Chapter Three
Iona
Going back to the scene of the crime hasn't made me feel relaxed or relieved or whatever I'm supposed to feel after today's events. When I walk through the door and turn around to shut it, I experience a flashback of Rafe Knight glowering at me, accusing me of seducing his son. Toby Knight is a stranger to me. I've never met the laddie, and I never heard of him either until today.
Why did Rafe kiss me? More importantly, why did I reciprocate?
Something is horribly wrong with me. That's the only explanation. I've been celibate for so long that I'm desperate for a good shag. Mhac na galla . Even I'm not that desperate. The moment I first saw Rafe Knight, I'd felt something stirring within me. Oh, what rubbish. He is attractive and has a good body. His lips felt slightly chapped when we kissed, yet somehow, that turned me on even more.
I don't know what's wrong with me. I cannae be attracted to that bod ceann . Thinking the Gaelic phrase for dickhead makes me picture what his cock might look like and how it might feel inside me.
"Och, woman, you've gone insane." Talking to myself is a bad sign, that's for dead sure. But I can't stop myself. "You need to get out of this house for a few days, don't you? Just in case Rafe Knight decides to assault your home again."
I've gone off my rocker. And it's all the fault of that man.
Where can I go to hide from him?
A hotel seems like the best choice. I race into my bedroom, gathering everything I might need for a wee holiday, though I'm not sure fleeing my own home counts as a holiday. Hiding out in the village's only hotel doesn't seem like absconding either. Dinnae care about definitions right now. I want to escape from the scene of the crime.
I carry my overnight bag out to the car and head straight for the Loch Fairbairn Arms. The car park isn't packed, with only a few vehicles here and there. This is a sleepy village most of the time. Occasional events draw in tourists, but this time of year is always a wee bit slow. At least I don't have trouble finding a space for my car.
When I stride into the lobby, Mrs. Agnew greets me with a smile. "Iona, dearie, what are you doing here? I hope you aren't writing an exposé of the hotel."
"Nothing like that. I, um, just need a place to stay for a few days." What sort of lie should I tell to explain my need for a room? Not sure why I feel the need to lie, but I do. "A pipe burst in my house."
Mrs. Agnew winks. "Is that what the young people are calling it these days?"
"What?"
"You know." She winks again, this time wagging her brows too. "If you need an anonymous place for a shag..."
"No, that's not at all why I'm here." When did the words burst pipe become synonymous with sex? Mrs. Agnew is in her late sixties. Maybe her generation has a strange fixation with sexual metaphors that involve plumbing. "Honestly, I just need a room for a few days. Because of the pipes."
"Did you ring for a plumber, dearie?"
If I say yes, she'll realize I've lied. Mrs. Agnew knows everything that goes on in this village. My best strategy is to avoid my moronic lie. "Could I just get a room, please? I'm exhausted."
"Of course." She signs me in, then hands me a room key, the electronic sort. I miss real keys. "If I see Mr. Knight, I'll let you know."
The sly tone of that statement irritates me, but I won't snap at Mrs. Agnew. She's a wonderful woman who happens to have a penchant for teasing everyone she knows.
I find my room easily. Mrs. Agnew gave me one that's on the second floor and has a beautiful view of the village and the mountain that lies on the north side, Beann Dealgach. The hotel had been renovated several years ago, so now every room has a spectacular view of either the mountain or the foothills. I've never stayed here before. Maybe I can write a review while I'm here and publish it in The Loch Fairbairn Daily News .
Just as I'm almost done unpacking, my mobile rings. I grab it and announce myself with my standard greeting without thinking. "This is Iona Buchanan of The Loch Fairbairn Daily News . How may I help you?"
"Oh, Mam, I wish you wouldn't say that when you know it's me."
"Rowan? I'm sorry, love, it's habit. Did you need something?"
"Aye. To know where you are. Maeve and I stopped by the house, but you weren't there." Rowan lowers her voice to a whisper. "Is it true? Did a British man assault you?"
"No, love, it wasn't like that. He was angry, but I'd rather not discuss the incident. I've taken a room at the hotel for a few days to relax, that's all."
"Is he hot?"
Before I can respond, a shuffling sound interrupts and another voice comes on the line. "Mam, tell us the truth. Are you having an affair with a British man?"
"No, Maeve, I am not. That man should be on his way home by now, anyway."
"Oh, no, he hasn't left. We bumped into Uncle Ramsay after we left your place, and he told us that British cacan decided to hang around for a while." Meave switches to a whisper now. "Why would he do that unless you two mean to have a poke or two?"
"Or three," Rowan interjects. "Mam, you need to get some action."
I groan. "Are you two done? Because all you need to know is that I wanted to stay at the hotel for a while and I am not having a poke with anyone. Understand?"
Both lasses mumble their agreement, though they sound disappointed.
"Good. Now, go about your own business and leave me be."
"All right. Love you, Mam."
"Aye, love you too, Mam," Maeve adds.
Finally, my children disconnect the call. Where they got the idea that I'm shagging Rafe Knight, I can't fathom. Well, we did kiss. But Fergus and Sorley wouldn't gossip about that. I hope.
Then my mobile rings again. I almost don't answer but then decide I'll feel guilty if I don't. "Hello, Thane. I've already heard from Rowan and Maeve, so you might as well get your two cents in."
"I cannae believe that man chased you out of your home. If you don't file a complaint, I will."
"What are you talking about? No one chased me away. I wanted a wee holiday with room service and a gorgeous view of Beann Dealgach, that's all."
He says nothing for a moment. "Dinnae believe you, Iona. Ramsay doesn't either."
I throw my head back and moan. "You two are driving me off my head. You're almost worse than Rafe Knight. Can't you both just let me enjoy a wee holiday on my own?"
"Aye, all right. We'll back off, but only for a few days."
"I signed in for three days. That's all. Now, I want to get back to relaxing. Goodbye, Thane."
For the next half hour, I try to think of what I want to do on my wee holiday in the town where I live and work. Does that still qualify as a holiday? I'm not even leaving the village limits. Maybe I should at least go for a walk. To all the places I've already been to over my entire lifetime so far. I won't actually be getting away from it all if I stroll down the streets and meet my friends and relatives along the way.
I reckon I might as well take a walk, anyway. At least I'll get some exercise to clear my head of thoughts about that vile, odious man. I'm wearing the same dress as when I visited Rafe at the police station. It isn't exactly walking attire. But I don't feel like changing, so I'll stick to the area around the hotel. I do have a straw hat, so I'm not completely unprepared for the outdoors.
Just as I shut the door to my room, I hear a door across the hall click shut too.
I turn around and gasp. "You! How dare you stalk me."
"Stalk?" Rafe says with a slight chuckle. "You flatter yourself."
"Being followed by a toerag like you is not flattering. Obviously, you were stalking me, waiting outside until I checked in."
He takes two steps toward me. "I've been here for two and a half hours. When did you check in?"
"Well, ah..."
Rafe smirks. "Later than that, eh? I'd wager you just arrived."
"My arrival time has nothing to do with you. Now who's flattering yourself?"
He stomps up to me and leans in close enough that I can smell his aftershave. It's a woodsy aroma that has an odd effect on me. That sort of cologne has always made me randy, but not to this degree. My nipples have tightened.
Rafe leans in even closer, our faces millimeters apart. "That was no casual kiss earlier. You kissed me passionately, Iona."
"You started it."
"But you didn't tell me to stop, and you participated actively." He glances down at the neckline of my dress, where my stiff nipples are impossible to overlook. He keeps his head down as he lifts his gaze to mine. "You want me."
"I'd rather have a poke with a sumo wrestler who has bad body odor."
"No, love, you want me. Can't hide your lust."
I bar my arms over my chest. "Leave me alone, or I'll have you dragged off to jail again."
"On what charge? Turning you on?" He chuckles with a sort of deep sensuality that arouses my body, the parts I'd rather stayed asleep. "Admit it, Iona. You want to know what fucking me would be like."
"Please. I hate you."
He sets one hand on the door beside me, and his lips graze my cheek. "I can't stand you either. But sometimes hate makes for the hottest sex."
Maybe it has been a long, long time since I had a poke with anyone. Rafe might be a raging ersehole, but he is attractive and sexy with a body I'm sure could take me to the heights of ecstasy.
No, no, no, I won't debase myself that way.
But couldn't I try it just once...
Rafe curls those luscious lips into an expression of pure lust. His voice grows deeper too as he lowers his head to within millimeters of my mouth. "You're like me, aren't you? Sexually frustrated, not looking for a relationship, just needing one bloody fantastic shag."
"I think I could put up with you for a quickie. If I don't look at you and just use your body."
He freezes and stares into my eyes with a starkness that almost makes me want to apologize---for what I dinnae know. After a moment, his expression hardens, and he pushes away from the wall, taking two steps backward.
Then he pivots on his heels and walks away swiftly.
I gape at the back of him. The bod ceann wanted a quick shag, yet he just stalked off without even kissing me. Not that I wanted him to do that. Ugh, of course I did. I cannae believe I almost let that despicable man seduce me. That must have been some sort of trick to humiliate me.
But Rafe didn't insult me, not to my face. Instead, he purred the most sensual words I've ever heard and got me so wet that I can't walk around in public anytime soon. So, I rush back into my room. And yet I can't stop thinking about Rafe and how much I wanted him to fuck me. I'm off my head in the worst way. I have only one option to get that man out of my system.
I shut the curtains and rub myself off.
And mhac na galla , thinking about that odious man makes me come harder than I ever have before.