Chapter 4
William
It’d been a rough couple of days getting everything in order before my trip to America.
Running the inn with Mum for the past four years hadn’t given me a minute to breathe, let alone take a prolonged trip, but I had to attend Lindsey’s funeral and help Elspeth with the pub.
Lindsey was always so supportive and generous.
Angus and I were only able to afford our summer trips to America because Lindsey paid for our tickets.
It was during those summers when I’d have some maternal attention.
I love my mum, but she wasn’t the type to make me a cup of tea if I was ever feeling low.
She was also so busy working that by the time she was home, she had nothing left to give.
It broke my heart when Lindsey told me about her diagnosis years ago.
Even though I stopped visiting after I got into the service, Lindsey and I would talk over the phone from time to time just to catch up.
But I was so busy getting the inn off the ground that those promises for visiting fell to the wayside.
The least I could do was help Elspeth keep her mother’s pub afloat.
I’d learned a lot since running my own business and hoped it would be enough to teach her a thing or two before I went back home.
After getting Nairie’s voicemail, I’d gone over the logistics of the daily operations with Mum and a few of my cousins to help them run things while I was away. I was also going to try to work with them over the phone whenever I had time.
Despite all the scheduling and planning, I found myself replaying Nairie’s voicemail repeatedly.
Something about her voice was different.
Obviously, it was deeper since she had only been sixteen when I last saw her, but I hadn’t realized how much it soothed me.
It was low and melodic, almost seductive like a siren, but I quickly dashed the thought.
I always remembered Nairie with a certain fondness throughout the years, but she was five years younger than me, and I’d never considered her in a sexual manner before.
I took to protecting her naturally like I did with Elspeth, and I always admired her unrelenting kindness.
She also had a tenacity only a few people were privy to seeing.
So when I stood at the doorway to Elspeth’s home, I had no idea who was staring back up at me. I seriously thought I had the wrong house for a minute and then realized those big almond-shaped brown eyes belonged to Nairie, the once-awkward kid who always hung around.
Except now, she wasn’t a kid. She was indeed a full-grown woman with shiny, long dark hair, lush lips, and curves I wanted to get my hands on.
Her thick eyelashes fluttered in surprise, and her full eyebrows raised to her hairline.
The strangest feeling took over me, and fuck all if it didn’t help that I heard her talking about vibrators.
The idea of her using one made my brain fuzzy and my dick hard.
At dinner, I’d watched her hips sway as she filled my plate at the stove. I tried to keep my eyes on Elspeth and not her best friend’s heart-shaped ass. She looked soft and delectable, and I had a good feeling her ample bosom would be the perfect weight in my big hands.
I haven’t been celibate since breaking up with Shannon years ago, but I also hadn’t felt this horny since I was a teenager.
It took a lot of willpower not to stare at Nairie at the dinner table and watch her every move.
I noticed everything about her—the way her tongue flicked over the corner of her mouth while she ate and how soft her hair looked.
What would it feel like wrapped around my wrist?
But most of all, it was the light she held in her eyes whenever she’d look at me, however brief and fleeting her glances were.
I couldn’t remember the last time a woman looked at me like that, and it made my heart ache.
I never thought of her as anything more than Elspeth’s friend.
She’d always been thoughtful and kind, fierce when she wanted to be.
I remembered the second year Angus and I were visiting.
He was being particularly aggressive on his way out the front door by shoving me into a wall.
It wasn’t anything I wasn’t used to by then.
Angus used me as a punching bag most days.
But Nairie saw it happen when she was only eight.
Her tiny hands turned into fists, and she yelled after him that pushing wasn’t nice and he was being a bad brother.
Angus just laughed and kept walking. I was proud of her, and it warmed my heart that somebody was willing to stand up for me, even if it was just a little kid.
In my surly teenage years, when I was busy sulking from whatever argument Shannon and I just had, Nairie would bring me a copy of one of Lindsey’s mystery novels like Murder on the Orient Express or The Big Sleep. She knew my favorite authors by heart.
When she learned to bake, a fresh batch of shortbread cookies was waiting every time I visited because she overheard me talking about my mum’s recipe once.
She called it “homesick medicine.” Little did she know I was rarely homesick.
Coming to America was the only time I could breathe without the shit storm back home looming over my head.
After a rocky adolescence, a choice that changed the trajectory of my life, and seven years in the special forces, I’d forgotten what it was like to have her around. She was always honest and good—a bright spot in my muddled memories of things I’d rather forget.
Nairie was the complete opposite of my ex, who was often selfish and cruel.
But tonight, I learned something darker might be inside Nairie. I didn’t know what came over me, insinuating a spanking, but I found a thrill in making her blush and watching her eyes light aflame when she looked at my dick. Seeing her so bold was a pleasant shock.
I wanted to keep our flirtatious banter going but knew I shouldn’t.
I’d be leaving for Scotland in god knows how long, and I didn’t want to lead the poor girl on.
Operative word being “girl.” She was twenty-three and may have looked like a woman, but I could still see the sweet sixteen-year-old that used to follow me around like a lost puppy.
It also seemed like she was still acquiescing to her parents’ wishes based on the fact she was living with them part-time.
She always seemed to do whatever everyone else wanted, and I hated seeing it.
After sorting the kitchen, I joined Elspeth on the couch to catch up on the past few years, hoping to avoid conversations about Angus as much as possible.
Discussing how our brother was now a major player in an underground crime syndicate in the UK was a story for another time.
The reason why I went into the SAS was to avoid becoming like him.
Right now, I just wanted to focus on Elspeth and relive the good memories. This house was full of them and hadn’t changed since I last visited. The two-story craftsman had bright walls with knickknacks, books, and photos strewn about the space in a haphazard way that was chaotic but cozy.
I caught a whiff of spice and vanilla and watched Nairie descend the stairs with wet hair, a loose T-shirt, and short shorts that were nearly swallowed by her thick thighs.
My traitorous dick was now swelling behind my sweats, so I grabbed a nearby pillow as a fail-safe.
She looked beautiful in her natural state, a slight glow to her skin and a blush to her cheeks from the hot shower I assumed she’d taken.
She sat across from us and attempted to find something on Netflix.
I cleared my throat. “So, Nairie, what have you been up to?”
She looked over at me and smiled. “I’ve been working at my parents’ jewelry store. I manage their online store and the books.”
“Oh? I thought you’d go into art. You were always so good at drawing.”
Nairie’s smile widened, and I made sure the pillow was firmly in place. “Thanks, but I couldn’t get by with art alone. Plus, my parents really needed the help.”
“Come on, Ree. You barely do anything there,” Elspeth said as she tied her hair in a messy bun.
Nairie furrowed her eyebrows. “Hey! Family’s really important to me.”
“Yeah, but your dreams should be, too,” Elspeth said earnestly.
I looked directly at Nairie. “I think it’s admirable. You wanted to help your family. Not a lot of people would make the sacrifice.”
Her smile softened. “Thanks.”
Elspeth giggled and brought her blanket up to her chin. “Yeah, but she’s been going to these art classes and kicking ass. Plus, she’s entering this design competition on Instagram. Pretty soon she’s going to be traveling the world and drawing for some of the biggest brands. You signed up, right?”
Nairie furtively looked away. “Uh, yeah.”
She looked adorable when she was trying to lie.
She waved her hands in the air dismissively. “The art class has been really fun, but I doubt I’ll win the competition.”
“I’m sure you will,” I said.
Nairie looked at me with surprise.
Elspeth giggled. “Even if you don’t win, at least you got a boyfriend out of the class!”
Nairie stared wide-eyed at Elspeth.
“What? Okay, boy toy?” Elspeth said.
Nairie shrank in her chair.
“Fuck buddy?” Elspeth’s voice raised on the last word jokingly.
Nairie laughed nervously. “Okay, okay. That’s enough. We’re not . . . I’m not . . . it’s not even a thing.”
I tightened my jaw and furrowed my eyebrows. Why did I have such a strong reaction to that statement? The girl was an adult, and we hadn’t seen each other in years. What right did I have to be jealous?
I adjusted my features to a picture of cool indifference.
I needed to change the subject before I did something stupid. “Let’s watch your mum’s favorite movie. I remember her playing it every time I came to visit.”
“Great idea!” Elspeth exclaimed.
Nairie bent down in front of the TV and searched the DVD collection. Her long hair fell to the side, and her shirt rode up a bit. Faint lines of a tattoo seemed to trail up her back.
When I looked up, Elspeth was watching me and wiggled her eyebrows. I scowled and distracted myself with my phone.
Nairie didn’t seem like the type to have ink. It always took Elspeth and me a million years to try and convince her to even steal a cookie before dinner.
She put in the movie and the beginning credits for When Harry Met Sally played.
Near the end, Elspeth fell asleep while Nairie’s eyes remained fixed on the screen. I watched her undetected now that the lights were off.
Her dark features against her pale skin made her look like one of her inky drawings. Her straight aquiline nose gave her an exotic look, and her lush lips stretched across her perfect teeth. I snapped my eyes back up to her eyes and found her looking at me with a ghost of a smile.
We seemed to stare at each other for eternity.
She flicked her tongue across her lips, a warm invitation I desperately wanted to accept.
Instead, I placed a finger to my lips and looked at Elspeth sleeping soundly next to me.
Nairie nodded and turned the TV off as I gathered Elspeth in my arms to take her upstairs.
I followed Nairie and unashamedly looked at her ass as she walked ahead of me. It swayed with every step, and I had to make sure I didn’t drop my sister.
Once in Elle’s room, Nairie unfolded the bed covers for me to place her inside. Then she moved to take Elspeth’s socks off. “She hates wearing them to bed.”
I’d never met someone so damn thoughtful, and it almost angered me. Had anyone ever thought of her for a change?
I followed Nairie outside the room, and she closed the door with a quiet click.
We stood closer than ever since the hallway was a bit narrow for my frame.
Nairie stared up at me, and said in a hushed voice, “I’m really glad you came. Elspeth needs her brother.”
The corner of my mouth upturned slightly, and we walked toward our rooms, which faced each other. Nairie fiddled with the hem of her shirt and leaned against her doorframe.
“This you?” I motioned with a lift of my chin.
“Yup.”
I nodded and let my hand fall on the wall next to Nairie’s face so I was leaning in close. “Nairie, how have you been through all of this? It must not have been easy taking care of Elspeth and Lindsey.”
Nairie looked up at me, barely breathing. She opened her mouth and then closed it, likely thinking of a response. Having me so close seemed to make her brain short-circuit, and I tried not to smile.
“What I’m feeling pales in comparison to what Elle has to go through,” she breathed out like a confession.
“Doesn’t mean what you’re feeling isn’t hard, too”
Nairie looked into my eyes, and I had the sudden urge to pull her into a hug to comfort her.
Her eyes watered, so I leaned down, wrapped my big arms around her waist, and held her close.
Her soft body melded to mine, and she started to fall apart.
Her gentle sobs reverberated through my frame, and I felt like the guiltiest person alive.
My sister and friend were going through this terrible thing alone.
I stroked the back of her hair. “Nairie, I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”
Her sobs softened, and she looked up at me. The hallway was dark, but her room had a soft amber glow, backlighting her so she almost looked angelic with her eyelashes wet and spiky from tears.
“You were taking care of your own business. We both knew that.”
I lightly stroked a tear off her cheek. “Well, I’m here now. If you need a shoulder to cry on tomorrow, I’ve got two big ones.”
Nairie laughed, “Thanks.”
I finally let her go, even though my body was protesting every inch that separated us.
“Good night.”
Nairie smiled from inside her room and leaned against the door. “Night.”
The charged moment with Nairie was almost enough to keep me awake, but sleep hit me like a brick wall as soon as my head landed on the pillow.