Fire Maidens Scotland (Billionaires & Bodyguards #6) - Anna Lowe Page 0,62
was. She could place the warmth along her back — that was Lachlan, spooned around her, keeping her nice and close. The tickle on her ear was his breath, low and steady in the depths of sleep. The glowing sensation inside was the afterglow of sex, and the happy little hum in her ears was her own. But what was that soft, pressing sensation on her hand where it stuck out from under the sheets?
She wrapped her fingers around Lachlan’s, and whatever that was went away. But a moment later, a low, whining sound set in, and she opened her eyes.
“Mungo,” she whispered. She reached out to pet him, and he leaned in. Then he paced around, looking at the door.
Oops. The poor, neglected dog had to go, and there she was, lounging around naked in bed.
Lounging with my mate, her dragon hummed.
She closed her eyes briefly, relishing the feeling of hope and possibility that went beyond the physical glow. And a feeling of something missing.
She smiled, pinpointing what that was. Regret. Not a single one of those little devils was buzzing around her at the moment. All the old ones had been squeezed away by satisfaction, and no new ones had sprouted up to take their place.
She closed her eyes in relief. Damn, did that feel good.
Still, poor Mungo had to go, no matter how much she longed to stay in bed. Slowly, she stuck a foot out and slipped away.
“Coming, Mungo. And you…” She whispered to Lachlan, who was still out for the count, poor guy. She leaned in to kiss his brow. “I’ll be right back.”
His cheek twitched, but he didn’t stir, and that was fine with her. Lord knew he’d had a long day.
In the best possible way. Her dragon whipped its tail in satisfaction.
She stood, looking at him. Those broad, bare shoulders, only half covered by the bedding. That faint smile on his lips. The curve of his fingers, still cupping the space where hers had been.
Her heart swelled, and she blew a kiss. “Be right back. I promise.”
Pulling a spare blanket around her shoulders, she followed Mungo to the door. It was chilly, but there was no reason to put her clothes on when she had every intention of heading back to bed.
“Good boy, Mungo. Such a good boy,” she murmured, petting him as he waited at the foot of the stairs. When she opened the front door, he raced out, sniffing the grass. She laughed. “Sorry to make you wait. Good thing we have a lot of space out here, huh?”
She looked out. Boy, did they. The slope fell gently away from the foot of the house, opening to a wide lawn. Beyond that, waves swished over the pebbles of the bay, and out over the ocean…
“Beautiful,” she whispered, taking it all in.
The storm had blown over, and the sun was breaking out, illuminating the lush green landscape. Drops of rain caught in stalks of grass reflected the light. The ominous, stuffy wind was gone, replaced by a playful breeze, and the late summer sun was still high enough to grace the island with an hour or two of light.
Holly tightened her fingers around the doorframe. As usual, that sad, This could be my last time here feeling struck her, but it was easier to counter for a change. For every ending, there was a new beginning. She smiled and glanced toward the bedroom. Who knew where destiny might lead her next?
“Good boy, Mungo. Ready to come back in?” she called.
Apparently not, because the leggy, wirehaired dog ran to yet another bush, lifted his leg, then scuffed his feet along the ground, marking his turf.
“Come on, Mungo. Time to come in. I promise we’ll go for a walk soon.”
But Mungo went right on tracking invisible scent trails around the house.
“Later, Mungo,” she called, then caught herself. Oops. Was she treating Mungo the way she hated being treated herself — as a lesser priority? She glanced between Mungo and the stairs, torn.
Fine. She would tiptoe back upstairs, and if Lachlan was awake, Mungo would just have to wait. But if Lachlan was still asleep, she would grab her clothes and take Mungo for a walk.
As it turned out, Lachlan was sound asleep, deaf to the creak of the stairs as she crept up for a peek. She paused. Just watching him made her ache, and the prospect of leaving — even for a few minutes — made her inner dragon rebel.