Chapter 29
BAILEY
My body calms in Teddy’s embrace. I know what happened earlier wasn’t real; he wasn’t trying to hurt me.
I focus on his fingers pressing into my back, and the familiar smell of his smoky cologne.
Shane and Dean can’t hurt me anymore. Not here.
Here, I’m safe. I take deep breaths until I feel more whole again.
“Come on,” Teddy says, pulling free of me. He heads to his wardrobe and pulls out a pair of grey tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie, passing them to me. “It’s getting cold outside. Put these on.”
“Why are we going outside? I changed my mind, I don’t want to go back to the wedding, I can’t—”
“We’re not going back to the wedding. You slept for a few hours so it’s likely finishing up anyway. Get dressed.”
I frown at him, confused, but do it anyway, pulling the front of the hoodie up over my nose and inhaling deeply.
When I look up, Teddy’s staring at me with an intensity that makes my stomach tighten and my heart beat harder.
He pulls the drawstring of the joggers, forcing me to take a step closer to him, lips brushing mine in the gentlest of butterfly kisses as he deftly ties a knot.
I lean in, but he moves away before I can kiss him properly, taking his suit jacket off and putting a hoodie on too.
Then he leads me down the stairs to the back door, where he grabs some wellington boots and bangs them upside down against the wall.
“Just in case of spiders,” he grins, handing them to me before sliding on his own.
We head outside into the cool evening breeze. The sound of pipes and fiddles in full swing fills the air as we walk along the shingle path that runs behind the barn, towards the fields.
“Where the hell are you taking me?” I murmur.
We approach a stile, and he places one foot on the stone step, then swings the other over, hopping off into the field. “Over you come,” he says, holding his hands out as though to catch me. I maneuver over the stile and jump, purposefully avoiding his arms, making him chuckle.
We traverse the muddy field, getting closer to the trees that run all along the border on the far side. Amongst the trunks, I can just about make out two giant boulders in the twilight. “What is that?” I ask, squinting.
“They are Heather and Rosie.” He makes a clicking noise, and two giant Highland cows come out of the shadows, trotting over to us.
Imposing horns stretch outwards, and gorgeous caramel-coloured hair covers their eyes in a sweeping fringe.
I hold my breath, worried they’ll charge, but Teddy steps in front of me.
He holds his palms out, and they instantly push their noses into them, snuffling, letting out large snorts, shaking their heads.
“They’re harmless, just a bit old and grumpy. ”
“Like you, then,” I reply before I can stop myself. My jaw drops, and I take a step back from him. “I didn’t mean that …” I start, but Teddy’s already turned around and closed the distance.
“Did you just call me old?” he asks, voice deep and gravelly.
“No, I’m the same age as you!” I put my hands on his chest to stop him getting closer, but now my mind is wholly fixed on his firm pecs as they flex with his movements. “I was calling you grumpy,” I say, biting my lip to stop myself from grinning.
“I brought you here to see the lassies and the first thing you do is insult me?”
I look back at the cows, and they raise their giant heads from the grass, watching us closely. Just the sheer size of them puts me on edge.
Teddy takes a step back. “When I came back to Skye, I’d get into these phases where I was angry all the time, often at the smallest of things.
The rage would consume me so quickly I’d have no way to stop it.
I only realised I’d broken or hit something after I’d done it. ” He frowns, looking away from me.
“What?”
“I thought I had it under control for a while, but maybe it never went away. The day I saw you in the barn … I’ve never felt so angry. I need to apologise properly. I shouldn’t have hit you like that.” He runs his thumb along my jaw where the bruise has since faded.
“I don’t blame you for that, not after everything you went through. Besides, I think I got a little carried away too.” I say, fiddling with the hem of Teddy’s jumper.
His lips curl up into a grin. “You’ve got a mean right hook, though.”
“Shut up.” I shove him away from me, but one of the cows moos loudly, startling me back into his arms.
“They’re gentle.” Teddy goes over to one of them, stroking its side.
“Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I come and sit with them. It soothes me. Come here.” He pulls me until I’m standing in front of him, then guides my hand to the thick hide.
I wiggle my fingers and find it’s coarser than I was expecting for how soft they look.
Teddy pushes my hand deeper until I find downy fur beneath, soft and warm.
My concentration flags as I became all too aware of the length of Teddy’s body pressed against my back. I feel his hard cock settle against my arse as he pushes closer to me, one arm wrapping around my waist, tight. I’m suddenly wanting to be anywhere but here.
“Take me home.”