The cavalry in the shape of Lachy on a quad with Coll not far behind, on of all things, a horse, arrived in less than fifteen minutes.
She blinked at the horse and broke down the gun.
“A friend’s, he was visiting, I did my Lone Ranger act.” Coll slid to the ground and tied the horse’s reins to a thick branch. “Are you okay?” He ran his hand over her arms and hugged her. For one brief second, Finn hugged him back, reveling in his closeness, and then took hold of his hand and turned to Lachy whose expression was one of confusion.
“Lassie, what’s wrong? What’s thon bike doing there, ye know full well this is no shortie.”
When he was agitated Lachy’s accent got stronger and less understandable by the word. Finn guessed he meant a short cut back home.
“I’m fine, the bike isn’t,” Finn said rapidly. “It seems to have lost the ability to be steered or stopped. No steering or brakes. And it was all fine ‘til I went up to look at the boundary with the moors. I was out of sight of it for no more than ten, fifteen minutes, and that was only because I went over the other side of the fence to check out the stream for water.”
“That’s time enough to cut wires,” Lachy said shortly. He stared at the bike and muttered something unintelligible. “But I cannae believe our Donny would hae done a thing like that. He’s thrawn and lazy but no’ violent.”
Finn could have kicked herself. She should have sensed it wasn’t an accident. After all, there were no large stones around where she’d found the one blocking the stream. But at the time all she’d thought was
shit, I want to go home early, not late
.
“Someone did, though,” Coll said. “If not Donny, and I tend to believe you, then someone who knew Finn was up here and what she’d do. What made you check on the stream, Finn?”
“It was only a trickle, and there’s usually a good amount of fresh, clean water in it. Shit, it was blocked by a stone—rock even—and some debris. On purpose, I suppose.” Finn gulped, bile rose in her throat and she dashed toward a bush to lose her lunch. The idea that someone wanted to do her harm didn’t sit well with her.
“You know,” Coll said as he handed her the bottle of water she carried on her bike. “I wonder if this was meant for you or Donny.”
“Donny? Why?” She went closer, leaned on Coll’s sturdy and comforting body, put her arms around him and held on tight. He hugged her and dropped a kiss on her head.
Lachy looked up from the bike. “You could be right. It’d be expected he’d use one like this, not you Finn. Everyone is used to seeing you on the rusty old one you preferred.”
Preferred? Since when?
Coll raised his eyebrows and she shook her head. No need to add to Lachy’s worries.
“Could be,” she said in a noncommittal voice. “Anyway, I’m okay and still standing…just. You can put the fear of God into Donny with pleasure. The sheep are fine, the stream is unblocked and I’m ready for my tea.” Finn did her best to keep the wobble out of her voice but wasn’t sure she succeeded. “What’s the best way for me to get home? Who’s going to give me a backy?”
“Can you ride? Horses, not quad bikes.”
Finn rolled her eyes in one long, smooth, exaggerated movement. “Well, duh. I’ll have you know I was pony club champion at flag picking up races for three years running. And without a saddle most of the time.”
Coll bowed. “Then Delilah here will be a doddle. Can you ride her around a bit until we’re ready? Stay close. Then you can give me the backy. She’ll take us both for that short distance to my workshop. I’ll take a look around with Lachy and then we can go and reassure Ronnie that she’s well and I didn’t gallop her off into the sunset.”
Finn laughed and swung up into the saddle. She didn’t bother to shorten the stirrups, and simply took the reins, which Coll untied and handed to her. “C’mon, Delilah, let’s make them dizzy.”
Chapter Eight
Coll watched until she was a few yards away then turned to Lachy. “Well?”
Lachy shook his head. “Not at all. This is past petty rustling or whatever. Finn could have been killed and it’s not on.”
Coll could agree with that. “We’ll ring the police again when we get back.”
“Aye,” Lachy sighed. “I ken we were gan gae Donny rope tae hang himsel’ but enough. I’m off to see the shyster and drag him to the castle if I have to.” He spoke in his normal non-slangy voice as he climbed onto his quad bike. “Do you think I should stop here so no one tampers with it until the police come?”
Coll thought quickly. He was well out of his comfort zone. Woodcarvers didn’t turn investigators except in books. “Might be an idea.” He ran his hands through his hair and realized it needed cutting badly. Once it got longer than an inch it went into a mass of tight dark curls and he’d look like the savage woodcarver of the wild woods if he didn’t chop it soon. “Hell, Lachy, I’ve no idea and I can’t even get a mobile signal here.”
“Maybe not, but I’ve got a walkie-talkie and someone should be around to answer,” Lachy said as he took the instrument out of a pouch and proceeded to inform whoever answered what had happened.
Coll listened to the voice at the other end and inwardly laughed. Jess had answered and had come out with such a vocabulary of non-curse words which were obviously intended to replace the words one would normally use to swear that he guessed her Sir, David, had carried out his threat to wash her mouth out. Not as everyone thought, with soap but with a certain type of cola she detested. The threat was usually enough to temper her language, but all of a sudden, ‘shit’, ‘bugger’ and ‘fuck’ slipped in between ‘darnation’, ‘scooberoony’ and ‘Mesopotamia’ and he guessed that these shenanigans had finally made her ignore David’s threat. Now she’d be paying for it. But oh boy, how he admired her fluent stream of words.
“David has just gone to ring the police and says to say Aidan will be with you in five. Can you all wait ‘til then, please?”
“Ask her if I can bring Finn back when Aidan arrives,” Coll said. Lachy forwarded the request.
“Hel…p, I’ve no idea I’m not the copper. Can you wait until David… Hold on just a sec.” The walkie-talkie went silent. Coll beckoned Finn over and she rode Delilah nearby before she slid off and held on to the reins. The horse bent her head and cropped grass. It could be such a peaceful scene—except…
It wasn’t.
“Sir says the police will be with you soon, and can you all stay there.”
“Tell her to get a message to Ronnie then, he’ll be imagining all sorts of scenarios. Not worried about me but about Delilah.”
Jess snorted over the line. “I heard that. And it’s true. David will ring him.”
“So now we wait.” Lachy switched the walkie-talkie off and sat on the seat of his bike. “I think I’ll go and check that stream out.”
“No.” Finn and Coll spoke together.
“It’s best to wait here like Jess said,” Coll told him. “Smell the good old country smells.”
Delilah farted and all three of them burst into laughter.
* * * *
No one was laughing four hours later. The police had arrived with Ronnie, who was at last allowed to take his horse home—did they think Delilah had information to share?—and eventually Coll and Finn had arrived back at Coll’s flat.
The message Coll had received from Jeff wasn’t helpful. Lachy had gone to get Donny to bring him to the castle and he’d been nowhere to be seen. Even his lady friend had no idea where he’d gone. All she could say was he’d had a phone call, gone white, dressed and left a few hours earlier. She’d heard nothing since.
It looked as if he’d been alerted and fled. Even though Jeff vowed to find him or else, Finn was sensible enough to know if he didn’t want to be found, it wouldn’t be easy.
Coll looked at the clock. “Hell, kitten, it’s past ten o’clock. I’ve lasagna in the freezer. How about you go and shower whilst I put it in the oven. Then I’ll shower and after we can eat? I think we’ll put the club off until we’re more with it.” He opened the freezer door and hunkered down to look at the contents. The position outlined the curves of his ass and the straight line of his spine. His hair with its sexy streaks of gray had a hint of a curl as it touched his collar, and Finn itched to run her fingers through it.
Shit, I have it bad. Now or never.
Her skin was slick with perspiration, her hands clammy and her tummy churning.
Finn stared at him and blinked rapidly. She took a deep breath. This was it.
“With respect, Sir. No.”
Coll stood up without taking anything out of the freezer, shut the door and leaned on it.
“No, what?”
“We’ll not put it off. Well,” she temporized as she thought fast. “I don’t mind putting off the club, but I do mind not getting even a wee taste of what you could do to me and for us, Sir.” Her heart thumped. Would he understand what she meant?
“Elucidate, kitten.”
“We’ve waited, Sir. We’ve talked and I know who you are. Now I need to discover who I am. What better way than now, when I need to get out of the mind-set I’m in? You explained how that can happen. I think I need to see for myself. I suggest it’s time you showed me how I’m to be yours.”
Would he?
If she hadn’t been studying him so closely, she wouldn’t’ve seen the rapid tic in his neck or the way he swallowed convulsively. Then he straightened up, put his hands into his pockets and smiled. For one brief moment she imagined she saw the signs of a predator in his expression before it immediately turned into one of dominance. It made the butterflies in her tummy dance about. She waited dry-mouthed as he took a long, leisurely perusal of her body.
“Assume the position, kitten.”
Those words made her knees tremble, her heart beat faster and her pussy muscles clench.
Oh yes.
She scrambled to do as he demanded, ignoring the usual aches and pains of the day. Food and a shower could wait but this couldn’t. As she knelt on the floor in front of her Sir and dipped her head, Finn heard his soft laugh.
“Such a beautiful sight, my kitten. But we do need to shower. Shall I tell you to crawl into it and wait for me?”
That was something she’d decided ages ago would be a great big red no. Now? Her juices gathered and under her dusty work trousers, her thighs were damp.
“I would, Sir,” she said honestly and caught the swift look of amazement and pleasure that crossed his face before it became impassive once more. “Except,” she went on, “I’m a bit sore after a day’s work and I’d like to shower and then crawl. I’m not sure my knees would cope at the moment. The hot water works wonders.”
I hope he understands.
He did.
“Good girl for being honest. Would you prefer a bath?”
The pleasure in his voice made those abused knees go weak. “No, Sir, it’d take too long.”
He laughed. “Then let’s go and shower together.” He lifted her into his arms and strode along the corridor to the big en-suite bathroom off his bedroom. Twice the size of the one she used and, she saw as he set her down, with a lot more attachments and fittings.
Coll noticed where she looked. “Ah, the shackle points and grip bars. This used to be Jess and David’s place. They decorated it. Perfectly I reckon.”
Finn grinned and blushed. “So do I, Sir.”
“Good, kitten, then soon we’ll try them out for us. However not this time.” He turned on the shower and tugged his T-shirt over his head. Even though she was used to seeing him without it, this time as every other, the sheer male magnetism of him took Finn’s breath away. She stared dry-mouthed, and wondered for the umpteenth occasion just how they’d got to this point. That someone so overwhelmingly dominant had picked her to be his. They both knew it was more than a BDSM lifestyle choice and by choosing to move forward, they were setting the ground rules for a longer relationship. How it would pan out, she had no idea. Even Coll had agreed they needed to take everything one day at a time. After all she still didn’t know whether his needs would mesh with hers.
Maybe tonight.
She swallowed again.
He noticed and beckoned her closer.
“Unsnap my jeans, kitten.”
Finn took the two steps to bring her to him.
“Shut your eyes, kitten.”
“Eh? But how….” He put his finger over her lips.
“By touch. Shut your eyes.” His voice took on the Dom cadence that she responded to automatically. Each evening he’d spoken to her in that voice. She never knew when or what he would say, but she responded and did as he said. Every time. Just like Pavlov’s dog, she’d told him the previous day and only half in jest.
“Never,” Coll had assured her. “You respond because it is your deepest desire to do so. Not by rote but by desire. There is a difference.”
She accepted that, just as she accepted she wanted to close her eyes.
“My good kitten. What’s your color?”
“Green, Sir.”
Why would it be anything else when at last they’d taken this next step?
“Then, assume the position and maybe I’ll give you a helping hand.”
She obeyed with alacrity, felt him take hold of her fingers, then she touched the snap of his jeans. Thank goodness he had helped. She would have put her hands much lower and…
Embarrassed much?
Heat flooded through her at the thought of how she would have felt if she’d fumbled with his cock not the snap.
Not yet, not until…unless he says so. Not yet. Then, oh yes, but now…
Finn wrenched her thoughts back to the task in hand. Strange how with your eyes closed, the simple act seemed so much more complicated. Eventually she felt the metal disc part company from its fastenings and she sat back on her knees.
It was true just how heightened her senses were. She could hear her own breath, almost echoed by Coll. Somewhere a clock chimed the half hour, and the freezer clicked on with a whirr. Noises that wouldn’t usually have registered.
There was a rustle and Coll’s voice came from near her left ear. “Perfect, kitten. Now take off your top.”
That was easier, and with her eyes closed, she couldn’t tell whether a sweaty vest and no doubt a grubby bra would disgust him. Oh, he’d seen her in very little before but not in her ‘after a day’s work’ underwear, even if it was more seductive than sensible. Some things weren’t negotiable to her sensible self. Lacy knickers and thongs were one of them.