly and she pulled back the sheet and blanket until he slid beneath them. Then she moved against him and rested her head on his shoulder.
“G’night, lass,” he murmured sleepily.
Spoken in the thickest accent she’d ever heard from him, it was the sexiest line in the history of sexy lines and she fell asleep with a smile on her lips.
She woke up to a strong arm draped over her and Ian’s body pressed against her back. He shifted slightly, easing his erection away from her backside, which told her he was awake and trying to be a gentleman. It made her smile and she wiggled back a little, until it was pressed against her butt again. She heard his soft groan and lifted her hand so it closed around the forearm that was tight against her abdomen.
“You’re awake,” she whispered.
“I am.”
“You seemed tired last night.”
“It was more mental than physical,” he said in a sleep-laced voice. “I’m sorry I passed out like that.”
“It’s fine. You took care of me when I needed it, so it was my turn to take care of you.”
“Aye. You did.”
“God, I love when you talk Scottish to me.”
He rumbled out a laugh. “Cannae help it.”
She chuckled. “You’re kind of turning me on with all that brogue.”
“Well, it’s only fair since, you know, I’m hard as granite at the moment.”
“Please tell me you carry condoms in your wallet, like most guys.”
“I do.” In his sleepy state, it sounded more like “ah due,” and she loved it.
“Keep it up and I’m yours.”
He lifted his upper body and leaned his head down to capture her lips. Before she knew it, he was on top of her, kissing her with all the passion that had been brewing between them. It was seductive but simultaneously tender, arms and legs intertwined as they got their first taste of real physical intimacy together. It felt like their hearts were going a mile a minute, but all she could focus on was the fact that her body was a little tingly, and a lot warm. Sometime during the night he’d taken off his jeans, so there was nothing but the fabric of his boxers and the tiny shorts she slept in between them.
He slid a hand beneath her T-shirt and splayed his fingers on her stomach. His touch made a little bolt of lightning zing through her blood and land squarely between her legs. It had been forever since a man had touched her and she arched into him, anxious to feel more, everything he was willing to give her.
Her nipples tightened as he rubbed them with his thumbs, running little circles around her areola until her breath got short and she moved against him, fingers tangling in his short but soft hair. She cried out softly when he bit down on one of her breasts, but pleasure far outweighed the pain and soon she was panting, aching for him to give her more. She’d never known her nipples were this sensitive until now, and she couldn’t get enough. Her legs fell open, almost inadvertently, a direct invitation, and he didn’t hesitate. He rolled a condom down his throbbing erection and her inner walls clenched with anticipation.
“Ian.” When she spoke his name, the look in his eyes nearly undid her right then and there, so full of heat and longing and intimacy.
He aligned himself with her entrance and slowly pushed into her, their eyes locked together, each lost in their own ecstasy but somehow also completely linked. She shifted to accommodate him, opening her legs wider, taking him deeper and deeper until it was almost too much.
He started to move, purposefully, forcefully, but with equal amounts of tenderness, his lips grazing hers, murmuring adoring words in his beyond-sexy accent. He gripped her ass with both hands, driving deeper and harder, holding her exactly where he wanted her, until she tensed and everything inside of her exploded out. Her orgasm was ridiculously strong, screams leaving her chest unlike any other. She’d never experienced pleasure like this and the waves rocked her over and over and over.
