Winter Wishes (The Play #1.5) (6 page)

Thierry shrugs, shooting him a sly smile. “No need to be jealous.”

As we make our way down to the rink and I begrudgingly shove on a pair of rented skates that smell like they’ve been made of cheese, I realize that Thierry really can skate like an angel and contrary to Lachlan’s self-effacing attitude and the Frenchman’s claims, Lachlan is the opposite of terrible.

I mean, he’s not the best of the best but he can at least stand on the ice and move smoothly without eating shit every five seconds. Not like me.

By the time I fall down for the tenth time, Lachlan shakes his head and hoists me to my feet.

“Kayla, I hate to tell you this,” Lachlan says earnestly, holding my hands. “But you might just be complete rubbish at this.”

“I told you!” I exclaim, wanting to hit him but knowing that if I let go of him for a second I would fall again.

Thierry skates over to us. “Actually I believe she said she wasn’t very good at it. That implied that she would be somewhat good. Which she is not.”

“Ferme la bouche,” I tell Thierry.
Shut your mouth
.

He raises his brow, folding his hands behind his back. “I better get out of here before she uses more French on me. Somehow it’s worse than her skating.”

Thierry quickly skates away and I yell after him, “You know, you don’t need to talk about me like I’m not here!”

“He means well,” Lachlan says, his eyes twinkling even more so with the reflection of the white rink. “As well as a Frenchman can. Come on. Let’s get you around the rink at least once.”

Before I can protest, Lachlan comes around me, his skates on the insides of mine, one arm wrapped around my waist, the other holding onto my arm.

“Just like this,” he whispers into my ear and my nerves dance along my neck, down my limbs, alighting my body like only he can.

I’m as tense as anything, my legs starting to shake as he slowly glides forward, pushing me with him. I know I’m going to bail at any moment.

But Lachlan’s body is so strong, so powerful, so solid against mine. And when he whispers into my ear, “I’ve got you,” I believe him. He has me – now and forever. He won’t ever let go. He won’t ever let me fall.

I relax, closing my eyes, and let myself sink into his warmth, his mass. I let my worries melt away and just become one with his heartbeats, his movements, as much as possible. It’s almost like sex in that way, that our bodies are so fine-tuned to each other, our connection is nothing short of second nature.

We glide so effortlessly, my hair blowing back from my face, the chill of the wind on my nose and cheeks, it almost feels like a snow-dusted Christmas dream.

“Open your eyes,” Lachlan whispers.

I do and see that we are already on the other side of the rink. It felt like we got here through no effort at all.

“I can’t believe it,” I say softly, looking across the crowded rink.

“You better. You had this in you. Sometimes we just need to have a little faith and try again.”

Boy is he right about that.

“Want to keep skating?” he asks me.

“Only if we can skate all night,” I tell him.

I lean back against his chest, his big arms around me, and we slow dance on ice, me and my beast.

CHAPTER FOUR

Lachlan

“Are you ready?” I call out for Kayla. I know Emily, Jo and Lionel are, Emily in her crate while the others sit at my feet, tails thumping with no idea where we are going.

“Just a minute,” I hear her say. It’s followed by a whole heap of rattling coming from the bedroom. I know she’s been fretting all morning over what to pack for Christmas, even though it’s not like she came here with a lot of options.

Finally she emerges, lugging her suitcase instead of her overnight duffel bag that she had before.

“It’s just for a few nights,” I gently remind her, sticking my hand out, offering to take it.

She holds it back from me. “I couldn’t decide. Everything I own just doesn’t seem good enough.”

I can see the glimmer of fear in her eyes. It softens me, inside out.

“Listen, love,” I tell her. “There is absolutely nothing for you to worry about. You are good enough. Bloody hell, you’re far too good for me. You know Jessica and Donald love you and they won’t ever do anything but love you…that’s just how they are.”

“But I haven’t seen them since I moved back here. I don’t know, what if they think I’m totally crazy now, you know, for coming here?”

I can’t help but smile. “Well, I assure you they already think you’re a bit nuts. I mean, you are with me after all.”

“I’m serious,” she says, adjusting her grip on the suitcase until I take it from her.

“I know you are. It’s going to be fine.”

At least, I’m hoping it will be. I know they all love her and are especially excited for her to spend Christmas with us. It’s just George that I’m still a bit worried about. And I know she feels the same way.

“And your grandfather?” she asks, right on target.

I look away, wiggling my lower jaw as I search for the right words. “Take anything he says with a grain of salt. We all do.”

Except for me, of course. But I’m still learning.

Eventually we get all our luggage and the dogs into the car, stopping by my friend Amara’s flat first. Normally I bring at least Lionel with me everywhere, if not Emily and Jo, but George is decidedly against dogs. That should tip you off about his character right there. One time I brought Lionel and he would barely let me in the house. I spent an hour having tea and then left back for Edinburgh right away. I won’t be making that mistake again, not now.

Maybe this isn’t a very macho thing to admit, but whenever I say goodbye to the dogs it gets a bit emotional. They always know what’s up and even though they have a good time with Amara, it pulls at my heart to see their sad eyes, hear that whine.

Naturally, it puts me in a pensive mood for our drive to Aberdeen. I’m barely noticing the way the snow deepens, how charming the landscape becomes, until Kayla gasps and taps me on the arm.

“A castle!” she exclaims, turning to look at me with wide eyes. “Can we go?”

I look up, missing the sign she must have seen. Still, we’re about a half hour south of Aberdeen and close to the coast and Dunottar Castle.

“You mean Dunottar?” I ask.

“Yes, I think,” she says. “I mean, if it’s not much trouble.”

Nothing would be too much trouble when it comes to her and I’m certainly in no hurry to get to Aberdeen now that this dark mood has found me. Besides, it has been ages since I’d last been to a castle.

I take the next exit and soon we find ourselves standing on the wind blasted cliffs at Dunottar Castle. There is no snow here at the moment, just an endless green that swoops down to the roaring sea. It somehow feels colder here than anywhere else and I instinctively put my arm around Kayla, holding her tight as her scarf whips around her.

“This is like out of a movie,” she says in awe, taking it all in. “Or Game of Thrones.”

“Actually,” I tell her proudly, “the movie Hamlet with Mel Gibson was shot here.”

And it’s easy to see why. The castle is perched on a part of the cliffs that juts out to sea, providing only a narrow isthmus as a walkway to the castle. As we make our way down the path and across the narrow neck to the sprawling, crumbling castle walls, it’s easy to see how back in the day this place was naturally protected against enemies. With high cliffs that plunge to the sea nearly surrounding the whole thing, it’s as good as an island.

There are a lot of steps leading down from the carpark and across to the castle and a few times the wind comes at us as if it’s trying to knock us off the path, an age old protector of the ruins. In fact when we pay for our tickets, the woman warns us that they might have to close the castle early due to the high winds.

We try to make it quick, but this place beckons for you to stay and explore as long as possible. We start around the edges and work our way in, walking along the perfectly groomed lawns that lead toward the remains of the buildings. Surprisingly, visitors are allowed in the buildings, even though they look like they’re about to crumble on you.

Kayla has her phone out as we walk, taking pictures of everything. At one point the wind whips her scarf off and I manage to snatch it out of the air before it blows over to the sea.

“Let’s go inside,” I tell her, loud enough to be heard over the wind and roaring waves, just as her phone rings.

She nods, staring down at the screen. She grimaces and looks up at me with wide eyes. I can barely hear her. “It’s about the job!”

I swallow, my heart thudding a few beats as she answers the call, plugging up her other ear with her finger. I can only hope that this is good news – Kayla really has had her heart set on the writing position. I know that even without it, she’ll find something else and with Ruff Love, there are always work opportunities. She’ll be more than okay. But obviously I want her happy above anything.

I watch as she walks away from me and under the crumbling stone doorway into the nearest building. She keeps her back to me, walking past a family who are peering at a map in the dimness. She keeps walking until she reaches a wall and then nods a few times.

Even though the wind is kept out of the castle walls, I still can’t hear her very well. I stay back though, not wanting to intrude when she’s talking about a private matter, even though I want her to know I’m there for her.

Finally she hangs up the phone, slowly sliding it into her coat pocket, and from the way her shoulders fall, I know it’s not good news. She didn’t get it.

“Kayla,” I say gently, even though I’m not sure she can hear me. I go over to her, hovering at her back briefly before placing my hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

She nods and I hear her sniff. It bloody breaks my heart already. She then turns around and though she isn’t crying, her eyes are soft and wavering.

“That, uh,” she says quietly. She clears her throat. “That was 24 Hours. I didn’t get the job.”

“I’m so sorry,” I tell her, trying to pull her into a hug, though her body is stiff. “I know how much you wanted it.”

“Yeah,” she says with a sigh, nodding against me.

“But you know you’ll be okay, right? You know that. I’ll take care of you.”

Obviously I’ve said the wrong thing because she stiffens up even more and pulls back.

“I don’t need you to take care of me,” she snaps. “I needed that job.”

I can only nod. I hate feeling hopeless around her. More than that, I hate that she’s worrying and fretting about something she doesn’t need to. Her pride is just as strong as mine is, which is both a blessing and a curse. Times like this though, I wish she’d give in. Just a little. There’s nothing shameful about taking help when it’s offered to you, especially when it comes from someone who loves you, who only wants what’s best. Fuck, it took me a long time to grapple with that fact myself and it wasn’t until I saw that Kayla and Brigs had the best intentions for my own sake that I knew what I had to do to help myself.

“I know,” I tell her. “They’re complete wankers for not hiring you.”

She manages to give me a faint smile. She always smiles when I use that word. But the smile quickly fades and she shakes her head, walking past me and through the cold, damp ruins of the castle.

I follow, grabbing her hand, letting her know I’m there for her. She keeps walking, as if leading me and we wind our way through the structure in silence. The wind outside is picking up and I’m about to mention that maybe we should make our way back to the car when she suddenly grabs me as we turn a corner, pulling me into a darkened room with a slit for a window and an uneven, rocky floor.

She brings me to her, her back against the wall. Her hands go to my face, fingers so soft and cold, and stares at me, her eyes searching mine through a million different feelings and I’m torn in a million different ways, grasping for something to say that will make her feel better.

“There will be other jobs,” I say feebly but I can tell from the fire in her eyes that she doesn’t want to hear it.

“It doesn’t matter,” she says. She pulls my face down to hers and kisses me, hard, deep, as if she’s suddenly afraid that she won’t survive without my lips on hers, my tongue lost in her warmth. We kiss as if we aren’t standing among the ruins of an old castle, the wind battering the stone walls, the cold slicing through the cracks, the deafening roar of the waves as they crash against the coast. We certainly aren’t behaving like there are tourists milling about in the other rooms, especially not as Kayla’s hands slip over my dick, pressing hard against my firm length and coaxing a deep moan from me.

This is about her distraction now, not mine.

I will gladly do what I can.

I move away from her hands and undo the button on her jeans before unzipping them. I pull them down to the ground and her thong along with it.

“What are you doing?” she whispers.

I kiss her hard and then drop to my knees. Without saying a word, I start licking up her cold, bare, naked thighs until she shivers and moans, until goosebumps erupt all over her delicate flesh. I slide my fingers into her pussy, wet and wanting despite the circumstances. She’s practically melting into my touch and I melt into her.