Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
SULLY
As soon as she started to sway, I was in motion.
Ignoring my wet feet and freezing-cold overcoat, I sprinted across the room, catching her before she hit the floor.
I carried her to the sofa, laying her down gently.
I shucked off my coat, throwing it closer to the fireplace, and toed off my wet, ruined leather shoes, tossing them as well, then kneeled beside her.
I brushed the long, silky hair from her face, worried how pale she was. Her skin was white, her full lips and surprisingly dark lashes splashes of color on her face. She was lovely.
I shook my head as I stared at her.
Who was she? Why was she in my cottage?
Her eyes blinked open, and for a moment, she stared at me, confused. Then the same terrified expression I had seen before she passed out emerged again, her dark eyes widening. A small whimper escaped her lips. The need to comfort her was paramount.
I shook my head, gathering her hands between mine. “No,” I said clearly. “You are safe. I’m not going to hurt you.”
She blinked, her breathing labored. I had no idea how to ease her.
Or why I wanted to so desperately. For all I knew, she had broken in and was a squatter.
“I’m Sullivan Black. People call me Sully. This is my cottage,” I advised her. “I’m not here to hurt you,” I repeated.
“S-Sully?” she responded, her voice soft and lovely. And clearly not Scottish.
“Yes.”
“Bonnie’s cousin?”
“Yes,” I replied eagerly. “You know Bonnie?”
She struggled to sit up, and I slipped my arm under her, assisting her. Then I sat beside her, drawn somehow to stay close.
“I work with Bonnie. She gave me the key to stay here for the weekend. She sent you a text.” She frowned. “You didn’t reply. You were busy with a big case. She said you wouldn’t be here.”
I felt as if I were being reprimanded. Scolded mildly by the pretty woman. For some reason, I found it enchanting.
Her eyes flew to the window. “I have to go now.”
I shook my head, partially amused at the circumstances, but more concerned with my unexpected company.
“You can’t go anywhere, mo fhiadh beag.” The term of endearment slipped out without my thinking.
I pointed to the windows and the snow and wind beating against them.
“Neither can I. The storm is more intense than was expected, and there’ll be no more trains tonight.
” I had to chuckle. “I barely made it from the village in one piece. My arse is sore from falling a few times.”
A timid smile broke out on her face, transforming her from beautiful to mesmerizing. I couldn’t stop staring at her.
“Ouch,” she mouthed.
I tilted my head. “Canadian?”
She nodded. “Yes. I met Bonnie when she was in Canada. We kept in touch.”
“Ah.”
“I’m here on a work exchange thing.”
I recalled Bonnie telling me that last time we’d had dinner. Then I remembered the stranger’s statement.
I rubbed my eyes and stood. “I left my personal cell phone at home, and I’ve been so busy I haven’t checked it the past couple of days. Coming here was a last-minute decision. I didn’t mean to interrupt your time here.”
She stood as well, and I gazed down at her.
Mo fhiadh beag was a good name for her. With her tawny hair and dark eyes, she looked like a little deer or a fawn.
Skittish as well, not that I could blame her.
No doubt my bursting in here and scaring her had something to do with that.
I judged her to be about five foot three or so, and I towered over her.
She was a pleasure to look at. Creamy skin, lovely features, and curves that made my hands ache to touch them.
Which was unusual for me. I couldn’t remember ever having such a strong reaction to a woman before now.
“I’ll try to leave tomorrow,” she murmured. “This is your place.”
I shook my head. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow. But I really need to get out of these wet clothes.”
“May I make you a hot drink?”
I pursed my lips. “Not sure I should allow a strange burglar to make me a drink. Lord knows what nefarious plans you have behind those lovely eyes of yours.”
Those lovely eyes widened. “I’m not a burglar!”
I winked. “But you are a stranger. I don’t even know yer name.”
A blush stole over her cheeks, making her even lovelier. It highlighted her creamy skin.
“Autumn. Autumn Briggs.”
That name suited her and also struck a bell.
Somewhere in my memory, I heard Bonnie telling me about a new friend she’d met in Canada.
How wonderful she was. She had, in fact, spoken of her a great deal.
She had been excited when she told me that Autumn was coming to Scotland to help retrain the staff.
I held out my hand. “Sullivan Black at your service.”
She bit her lip and slid her hand into mine. I closed my fingers around hers, engulfing her far daintier digits. A small shiver ran up my spine at our contact. I was certain she shivered as well.
I cleared my throat. “I brought coffee,” I offered.
“Me too. I’ll make you one.”
She hurried away to the kitchen, brushing past me, her scent, light and feminine, drifting with her. It was alluring.
So was she.
I shook my head and went down the hall, casting a glance at her in the kitchen.
She had turned on the kettle and was reaching for the coffee.
She had thick, fuzzy socks on her feet. A sweater that was long and loose.
Her hair hung halfway down her back, heavy, wavy tresses I wanted to touch.
She looked oddly right in the simple space. Comfortable. As if she belonged.
I grunted a laugh as I opened the locked cupboard where I kept my clothes, pulling out some sweats and a shirt, along with my own heavy socks. I kept all my things secured in case the cottage was rented. Even if Bonnie knew them, I didn’t want anyone in my personal items.
Although I might offer Autumn a sweater if she was cold.
Autumn.
I liked the name. It was pretty and suited her.
I shook my head. I must be more tired than I knew, having these odd thoughts about the strange woman.
I listened to the battery-operated radio, tuned into the local station, not surprised by the news it was reporting.
In the bathroom, I got another towel and dried off, pulling on the fresh clothing, grateful for the immediate warmth.
My feet were still cold, even with the socks, so after I hung my clothes in the drying closet, I headed to the fireplace, sitting in front of it and letting the flames do their work.
Autumn came over, handing me a plate and a mug. The coffee had cream in it, and on the plate were a couple of pastries. I recognized them from the local bakery since they were among my favorites, but I paused. “You sure? I don’t want to eat your treats.”
She smiled. “I have more. I heard about the storm and went into the village again and bought a few more things. I couldn’t resist those sticky buns.
I remember Bonnie saying once you had to be related since you both had a sweet tooth and took your coffee the same way, so I added cream like she does. ”
I took a long drink, enjoying the warmth as it flooded my gullet. “Perfect.” I showed her the radio I had brought out with me. “I listened while I was drying off. The train schedule was announced,” I said. “It says all trains canceled until further notice.”
She looked worried. “I didn’t expect the storm to be this bad.”
“I’m not surprised. But don’t worry. These things have a habit of changing overnight.
But you’ll stay. I’ll head home. I can come back next week,” I lied.
I’d be crazy busy again, and I doubted I’d get back for at least a month.
But I didn’t want her to go. Bonnie must have felt she needed to come here, and I wanted to make sure she stayed.
She looked unconvinced.
“We can talk about it in the morning,” I assured her.
I noticed my shoes propped up close to the fire, stuffed with rags. And my coat was gone from the floor. I chuckled as I looked at my shoes. “I think those are a lost cause.”
“I used that trick once of stuffing them into the right shape and letting them dry, then coating them with leather conditioner. It worked. I thought it was worth a shot. They looked expensive. And I hung your coat over two chairs.” She indicated the table behind me. “It should be dry in the morning.”
I was touched by her thoughtfulness. “Thank you.”
She smiled and, once again, I was transfixed by her simple beauty. The warmth in her eyes. The gentleness of her expression and voice.
I found her captivating. And incredibly sexy.
And trapped alone with her in my cottage with only one bed might prove to be too much to handle.
AUTUMN
I watched Sully sip his coffee and eat the buns I had warmed for him. His long legs were stretched toward the fire, and he wiggled his toes often to warm them. I found the action rather adorable.
Not a word I would normally associate with such a tall, imposing man.
But once I realized he wasn’t there to hurt me, I forgot to be frightened. In fact, I found I was quite comfortable with him. He was intelligent and kind. His eyes were warm, and he spoke quietly, even teased me a few times. Bonnie spoke of him highly, her affection for him evident.
“He’s my second cousin,” she explained once. “But he’s always been good to me. He’s more like a big brother than a cousin, really. He’s ten years older than me, and he loves to tease me about babysitting me when I was little.”
That made him forty-eight—ten years my senior.
He looked younger. Fit and strong, not a gray hair to be seen.
He had a few laugh lines around his eyes, but they only made him handsomer somehow.
He was good-looking, his jaw sharp, with eyes the color of deep whiskey and his hair a rich mahogany.
I wasn’t sure I had ever seen a solicitor so tall or broad. I wondered if he scared witnesses.
“I rarely am in court with witnesses,” he said with a smirk. “And here, we’re often referred to as advocates.”
“Oh,” I muttered, realizing I had spoken out loud.
“I only appear in court if needed. Most of my work is behind the scenes. I prefer that, but if I need to go, I do.” He flashed me a smile. “My size can be intimidating, even outside the court.”
“Hmm,” I hummed.
“My generation seems to have grown bigger than normal,” he said with a grin. “My cousins Finn and Niall are both tall and broad.”
“Do they live here?”
“No. They’re in Toronto.”
“Oh! So am I.”
“Finn owns O’Reilly’s. Do you know it?”
My eyes grew round. “I love the pub there. We go after work on a Friday and play darts and drink Guinness.”
He laughed. “I’ll have Finn get you in to see his wife sing. She’s an angel.”
“I’d love that.”
We were quiet for a moment. Then I spoke. “Bonnie is tall for a woman too.”
He finished the buns and wiped his mouth. “She is. My aunt Roisin is fairly tall, but we all tower over her.”
“Bonnie is slender, willowy,” I said, looking down with a grimace. I would never be described that way.
He frowned and followed my gaze, then met my eyes. “I prefer women to have curves,” he said quietly.
“Oh.”
“And I like them a bit shorter. It makes me feel like I’m a protector.”
“I’m sure your wife likes that.”
He kept our gazes locked. “No wife.”
“Girlfriend?”
He shook his head.
“Significant other?” I whispered.
“None.”
“Oh.”
Sully grinned. “Am I making you speechless, mo fhiadh beag?”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Short person.”
I sniffed, knowing he was teasing. “Rude.”
He laughed. “What about you? Husband? Boyfriend?”
I felt the color drain from my face at the mention of a boyfriend. It was all I could do to simply shake my head and reply, “No.”
He studied me as if he knew there was a story there.
And something told me he was going to ask me about it before we left this cottage.