Chapter 14
Audrey
After a very full day, I get back to the castle and head straight for the living room—or parlor as Arran calls it—and flop onto the leather couch. I instantly put my feet up and relish the quiet of the castle that has become so familiar to me now.
Since smut club, I’ve been keeping myself occupied by going around the island and chatting with different residents, learning their Arran stories. It’s been wonderfully eye-opening. Arran is the master of moving in the shadows, caring for each Starry Hill creature without being obvious about it.
So far I’ve learned that he never asks for anything in return, never boasts to others about anything good he’s done, and it’s kind of giving me some very complex feelings.
Realizing that Arran’s not only a very attractive vampire who happens to know his way around female anatomy, but that he has a good heart that he hides behind his castle walls, makes me like him a little more than I planned on.
Plus, he’s a pretty great conversationalist too. And he cares for my dog.
Luckily I’m not someone to get actual romantic feelings for anyone, but I can imagine that if that were to happen, that it could be with someone like Arran.
It would never work between us though. Despite me living in Cape Easton, and him never leaving the island for any reason, I wouldn’t know how to deal with aging.
If Arran stayed looking thirty-two forever, and one day I’m old and wrinkly, I don’t think I’d be able to handle it. I’d never expect Arran to find me attractive like that either. So, entertaining thoughts about anything beyond whatever is going on between us right now is futile.
Thankfully, I’m not the only one who sees all of Arran’s good qualities. Starry Hill has a strong appreciation for their laird too—even if no one has officially given him that title here—but no one seems to know how to show it.
That’s where my new project comes in. Arran isn’t the type of creature who’d want a kind of ceremony for himself that would thrust him into the limelight, but I have an idea of something that might work.
First, I need a little more information from him about his time with his clan and the types of activities they did together. I’d just need to be very covert about how I go about extracting this information from him without giving away any of my plans or secrets.
Finally, after more than two weeks in Starry Hill, I don’t feel a lick of boredom. In fact, I feel invigorated. I have a mission, a vision, and I’m really excited about all of it.
The sound of Anita’s tiny claws tapping against the stone floor has me sitting up again and looking toward the sound. My little sausage dog bounds across the foyer and straight for me, her butt wiggling furiously with happy swishes of her tail.
“There’s my baby,” I say, lowering myself to the floor to greet her. “Did you have a good day with Arran?”
I look up and my panties nearly combust at the sight of Arran leaning against the wall, strong arms folded across his chest, stubble a little longer than usual, and the most indulgent smile perched on his lips as he stares at us.
Plus, I know how thick those thighs are under his kilt, what kind of jewelry decorates his cock, and how good his hands feel all over my body.
How does one person have the right to be this hot? And nice?
Fuck. I’m in trouble.
“Keep looking at me like that and I might have to kiss you again, darling,” Arran says, his voice a husky purr that shoots straight to my clit.
“Did you need a clear invitation?” I ask with a slight raise of my brows. I don’t give Arran my full attention, choosing to keep most of my focus on the pup twirling in circles between my legs.
“Aye.”
“Huh?”
“I thought…” Arran stumbles. “Well…” Rubbing a hand over his short hair I can still feel under my fingertips, Arran tries again. “That night was…”
“Amazing?” I offer.
“Aye,” Arran breathes. “However, you’ve not stated any explicit interest in repeating it.”
I lean back and cock a brow. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No.”
I throw Anita’s ball and she chases after it while I give the oblivious vampire my full attention. “Arran, my dear. You gave me six orgasms in one night. You think I wouldn’t want a repeat performance? Or were you waiting for me to make all the moves again and offer myself on a platter?”
Swallowing hard, Arran mumbles, “Maybe?”
I raise both my hands in the air and gesture down my body. “Consider me a walking meal. Have a snack whenever you feel like it. A nibble, an appetizer, a plateful, or the whole fucking thing. Consider this your blatant invitation to partake of my body as you wish.”
“Are you talking about free use?” Arran asks slowly, his body absolutely still.
“I am.”
“With a vampire?”
“With you.”
On my next breath, Arran is striding toward me, lifting me up off the floor and wrapping my legs around his waist.
“You’re a gift, Audrey,” he says before slanting his mouth against mine.
I open instantly for him, my tongue meeting his hungry strokes with equal fervor, the pent-up feelings over the past week driving us closer and closer to each other, our inhibitions now long forgotten.
Arran lays me down on the couch, his big body pressing deliciously into mine as he damn near consumes me.
More, more. I want more.
I tighten my legs around Arran and grind my hips against him, but he’s too big and our pelvises don’t line up. Never have I felt such frustration for my small frame as I do right now where I actually might perish if I don’t get his dick inside me within the next second.
“Arran, please,” I say as he cups my tit, pinching my nipple the exact way I like.
“Please what?”
“Fuck me,” I demand.
Arran lifts up only far enough to show me his devious grin. “I will, lass.” He nips at my bottom lip. “But, I’ll decide when, where, and how.”
“Not now?” I groan.
Skimming a hand toward my waistband, Arran fumbles with my button and undoes my zip.
I’m starting to understand why so many women on the island choose to wear sundresses.
They’re probably going commando too for easy access.
I’ll have to check up on my own sundress order from Peregrine in the morning, because if Arran and I are going to play around with free use, then I want to make it as easy as possible for both of us.
I gasp loudly as Arran glides two thick fingers over my clit. He circles the sensitive nub slowly, pressing down with the perfect amount of pressure that has another breath stuttering out of me.
“So beautiful,” Arran praises, his eyes tracing each of my features. “Right now, you’re going to come on my fingers, just once, then I’m going to take you on a tour of the castle, show you some of my favorite spots.”
“But—” I start to protest.
Arran’s fingers still. “My meal, my choice. Right?”
“Yes,” I answer, arching into his touch for more.
Arran obliges, continuing with his tight circles again. “When I decide it’s time, I’m going to fuck you so good you’ll forget your own name, and only know mine.”
“Okay.” I’m beyond snarky replies.
This vampire has gotten to know my body so well that my orgasm is already building under my skin, sensations coursing through my veins as he invites me toward the edge of euphoria, ready to push me over and catch me at the bottom again.
“That’s it,” Arran encourages. “Let go, darling. Fall for me.”
I do. I ride the crest of my orgasm, my body pulsing with my release while Arran’s gaze stays locked on mine.
Chest heaving, I pull Arran down to me again and kiss him with whatever words lay jumbled underneath the protective barriers of my heart.
When I have full function of all my limbs again, Arran helps me up. He keeps his fingers laced through mine while he gathers Anita in his other hand.
“Let’s get you to bed, baby girl,” Arran whispers before pressing a kiss to her head.
My heart does not melt. Not really.
Together, we put Anita in her little bed in my room, making sure she has enough food, water, and toys, before Arran leads me toward the top of the central staircase, right in the center of our two wings.
“This was the first portion of the castle I built,” Arran says, gesturing to the impressive foyer below, the parlor and the empty kitchen on the other side.
“Was there a reason for that?”
Arran rubs at the stubble along his jaw. “It’s a replica of Castle Stewart, the one I grew up in. Of course it’s not perfectly accurate, but I tried my best to bring a little bit of my heritage to Starry Hill.”
My heart aches anew for Arran. How lonely it must’ve been to know that you’ll never have the opportunity to see the ones you love again, never visit the place you call home again, and therefore have to resort to creating a physical representation of that love, that heritage.
“I love your castle,” I say and truly mean it. “It blows my mind that you built something this magnificent with your own hands, and all from memory.”
Even in the low light provided by the sconces, I notice the slight flush to Arran’s cheeks.
“I had a lot of time,” he mumbles and I resist the urge to kiss him again.
I want to know all about Arran’s history, the history of the castle and his clan. I’m hungry for any tiny morsels Arran can provide me with, both for the purposes of my projects, but mostly because I want to know him better.
“Did you play any kinds of parlor games?” I ask, jutting my chin toward the room where we spend most of our time, our hands still linked.
“Aye, though I was never particularly fond of them, or good at them,” Arran says with a slight wince. “My family mostly enjoyed playing dice, cards, and draughts.”
“I’m not sure what those games entail, but they sound fun. What did you like?” I ask, poking his chest.
Arran looks down and smiles at the familiar gesture, enveloping my hand with his. “Mostly anything outdoors. We used to have these festivals that we would practice for almost year-round. I did log toss, stone put, hammer throw, and tug-of-war with my strongest friends.”
“Oh, muscle stuff,” I purr, stepping closer into his space. “I wouldn’t mind watching you do some of that.”
“Yeah? You want to see me throw some heavy things around and prove my virility to you, lass?” Arran asks. He presses my hand to his chest in a silent order before snaking his arm around my waist.
I lift one shoulder in shrug. “If you’re offering.”
“And what do I get as my prize?”
“My adoration.” It’s not a lie, but it’s not the full truth either.
If I had to watch Arran do all of those things, for me, I might offer him far more than my body on a platter. It wouldn’t be something as ridiculous as actually giving him my heart, but it will get fucking close to it.
“Seems like a fair trade,” Arran says before softly brushing his lips against my temple.
He pulls me tighter to him and bends even lower to caress my lips with the gentlest, most patient kiss I’ve ever had in my life. Arran takes his time exploring my mouth, keeping the pace slow and steady, humming in satisfaction when I don’t battle him for dominance.
I let Arran lead, let him guide me where he wants while I turn to putty in his very capable hands, my knees getting weaker and weaker with every minute that passes.
I reach onto my tiptoes and wrap my arms around Arran’s neck as the kiss keeps going and going, completely surrendering to the vampire holding me in his safe embrace.
Eventually, Arran slows us down until our lips barely touch, our heaving breaths shared as we come down from whatever that just was.
“Wow. Okay.” My response was meant to sound cheeky, but it comes out a little too breathily, too affected by the random swarm of butterflies fluttering wildly in my stomach.
This is getting dangerous. We need to fuck very soon before these little touches develop into actual romantic feelings.
Arran leads me through his wing of the castle, opening a door at the end of the corridor that I haven’t seen before.
I stick my head in to find a spiral staircase, curving up, up, up, until I feel dizzy from simply looking at it.
“We going up there?”
Arran runs a hand across his short hair, looking adorably shy. “My favorite view of the island is from the top of this turret. I want to show you how… nice everything looks from up there. But if you’re not comfortable with heights then we don’t have to go up.”
“Show me. Please.” Even if I was scared of heights, it wouldn’t keep me from sharing this with Arran.
Arran holds our clasped hands to his chest, and grabs a lantern with his free hand. “There’s no safety railing here, so please don’t let go. I’ll keep you safe.”
“I know you will.”
Together, we start climbing.
The first flight or so isn’t too bad, but soon I’m huffing and puffing, and in desperate need of a break. We pause next to a narrow window in the curved stone wall, the sliver of moonlight shining through illuminating Arran’s features in an unfairly attractive way.
Needing to fill the silence with conversation so the evidence of the unfit state of my lungs doesn’t scare Arran off, I wheeze out, “It must’ve been very hard after you became a vampire, to not be able to enjoy all the outdoor activities anymore. Like your log throwing, and hammer toss.”
Arran steps down another stair until we’re closer to eye level.
“Log toss and hammer throw?” he corrects lightly.
“It was hard at first. Everything was hard back then. Though, I’ve adjusted to working with the light of the moon and stars over the last few centuries.
The enhanced eyesight also helps.” Arran adds, “I introduced some of the Starry Hill lads to log tossing a while ago. They seemed to enjoy it almost as much as I did. Ren in particular was quite good with his accuracy.”
“Do you do it regularly?” I ask, feeling hopeful about incorporating this new information into my project.
Arran shakes his head. “No. It was the plan, but I guess life got busy and they’ve forgotten. Or maybe they weren’t that interested.”
I narrow my eyes, not at him, but at the other guys for inadvertently disappointing Arran when he shared such a special part of his culture with them. “I’m sure that’s not the case, but I’ll ask around.”
“Audrey,” Arran says, a light warning in the tone as he lifts my chin.
“What? It’s just a simple inquiry.” Before he can object again, I continue climbing.
We pause a couple more times, each stop next to another narrow window that gives me a spectacular view of either the ocean or the island. Despite my protesting lungs, I keep pushing toward the top, excited to see Arran’s favorite view.