Chapter 32
All the words Bex had been feeling only moments ago were swallowed into the ether.
She had seen Duncan angry before. He tended to lose his temper over things like people mistreating animals or being careless.
But she had never seen him like this. So utterly thunderous.
And she had certainly never seen it directed at her.
Even Ruby shrank back as he strode across towards her.
‘Do you have any idea what could have happened?’ he glowered. ‘What the hell were you thinking?’
‘I wasn’t thinking,’ she said, wishing her voice wasn’t cracking.
‘You don’t need to tell me that,’ he snapped. ‘I’m well aware you weren’t thinking. Gordon was out there looking for you. Gordon! He’s in his sixties! Do you realise what could’ve happened? Do you?’
She sat up in bed, her heart pounding. ‘Of course I realise what could’ve happened!’
‘Of all the bloody irresponsible things—’
‘I made a mistake! I know that! You think I don’t know that?’
She was inches away from him. Close enough to feel the rage radiating from his body.
To see the way his breaths were heaving with fury.
But she was furious too. All she’d wanted was for him to pull her into him.
To hold her against his chest, and instead, he was yelling at her.
Not that she didn’t deserve it. No, she deserved every harsh word that came her way.
‘Well, you were right about one thing at least,’ he huffed.
‘I was?’ Her heart spiked, though the fire in her eyes remained.
‘It was a good job you called things quits between us. There’s no way you’re cut out for life up here if you think you can just wander off like that.’
Tears filled her eyes and throat as she struggled to stifle her sob. She wasn’t going to let him see just how much those words stung.
‘Of all the selfish things you could have —’
‘That’s enough.’
The voice came from the doorway, and to Bex’s surprise, Kieron was standing there and his face was almost as thunderous as Duncan’s.
‘This is a private conversation,’ Duncan snapped back, the muscles in his jaw grinding together.
‘It’s hardly private when you’re yelling at the top of your voice in my home,’ Kieron said sharply. ‘You’ve made your point. You can go.’
A bitter chuckle rose from Duncan’s throat. ‘Oh, I’m not even started. She could’ve died!’
‘She knows that. But she didn’t.’ Kieron took another three steps into the room, only stopping when he was perfectly squared up to Duncan.
The Scotsman had at least four inches of height on Kieron, but he matched him pound for pound in pure intimidation.
‘Rebecca knows exactly what happened here. But thankfully, she’s okay.
You, however, will not be. Not if you raise your voice to her like that again.
Now, get out of here, before I have to make you. ’
Bex was holding her breath. Duncan wasn’t a man who would look for fights. Ever. He was the type of person who broke them up. But she had never seen him look like this before. Like every rational sense had been overcome by something completely primal.
His glower shifted between Bex and Kieron, then back to Bex.
Her breath continued to quiver in her lungs as she was certain he was about to tell her again what a complete idiot she was, or perhaps how foolish he had ever been to love her.
But instead, he let out a low, growl-like sound before turning sharply.
As she finally released her breath, his footsteps thundered down the hallway before fading into the distance.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Kieron said, dropping down onto the edge of the bed beside Ruby.
His hand reached out, stroking the dog absentmindedly behind her ears.
‘I shouldn’t have let him in. If I’d thought for one moment that he was going to speak to you like that, I would have thrown him out of the castle. And his lodge too for that matter.’
As the adrenaline caused by Duncan’s anger ebbed from her body, Bex found her hands trembling.
‘He was just worried,’ she said. The last thing she needed was for him to lose the lodge over this too. ‘He was worried and didn’t know what to do.’
‘The temper on some of these locals…’ Kieron shook his head as he let out a scoff, but then his eyes met Bex’s and his expression softened.
‘Then again, I suspect I’d have been pretty furious too if I’d been stupid enough to let you go.
Although, I’d have been gentlemanly enough not to take it out on you. ’
It wasn’t the comment itself that caught her off guard, but the warmth in his tone as he spoke.
The way he looked at her had almost as much of a soothing effect as the dog beside her.
And speaking of Ruby, for someone who didn’t think animals should be pets, Kieron looked incredibly relaxed scratching behind her ears.
‘Thank you,’ Bex said softly. ‘For everything. I’m so sorry for making a mess of things. And for not telling you about Duncan. It just seemed easier if you didn’t know. Less complicated.’
Kieron nodded as he stood up. ‘You’ve nothing to apologise for. You’re okay. We’re all okay.’
She sat up a little, wishing that Kieron had remained sitting with her for just a little longer at least. ‘I really appreciate it.’
His smile glinted, and with it, that familiar light shone in his irises. ‘You are most welcome. Now, I need to fetch you that drink. Just lie down and relax, okay?’
As Bex shuffled slightly, Kieron leaned forward and over the bed.
Her pulse soared. Was he leaning in to kiss her?
Her mind raced as her eyes fixed on his.
The moment was seemingly happening in slow motion.
He was still moving towards her. His lips getting closer and closer.
Was that what she wanted? She didn’t know, but would it really be that bad to find out?
The way Duncan had spoken to her, it was clear there was no redemption left in that relationship. Ever. And Kieron… Kieron had saved her life. Kieron had made it clear that he liked her. Respected her. Bended his rules and allowed dogs on the bed for her.
Without giving herself the chance to second-guess her actions, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.
A taste of winter and whisky flooded her as he responded just as she’d hoped.
His mouth parted slightly as he pressed towards her but then, suddenly, without warning, he pulled back and cleared his throat.
‘I… I was going to adjust your pillow,’ he said, his cheeks brightening with a pink hue.
Never had Bex wanted a bed to swallow her whole quite as much as she did in that moment.
‘Oh God, I’m so sorry,’ she stammered, feeling heat flood through her body. It should have been welcome, given the freezing state of her bones, but right now it wasn’t. ‘I didn’t mean… I wasn’t… I shouldn’t have. Crap.’
Kieron smiled gently.
‘I’m not saying that I minded, but how about you try that again when you haven’t just been through a massive trauma?’
Bex shook her head, horrified by what she had just done. ‘I’m so sorry—’ she started again, only for him to cut her off.
‘Don’t you dare apologise,’ he said. ‘I just think our first kiss shouldn’t be when you’re in bed wearing my pyjamas.’
He stood and smiled. ‘I’ll send Gordon up with a hot chocolate. Try to get some rest, all right?’
As the door closed behind him, Bex sank back into her pillow and covered her face with her hands.
How had she been so stupid? That was ridiculous. There was no chance she was going to get any sleep now.
Well. That was certainly one way to make an impression.