I paced my living room, my day’s work mostly already done though it wasn’t yet lunchtime. Yesterday, after Lochie had been called to action, Isla and I had returned to bake brownies. Her da showed up two hours later, a happy outcome to his mission with the injured man taken to hospital by his girlfriend.
The little family stayed for tea and cake.
Aside from me dropping and cracking my favourite mixing bowl when Lochie had stood too close to me, it had been so lovely.
God, I wished he hadn’t friendzoned me.
My phone dinged, and I leapt to grab it. Earlier, I’d sent Viola and Casey a group message with a specific request. My message was top of the screen.
Cait: Give me your top three sex positions. Stat.
Viola: Stat? Like you’re about to have sex? Put your phone down, woman.
Cait: No, no. I mean for future reference.
Casey: Ooh, I like this game. Um, let me see. We’re talking one-on-one, so in no particular order: the guy standing up with me in his arms, legs around his waist; me flat on my back, not allowed to use my hands (try it and you’ll see); sixty-nine until one of us can’t stand it and takes full control.
Viola: Upright, on my knees, Leo behind me.
Casey: That is super hot. Making notes.
Viola: Mine’s hot? You wrote an essay.
Casey: It’s one of my favourite subjects. I have a lot of opinions.
I sighed, overwhelm creeping in. There was so much I didn’t know. Where the heck did I start? I might not have a sex partner in mind, but knowing this felt important.
Cait: I offered Lochinvar a sex deal. He turned me down. I still want to have a few ideas, though. In case I ever find another man to try them out on.
Viola: Lochinvar turned you down? Is he mad?
Cait: I think I scared him off. I didn’t get the chance to explain I’m not asking for anything more. He said we’d just be friends, I think to put me in my place.
Viola: Talk to him again. You obviously like each other, and you’re compatible.
Cait: Do you know what’s scarier? If he actually says yes.
Viola: If he does, then tell him that this is difficult for you and I bet he will have ways to make it easier. He’s probably thought about it a lot.
Casey: Agreed. You’re focused on the mechanics, but what you’re exploring is attraction. It’s intangible and should be fun. Think of Lochinvar as a friend, like he wants, and not an object.
A door slammed, and I peered out of my window. Lochie strode from his car toward his cottage, a heavy-looking bag in his hand. His gaze locked on to me behind the glass. A smart salute came my way.
Heat washed through me.
Then Lochie carried on into his home.
Fuck! Why couldn’t this be easy?
With a groan, I withered to sit on the couch. Should I offer again? He’d been willing before I’d said anything about my stupid deal.
If I’d somehow come across wrong, I should correct that. Then he’d have the full picture. And might change his mind.
Reassured, though still trembling at what I was about to do, I stood.
A rap sounded at the entrance to my home, and I hopped, my heart pounding.
I stashed my phone, brushed down my dress, then opened the door.
On the other side, the huge mountain rescue leader waited.
His expression jumped between determination and plain, unconcealed need.
“Caitriona,” he said.
“Lochie.”
I ushered him forward and shut us in, my fingers trembling.
He held up the bag. “I brought ye something.”
Taking it with care, I peered inside. It was a mixing bowl. A pretty one, with white interior and blue flowers on the outside.
Lochie didn’t budge, his muscles rigid. “Ye broke yours yesterday. I thought it would be missed so I drove out and bought a replacement.”
What an utterly friend-like thing to do.
“Thank you, that’s really kind.” Wilting all the more, I stepped into the kitchen and placed the bowl on the counter before I dropped this one, too.
Then I rotated slowly, eyeing my neighbour as he advanced, hands in his pockets.
“You’re kind to my daughter. And to me.”
I couldn’t summon a reply, so caught as I was in the intensity of his stare.
“I made a mistake.” His voice turned to gravel.
“What was that?”
“Saying no to your offer. I havenae been able to think of anything else since.”
A shiver ran up my spine.
Both of us took a deep inhale. My body warmed, wetness pooling between my legs.
“Maybe instead of a deal, we can do this just once.” Lochie took a step forward. “Will that work for ye?”
I closed my eyes, gripping the table at the small of my back. “It will. Do ye mean now?”
He moved closer, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose in my alarm.
“Aye. Are ye nervous?” he asked.
“I can’t help it. There’s no reason I should be. We’ve done this before.”
“We have, but that doesnae make this any less extraordinary. Can I ask ye something?”
I peeked up, heat rising and prickling my skin.
“Ye mentioned scenarios. Are there specifics ye want to try?”
Not one single item from the list Casey and Viola gave me came to mind. My brain fuzzed up, my mouth cotton wool.
I couldn’t answer, but this didn’t stop Lochie.
He advanced another step. “Because I had some ideas. They’re basic, but I think you’ll like them.”
A short pause followed, then, without warning, he seized my waist and boosted me to sit on the kitchen island. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips to my cheek, his thick body between my open thighs.
“Want me to lead this?” he asked, rough.
God, I did. It wasn’t embarrassment affecting me this time but simple overload. There were too many ways this man could ease the ache deep inside me, and I had no clue where to start.
“Yes,” I managed.
Lochie kissed under my ear then breathed in. “In my bed last night, I thought about ye, and not for the first time. Do ye know how crazy it’s making me, the fact that I can do to ye what no other man can?”
He ran the tip of his nose across my cheek, his lips skating mine but not landing until they reached my other cheek.
“I want to see how well that connection works. What ye prefer—a fast and hard fuck to get ye to come, or a slow, easy screw, building up over time.”
I gave up an undignified little moan.
Lochie smiled, the Devil in his eyes. “Which do ye want to try first?”
“Either. Both.”
“Good. Hold on.”
He scooped me up and straightened, turning to carry me from the kitchen. I clutched onto him, my legs around his waist. In my dim bedroom, he settled me onto the bed, his knees on the mattress. Then he reached back and dragged his long-sleeved black t-shirt over his head.
My mouth watered at the reveal of hard muscles, those enormous biceps, and his dark chest hair.
“Ye like my body,” he informed me.
I gazed, mesmerised. “I do.”
“Wouldnae hurt if ye told me.”
I blinked.
Oh!
It hadn’t even occurred to me that he’d care how attractive I found him. A man like him, so big and confident. So in control.
I took a fresh look, seeing past lust to all the parts of Lochinvar that had caught my attention.
“You’re beautiful,” I said, entirely honestly. “Not just your body, but your mind, too. You’re strong and capable, and your body is honed to perfection. I’m so attracted to ye.”
His fingers skimmed my legs, taking my dress with them until my underwear was on display. He had been blindfolded last time we were in this room.
Lochie stared, his nostrils flaring. “Anything else?”
His hands continued up, over my waist to caress my breasts through the layer of fabric. I exhaled and pushed into his touch, but he moved on, taking my dress straps in his fingers.
“You’re patient with me. And generous. I never cared what men thought about me. No one ever made me feel…”
“Anything.” He drew my dress straps down my arms.
I’d left off wearing a bra, as I was working from home and my blazer hid my chest, and Lochie’s eyes widened.
His lips curled in obvious satisfaction. “No one ever made ye feel anything, but I have. And I intend to push that as far as it’ll go. Now get this dress off before I tear it from ye.”
My heart leapt, and I jerked to perform his command, sliding down the short zip at my side. Then I wriggled, pulling the dress over my head with Lochie’s help.
In just my lacy, damp knickers, I propped up on my elbows, my chest rising and falling with my fast breaths.
Lochie’s dark gaze soaked me in. Previously, I’d worried about him seeing me, but now I loved it. Undisguised admiration filled his expression.
Still kneeling between my legs, he lowered his head to mine, and he laid a soft kiss on my lips.
God. Oh God.
I hadn’t expected it, assuming he’d steer clear of kissing me like he had done before.
It was our third sexual experience, but our first kiss.
My whole focus narrowed in on that touch. Lochie moved with care, though clearly driven on by lust and need. His warm mouth coaxed mine to life.
On instinct, I opened for him, my hesitant tongue meeting his.
Heat eclipsed all sense. His taste drove me insane.
He held my frame against his much bigger body. Greeted me with the slide of his lips on mine.
Finally, he slowed, giving us both space to breathe. With our faces close, he kissed my cheek, his smile spreading.
“Wow,” I managed.
He went to speak but evidently changed his mind as he returned for another kiss, and another. I closed my eyes again and focused on the sheer pleasure I received from just his lips alone. How was this even possible?
I raised my hand to trace over his bulky shoulder. That had surprised me, how firm his body was. So different to my pliant one. His muscles tensed under my touch.
“That’s it, woman, work me out,” he muttered.
“Are we really only going to do this once?” I asked.
“Ask me in a minute. I willnae be able to refuse ye anything.”
He left my mouth to kiss a path to my breasts, licked my nipple then sucked it, using his fingers on my other breast. I revelled in the sensation, loving how instantly my body responded to him, my nipples hard and my skin so sensitive to everything he did.
Heat swirled, and the ache in me built. I hooked my leg over his backside in an attempt to bring him closer. “Take off your jeans.”
“All in good time.” He continued his pleasuring of my nipples, switching sides with his mouth and using his thumbs to elongate them. “Ye have fucking perfect tits.”
“I do?”
“Tits, body, everything.” He blew on my nipple, and we both watched it pebble even harder. Lochie switched his gaze to capture mine, holding eye contact as he lowered for another lick.
With my jaw slack, I basked, the pressure I’d felt previously, the expectation to moan with exaggeration, simply not there. We both wanted to find out what I liked, and this was so much closer to the fun my friends had suggested we could have.
Lochie nudged my breast then, at the same moment, landed a hand between my legs and bit lightly on my nipple.
“Lochie!” I arched up, senses alive and sparking.
He grazed me with his teeth, his hand not moving but firmly held over my skimpy underwear, the heel of his palm clamped against my sensitive nerves. He made a sound of approval. “Rougher,” he said to himself, as if confirming the answer to a question.
Then he bit me again, harder, testing his teeth. But at the same time, he shoved aside my knickers and thrust a finger into my wet core.
I moaned.
Lochie pumped his hand inside me, simultaneously kissing where he’d bitten. “So wet and ready for me.”
My mind scrambled. This was how I pictured other people having sex, not me. ‘Wet and ready’ had never been the case in the past, but my body lit up for this man.
Abruptly, he jerked up and stood. He undid his jeans and dragged them off his long legs before reaching into his pocket to extract a condom. Keeping his gaze on mine, he held it up.
I lifted my chin, beyond excited to continue.
His hard dick bobbed under its own weight, and I gazed on in fascination. Lochie sheathed himself, then he sat on the bed and grasped my waist. Without pause, he drew me up to his lap so we were face to face, then positioned himself at my entrance.
He pushed home while I scrambled to wrap my arms and legs around him. His sheer strength kept me from falling. His hard dick disappeared into me.
With a moan, I buried my face in his shoulder, holding on for dear life. This time, the intrusion of him stretching me didn’t feel so alien. I anticipated the pleasure to come.
No, it was already there.
I clutched him harder, every tiny movement sending thrills through me.
Lochie held me tight, his breathing fast.
But then he pulled away, ducking to meet my gaze. He put space between our torsos then indicated down. “Watch.”
Holding my thigh, he slid his dick in and out of me.
We both stared.
“Think back to last time. What did ye like? Shallow or deep?”
“I don’t know. Everything.”
He rolled his hips in a short plunge, several more following, all hitting the same place and sending delicious sparks out in spirals.
I gave up an indecent sound. Then I copied the motion, grinding down on him. Lochie huffed a breath but let me try it out. But my concentration on getting it right lost half the energy.
“Better when ye do it,” I conceded.
“Course it is, for ye.”
He gently guided me to lie back and hauled my leg over his shoulder. “Now deep.”
Long, lengthy strokes followed. I closed my eyes, the sensation instantly too much and not enough. Lochie strummed my clit as he worked.
Tight heat built deep inside me.
“God,” I exclaimed.
Lochie’s reply was an amused rumble. He kept up his steady assault, fucking me, so slow but with potent effect. Unlike before, I was ready for an orgasm. No doubt nor worry constrained me. This was going to be so easy.
I gasped at a firmer hit. “Can we try hard and fast now?”
“Naw.”
I blinked open my eyes. “What?”
Lochie grinned, the effect devastating. Sweat gleamed on his broad chest. “Next time.”
I grumbled to myself, delighted, and closed my eyes, letting him continue his rhythm. Despite his words, the power behind his moves built. Each time he drew out, I whimpered. Every single one of his thrusts blazed heat through me.
He drew my legs over his shoulders and ground into me at the deeper angle.
I was lost to the waves of sensation.
Yet every time I neared that addictive release, he eased up again, his clever fingers retreating from my clit to massage lower, or to ghost over my breasts.
I loved the attention, the ramping up of warmth and tension. Nothing had ever felt this good.
Soon, I was a mess, writhing and willing to beg.
“Please,” I said, breathless.
“Please what?”
“Make me come.”
“Persuade me.”
I gazed at him, wondering how the heck I could do anything he wasn’t already doing. Then I dropped my legs and pushed up on an elbow, reaching to bring his face to mine. Lochie followed my touch, and I dug my fingers into his hair and kissed him.
Whoa, kissing while having sex took on new heights.
Now, our bodies were aligned, and the angle changed once more. The weight of him, though he mostly supported himself, added a new element to the mix. My skin lit up everywhere we touched.
He worked my body, but I was going to own this kiss.
In the same way I’d never been interested in sex, kissing hadn’t been high on my agenda. Instinct more than practice had me tilt my head to better our connection. He opened his mouth as I did, and I stroked my tongue over his.
Lochie’s movement stuttered, and elation thrilled me.
I’d done that. Distracted him. Me, a woman with zero skill.
Again, I caressed his tongue with mine, and he slowed his thrusts even more, his hips flush to mine. I kissed him, and he grinded into me, deep inside and with pressure on my clit from his solid body.
Against my chest, his heart pounded.
God, this was good.
So busy trying to seduce him with my mouth, I lost focus on my own pleasure, and my orgasm smacked into me unawares. A flood of good feeling burst out in an explosion, and I cried out, arching into Lochie.
“Fuck, Caitriona!” he growled then jacked his hips once and buried himself hard inside me.
Even in my zoned-out, trembling state, I felt his dick pulse.
His climax boosted mine, and I throbbed around him, my head dizzy and my mind lost to reason.
Utter relief mixed with my other more potent emotions, and I half laughed, half moaned at the joy of it. Lochie captured the sound with a new kiss, this one claiming, and rougher. He rolled off me but kept me to him.
We cooled, tangled and satisfied.
A smile broached my lips, and I peeked at the man with his head tucked by mine.
He regarded me in return, a contented, smug set to his features.
“Slow and easy worked well,” I said.
“I meant to turn ye onto all fours, but that didnae happen.”
“Something for next time. Or the time after.”
Lochie’s gaze moved over my face, taking in each element as if he hadn’t allowed himself such a close study before. I relaxed and did the same.
He must’ve trimmed his beard as it was neat and well-managed, cut to the shape of his jaw and accentuating his masculinity. His dark eyes held intelligence, I’d already witnessed that, but they also beamed with kindness and determination. I bet he could be stubborn, if he chose to. A strong nose and cheekbones, broad forehead divided with a worry line…
I reached out and placed my fingertip in the divot.
His lips curved. “Ye can’t get to thirty and lead a life like mine without some damage.”
“You’re seven years older than me.”
“Does that bother ye?”
“Not at all.”
I should be getting up. I’d been slack at work this morning but had an afternoon of video calls and a packed morning of meetings in Inverness tomorrow to prepare for.
Yet I stayed, cosy in my bed with a man who could play my body like a musical instrument.
“The first time we did this, I thought I’d scared ye off,” he said. “I was rough. More than I liked.”
I raised a shoulder. “I asked for that.”
“Which did ye prefer, like this,” he gestured down to us, “or with the chase?”
“This. The chase definitely did something. Maybe it woke me up. I don’t know. But today was just…”
“Incredible,” Lochie murmured, his attention laser-focused on me.
God, he’d liked it. I mean, it could be obvious from the fact he’d climaxed, but I had a gulf of missing knowledge on this subject and assumed nothing.
“Ye liked it, too,” I said carefully.
“Are ye joking?” He reached for my hand and placed it over his already-hard-again dick. “You’re the most beautiful woman I ever saw, Caitriona.”
I froze, going rigid at his words.
Lochie pulled back, that narrow focus becoming even more keen. “What’s wrong? Ye dislike the compliment?”
“I… No.”
“Why?”
I pulled back my instincts and looked inward. I was a logical woman, so what was causing this? I picked over my words. “Without intending to sound vain, I know I’m pretty. Da was a model in his youth, and when I was younger, it’s all people used to say. That I was so beautiful I’d be picked up by a modelling agency. Not that my parents would ever allow it. But my father’s looks are what caused my birth mother to become obsessed with him. There’s a long story to what she did, but to shortcut it, she befriended him, got pregnant on purpose, then hid the pregnancy.”
Lochie’s eyebrows dove together. “Where is she now?”
“She died not long after I was born.”
He blew out a long breath. “You’re worried about me being obsessed with ye?”
It sounded so stupid when he said it. “No. It’s habit, I guess. I had a shite time as a teenager with boys being arseholes to me because I wouldn’t date them. Some of their behaviour could’ve been called obsessive. My older cousin had to give a warning more than once. Then when I went to university and tried sex, the first guy, Dean, broke his hand smashing my bathroom mirror after I told him I didn’t enjoy our night. The second, Ashley, spread rumours that I was a lesbian because his pride had been hurt. The last, Jude, a drama student who lived in the same dorm, was the only one who didn’t go weird. I was honest with him about why I wanted to try, so he had no expectations. More recently, with work and my door… I think I trigger something in people. It’s always happened, and now I work hard to avoid it. I never let a man think I might be interested, until I tried again with you.”
Lochie listened, taking in my explanation. He paused, that intelligence working over my points. “Those boys were wee bawbags for how they treated ye. No lass should take abuse for not wanting a man.”
I shivered, and he reached to grab the quilt and pull it over me.
“But I’m naw a lad,” he continued. “I can guarantee I’ll be the man ye want me to be.”
“You’re leaving, too,” I said softly. “I think that’s part of what makes me feel safe with this. In February, you’ll go.”
“I will.”
Silence filled the room, and my thoughts drifted.
“Will ye tell me what happened at work?” Lochie asked. “I know about the door, but ye implied there was more.”
I flapped a hand. “I worked out the door thing. It was just some rejected local guy letting off steam. He’s long gone.”
A trilling sound came from the living room.
“That’s my laptop. Shite, what’s the time?” I leapt up.
“Quarter to one.”
I wrapped my dressing gown around my body and padded out to peek at the screen on my desk. Rupert was calling. I swore and returned to the bedroom.
“It’s my boss. We have a video meeting in half an hour. He’s early.”
“Is he one of your problems?”
Pacing the room, I let the call ring out, though it raised my hackles. “Actually, yes. He is.”
Lochie grabbed me on a pass and brought me to his lap. He fitted his mouth to mine. His kiss chased away my momentary angst.
“Today was incredible. I willnae call ye beautiful again until ye ask. I cannae fucking wait to do this again.”
It was a moot point, my deal. Whatever had changed his mind didn’t matter. We’d set boundaries and both knew the score.
Hunger rose, instant even after everything we’d just done.
I kissed him back, losing myself on his lips for several minutes. Reluctantly, I dragged myself away.
“I need a shower then I have to get on with work.”
“Go to it.”
Lochie reclined on my bed, donning a self-aware grin at the utterly splendid sight he made.
I washed up then returned, slipping into my smart-but-comfortable dress and blazer. Lochie spread out, watching my every move, that smile not shifting.
Ready, I still had ten minutes until I needed to meet with Rupert. Lochie looked in no danger of going anywhere.
“Ye can nap here while I work, if ye like?” I said.
He breathed in, inflating his mighty chest and giving me shivers at the same time. “I have work of my own, but thanks for the offer.”
He stood and pulled on his clothes.
My laptop rang again, disrupting my happy viewing.
“I better answer it this time.”
“I have an idea,” Lochie said. “This guy’s interrupting your lunchbreak, aye? Take the call.”
I narrowed my gaze. “What are ye going to do?”
“Show my face. Scare him off. It’s the only language some men understand.”
I’d been independent so long that this should rankle me. Yet I knew on some level he was right. There was a certain type of man who didn’t take no for an answer, and I didn’t want to find out if Rupert was one of them.
“Fine,” I muttered and moved into the living room and to my desk.
Rupert’s beaming face appeared as I clicked to accept the call. “Cait! I hope you don’t mind me interrupting your lunch.”
“I was busy, but I’ve just finished.”
Lochie loomed behind me, visible on the screen. He didn’t grab me or kiss me, but he made an obvious move to tuck his t-shirt into his jeans. His black hair was still ruffled from where I’d entwined it in my fingers.
“Caitriona,” he rumbled. “I’ll be going.”
“See ye tonight.”
Out of sight of the camera, his look turned smouldering, then he winked and let himself out my door.
On my laptop. Rupert blustered something, but I was barely listening. I only tuned back into the call when he got to the point of what we needed to discuss.
My attention was quite happily set on the new me that was emerging, thanks in no small part to the handsome rescue captain who could work my body like he owned it.
