A Highland Werewolf Wedding - By Terry Spear Page 0,50
more of his touch. He wanted to give it. But they had to talk.
When she finally caught her breath, she hoarsely said, “You can’t be serious. She hates me. From everything she said, her posture, all of it.”
“No, Elaine,” he said tenderly. “My mother can be hard to read. I believe she sees in you something of herself. A fighter. Someone who would protect one of her own when she had no stake in risking her own neck. She likes you. That’s saying something, believe me.”
She gave a harsh laugh. “If the way she reacted to me indicates she likes me, I’d hate to see her when she hated me.”
“She tests a wolf’s mettle. You have what it takes to impress her.”
She let out her breath softly. “I didn’t think she appreciated what I’d done—standing up for you against Vardon.”
“Hmm, lass, enough to suggest I mate with you. She wouldn’t make a proposition like that flippantly.”
Elaine laughed again, softer now, more amused than bitter. “Did she choose your brothers’ mates for them?”
“No.” He recalled how angry his mother had been when she learned Ian had taken Julia as his mate but hadn’t bothered to consult her. When Shelley became Duncan’s, his mother had actually been glad that the she-wolf had helped to recover their money, so she was more than willing to open her home to her. Shelley’s Uncle Ethan was an added benefit because Cearnach could see that his mother was becoming quite smitten with the American.
“So why does she think she can decide who you mate?” Elaine asked.
“She thinks I’m in lust with you and that can turn into something deeper,” he boldly said, watching her reaction. Elaine had to know how much he wanted her already, and not just because of the way she heated his blood with sexual craving.
Her eyes sparkled in the soft lights, her mouth curving up. God, how he wanted to cup her face in his hands and kiss her like they hadn’t a second to lose.
She finished her glass of wine and poured herself another. “So what has that to do with anything? Lust is lust. It doesn’t necessarily lead to a long-term relationship. Not between wolves who mate for life.”
He cocked a brow. “She believes that the feeling is mutual.” He knew the feeling was mutual because Elaine’s pheromones told him so. Because of the way her heart raced when he drew close to her. Because of how he felt the air sizzle with sexual tension between them. Aye, the lass lusted for him as much as he did for her. There was no denying it.
The glass of wine that Elaine was about to sip from stopped at her lips, and she studied him before lowering it again and saying, “Okay, so if we’re being brutally honest here, what is this really about?”
He admired her for her insight. He wasn’t about to hide the truth from Elaine. Best to get it all out in the open. He leaned back on the pillows covering the couch, observing her reaction to what he was about to say although he wanted to pull her close, kiss her, forget talking, and get to more pleasurable business.
She sipped her wine, then set the glass down, pressed her back against the soft cushions, and folded her arms, ready to hear the naked truth.
“The Hawthorn brothers…”
As soon as he mentioned them, she stiffened slightly. She was uncomfortable right away. Her past had come back to haunt her.
“…stole the goods from three of our merchant ships. The word was that they hid the goods somewhere in Scotland.”
Her lovely, dark brown eyes narrowed fractionally. Not enough that most would have noticed, but a wary wolf would see the shift in her response.
“My mother wants us to become mates. I help you to locate the goods and you get to keep them, but they stay in the family,” he said.
Elaine narrowed her eyes even further. “I see. You agreed to this scheme?” Her tone was icy now.
He hated how he’d turned a blossoming friendship into something else. A business relationship no longer in the least bit friendly.
“No. My mother dictates, but we do as we see fit,” Cearnach said easily.
She relaxed a little, but the hostility was still smoldering beneath the surface. “Thank you, Cearnach, for being honest with me.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“I didn’t know my uncles had stolen from your family before your mother told me. I’m sorry for what… for what they did.”