Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
LEWIS
Following a lie-in and a hearty breakfast—one I couldn’t fault—Iona and I are now packed up and ready to head downstairs to check out.
I lift the overnight bags. “Shall we?”
She nods then glances around the room as though capturing a mental snapshot of it. She has one last look out the window, taking in the view of the castle, then comes over to me by the door.
“After we spent all day yesterday at the book event, it’ll be really nice to do some touristy things around the city with you today.” She smiles. “Let’s not head back to Bannock till late, all right? You hardly ever get a weekend off, so let’s make the most of it.”
I grin back at her. “That sounds perfect.” I’m more than happy to spend as much time with her as I can.
“Oh, and just before we go...” She places her hands on my chest, rises onto her tiptoes, and kisses me.
At first, the unexpectedness of it freezes me to the spot, but then elation floods through me. For the longest time, I wasn’t sure I’d ever kiss Iona again, but now it’s finally happening. Her lips are so soft, and their warmth feels like coming home.
Dropping the bags, I cup her face, gently stroking her cheeks with my thumbs. Her hands slide up to my neck, her fingers weaving into my hair. I press my lips more firmly against hers, and she responds by pushing me against the door. A laugh escapes me even as our lips remain pressed together, but this quickly morphs into a groan when her mouth opens, giving me an invitation I can’t refuse.
My heart racing, I deepen the kiss. Our tongues dance, and a symphony of moans and breathy whispers fills the air. Our kiss becomes hungry, fervent, years of suppressed emotions pouring out like water through a burst dam.
I draw her closer to me, the soft curves of her body moulding against mine. Her hands continue exploring, her fingers scraping lightly along my scalp, sending shivers down my spine. Through our clothes, I feel the heat radiating from her skin.
A surge of arousal rushes through me, and my cock hardens, pressing insistently against the denim of my jeans. The friction is both torturous and delicious. It makes me want more—no, need more.
My hands slide from her face down to her waist, then lower still, gripping her hips and pulling her even more tightly against me. She gasps into my mouth when she feels my hardness, and then a breathy giggle escapes her lips. She moves against me, rocking from side to side in a rhythm that sends shock waves through my entire body.
The tension between us builds to a fever pitch. Every movement, every touch, is amplified and significant. When we finally break apart, we’re both panting and flustered. I grin down at her, admiring her flushed cheeks and pink kiss-swollen lips.
I return one of my hands to her face, gently brushing her cheek, while my other remains on her hip, holding her firmly against me.
“Iona, this means the world to me.” My voice wavers, rough with both emotion and desire. My words may be clichéd, but they’re the truth. I wasn’t sure I’d ever win her back, nor did I believe my life could be complete without her. For us to be taking this step... it means everything.
Aye, we’ve maybe not done things in the most conventional order. Some couples might have kissed before they did what we got up to last night. But hey, when we were eighteen, the kiss came first. It’s nice to do things a little differently this time.
Dipping my head to her hair, I inhale deeply, the sweet strawberry scent filling my nostrils.
“When you showered this morning, you didn’t use the shampoo the hotel provided, did you?”
“No.” There’s a hint of surprise in her voice. “I always bring my own. I’ve been using it for years—it works so well for my hair. I’d be so upset if they ever stopped making it.”
“Me too.” I play with a loose lock. “I have a lot of memories associated with that smell.”
I plant a kiss on the nape of her neck. She shivers, and a soft, contented sigh escapes her lips.
“You know, maybe we don’t have to wait years before sleeping with one another,” she says. “I’ve thought about it, and... I’ve decided I’m ready now.”
“Fuck, are you sure?”
She rolls her hips in a teasing motion, making me half gasp, half laugh.
“Aye.”
My pulse quickens. My skin tingles with anticipation. “Well, in that case, I guess the only question is... your bed or mine? Or shall I push them together to give us a bit more room?” I wiggle my eyebrows.
“Oh, wait a minute!” Iona glances over her shoulder and checks the clock on her bedside table. “Oh no! Have you seen the time? We’ve only got a couple of minutes to check out. We’ll have to take a rain check.” She feigns a pout, but her eyes twinkle mischievously.
“Iona, whatever the fine is for checking out late, I’ll pay it.”
“No, we can’t do that. As everyone knows, I’m a bit of a goody two-shoes. I don’t want to be fined.”
“Bollocks! A goody two-shoes? You’re anything but, and I love it.”
“Okay, but you’re a hotel manager. Imagine how hypocritical it would be if you were to be late for checkout when you expect your own guests to leave promptly. No, that wouldn’t do at all. We’ll just have to have sex another time.”
“You like teasing me too much,” I say gruffly. “You deliberately waited until we didn’t have any time left, didn’t you?”
She giggles. “Hey, you got a kiss.”
“Aye.” I smile. “I’ll take that.”
“We can do it tonight. Back in Bannock. Think you can wait until then?”
“If we head straight to the car now, and take just a short break for lunch, we could be in Bannock by three. What do you think?”
“Oh no, we can’t do that. Remember what we agreed earlier? You hardly ever get a weekend off, so to make the most of it, we’re going to stay in Edinburgh all day . No need to get home till late. I’d feel terrible were you to rush back on a rare day off, all on my account.”
I sigh—and then chuckle. “Genuine question: doesn’t all this teasing bother you too? I mean, I’m not the only one you’re denying here.”
“Of course it bothers me. Yesterday, when you were standing beside me, jerking off, I wanted you inside me so badly. But, unlike you, I’m okay with anticipation. It’s part of the experience. I mean, where’s the fun in immediate satisfaction? Delayed gratification is what it’s all about.”
“I’ve been waiting six years to have sex with you again. If we were to do it right here, right now, I don’t think anyone on the planet would describe that as ‘immediate satisfaction’.”
“True, but if you’ve already been waiting six years, what’s another ten hours or so, eh?” She flashes a smile. “All right, let’s go. We don’t want to be late for checkout!”
It’s after nine when we finally get back to Bannock. I had a really fun day with Iona: we visited Edinburgh Castle, walked the Royal Mile, and climbed Arthur’s Seat. Was I distracted because I was desperate to take her to my bed? Maybe a little—okay, a lot—but I still appreciated getting to spend time with her. After so many years of things being strained between us, I’m now savouring every minute I get with her.
I park up outside her maw’s and help Iona upstairs with her bag and her haul of books. We’ve got the place to ourselves—Elspeth must still be at the restaurant. On the drive up, Iona and I agreed she’d come over to my room, but if we’re not going to be disturbed here...
Gently I place my hand on the small of Iona’s back and draw her closer to me, but she playfully pushes me away.
“Oi! You can wait another few minutes, you randy bugger. Let me freshen up and get changed. I’ll pop over to yours soon.” She gives me a quick peck on the lips.
I suppose I can wait a few more minutes—just about. “All right, see you in a bit.”
As I make for the stairs, she says, “Oh, just one thing.”
“Aye?”
“Well... you’ve mentioned you have a lot of fantasies you want to try out.”
“I do.”
“And I’ve read a lot of romance books over the years. There are a whole host of scenes that live rent-free in my head. There are so many things I’ve wanted to try out but haven’t been able to because past partners weren’t open to experimenting or didn’t have the strength. I’m confident I could try them with you, though. You and I have always been on the same wavelength about this stuff, and I reckon you’re strong enough for us to try even the most adventurous positions.”
I smirk. “I am.” No point in being modest—I’ve spent a hell of a lot of time in the gym over the years.
“Anyway, my point is... with so many things we both want to try, how are we going to organise this?”
“Ah. You’re right.” I click my fingers. “We have to think of the practicalities of all the crazy, passionate sex we’re going to have. Some people might claim sex should be spontaneous, and that being organised would take the excitement out of it, but I’m not convinced.”
“Right? I think it’d be far sexier to take this very seriously.” She places a hand on my chest. “We should act like we’re researchers and give this the proper consideration it deserves.”
A shiver runs down my spine. “Damn, there’s something insanely hot about the idea of you putting that brilliant mind of yours to our sex lives.”
“Well, you run a hotel—you’ve got a head for organisation too. Between now and me arriving in your room, I want you to have a think about how we’re going to tackle this project.”
I grin. “Never have I been happier about being assigned a piece of work. I’ll put my mind to it. See you soon.”
I move the car around to the back of the hotel, grab my bag, and head inside. Finally, after a month of teasing, the exchange of I-don’t-know-how-many rude photos, and a day of intense sexual frustration, I’m about to take Iona to my bed. Pure, unfiltered excitement courses through my veins.
Inside, Jamie is tidying up in the restaurant, but he stops when he spots me. “Lewis, thank God! While you were away, three customers got food poisoning, and the bathroom in room five flooded. It’s been a disaster!”
My heart sinks. When it comes to the hotel, I’m normally extremely conscientious, but I just don’t want to have to deal with this. All I want to do is take Iona upstairs. And bloody hell, food poisoning? How did that happen?
“Ignore your wee brother, the little troublemaker. None of that is true.” Elspeth emerges from the kitchen and smiles at me. “We got on just fine. No incidents to report.”
“Ha! Your face, though!” Jamie grins and does a wee dance. “You’re so easy to wind up.”
I shake my head but can’t bring myself to get annoyed with him. I’m just relieved I don’t actually have to deal with any of that stuff. After all Iona’s teasing, it would have been awful if something else had delayed our date in my bed.
“Well, how did the weekend go?” Elspeth asks, tilting her head.
“Aye, it was really good. Iona loved the book event, and today we did the castle and a few other touristy things.”
“Come on, tell us the good stuff!” Jamie leans in closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. “How was the sex?”
“ Jamie! ” Elspeth rebukes.
He really is the absolute worst. Why would he say that in front of Iona’s maw?
“We slept in separate beds, and there was no sex,” I report. It’s the truth. There was a pretty hot scene in a bathroom, but no contact was involved.
“Bloody hell, you and Iona are so boring !” Jamie complains.
“Thanks, Jamie.”
“Is Iona back in the house?” Elspeth asks.
Her smile has tightened almost imperceptibly. I get the strangest impression she’s disappointed by my announcement that I didn’t sleep with her daughter. Maybe I’m misreading her. No doubt she’s just anxious that everything goes well between me and Iona, but even so, I’d rather she didn’t have opinions about our sex life.
“Er, aye, she’s across the road,” I confirm.
“Great, I’ll just finish up in the kitchen then go over and chat with her. Hopefully, I’ll get more out of her about the weekend than I’m getting out of you!”
“Oh . . .”
Shit, while I’ve no desire to talk about anything sex-related with Elspeth, the days of sneaking Iona up to my room are gone—Iona and I discussed this on the drive up and were in agreement about it. We’re adults, and if she’s going to be spending the night with me, we’re not going to hide that from anyone.
I need to set the record straight about what’s going to be happening—tell Elspeth that Iona won’t be available for a chat tonight—but I’ve no wish to have an extended conversation about the matter. That’s why I casually make my way towards the stairs. With one foot on the bottom step, I say, “Er, maybe you could catch up with Iona tomorrow? The thing is... she’s going to be staying in my room tonight.”
A spark of surprise—and then, I think, delight—flickers in Elspeth’s eyes, while Jamie whoops enthusiastically. He says something about knowing for a fact that my room isn’t a twin room, but I ignore him and set off upstairs.
I’ve barely closed my door behind me when my phone pings. I check it—it’s the McIntyre Clan Group Chat.
Jamie
Cat, Ally, I have some BIG news about Lewis and Iona!
Bloody hell, he didn’t wait long. Shaking my head, I choose to ignore the barrage of subsequent pings. It seems Ally and Cat are just as interested in the news as Jamie.
Going over to close my curtains, I glance across the street and notice that Iona’s are already shut, although the subtle glow around her window tells me her light is on.
I leave my curtains for the moment and lift my phone. Ignoring the messages that have come in from Ally and Cat, I send one to Iona.
Lewis
A spreadsheet. On the cloud. I’ll add my fantasies, and you can add the scenes from your romance books.
Iona
Perfect! We can have columns for recording your rating, my rating, any comments/observations...
Nice, I like the idea of rating each entry. That’s hot.
All this chat about sex is amazing, of course, but this relationship is about so much more than that. This is my best friend, the only lass I’ve ever loved. She wanted to put off sex until we’d re-established the strong friendship we once had. I’m delighted she thinks we’re ready to take the next step, but I hope I haven’t been too sex-focused today. It’s important she knows just how much she means to me.
Open your curtains for a moment.
Across the way, Iona appears and smiles at me. I lean close to my window and blow hot air at it, steaming it up, then I draw a heart. It’s a small gesture, but I hope she gets the message.
Iona draws one too then glances down and taps at her phone.
You’re so sweet, Lewis. xx
But . . .
Back to our sex plan. We’ll make a start on the spreadsheet tomorrow. For tonight, please put your kilt on (and nothing else) and get into your bed. I’ll be over in a few minutes. x