chickened out as she always did.
She expected to see him on the road or somewhere close, putting on his clothes, but he was gone. As were his clothes. It was like they just vanished.
Ronnie straightened and looked around the area. “Arran. Arran!”
No matter how many times she called, he didn’t answer and she didn’t find him. After several minutes, she gave up and got in her car.
“Damn,” she said, and slammed her hands on the steering wheel. “I’m such a coward. I want him and what he’s offering. Why can’t I take it? What’s wrong with me?”
She put her head on the wheel and simply sat there, hating herself for allowing the past to rule her. It was all because of Max, all because she’d been naïve and foolish.
Pete had warned her that what Max had done would jeopardize any future happiness. She’d laughed Pete off, but it seemed he was right.
Ronnie tried to remember the last time she’d had a date, a real date. The last time someone had asked her out had been just a few months after she broke things off with Max.
She’d declined the date, and the next several following that. Then she’d dived into work so that she hadn’t realized it had been over two years since she’d had a date of any kind.
With a sigh she lifted her head and looked at the water. What would it have been like to swim with Arran? What would it have felt like to forget about the past and give in to the attraction?
What would it have been like to kiss him?
Ronnie angrily wiped at a tear that dared to fall. Then she did as she’d always done. She gave herself that minute to wallow in guilt and regret, then she shoved it aside and looked ahead.
It was the only course she had. Look ahead. Always look ahead.
She fastened her seat belt and started the car. As she drove away, she was determined never to think of the loch and Arran walking from the water again. Never to think of the way her body reacted to his mere presence or what could have been.
CHAPTER
TEN
Arran watched Ronnie drive away. Only then did he release the breath he’d been holding. He wasn’t sure how he hadn’t hauled her against him and plundered her mouth as he’d wanted to do from the first moment he’d seen her. Several times he’d nearly come out of his hiding spot when she called his name.
She’d wanted to come into the water. It’d been there on her face. But something had stopped her. What was it?
And why did he care so damn much?
He dressed as the sizzle of her magic began to fade when her car drove away. He’d felt her magic while he was underwater, but to break the surface and see her standing there had brought all the ardor he’d worked so hard to cool back in an instant.
If he could forget the burning need long enough to talk to her about Druids, he might learn more about her. But damn if he could get his body under control. Yet, he was going to have to—and soon. He’d seen the way she’d looked at the arches. Whether it was a burial mound or something else she was uncovering, he didn’t like the feel of it.
And it seemed to be taking her. It was the way she looked at it that bothered him the most. The last thing he wanted was to confront her with being a Druid, but since he hadn’t been alone with her, he was fast losing time.
He’d had that opportunity a few minutes ago, and he’d blown it. All because of his damned cock.
His phone rang at that moment. “Shit,” he murmured, and jerked the phone out of his back pocket. Then he let loose another string of curses when he saw Saffron’s name.
“You’ve got some explaining to do,” he said by way of answering, since she’d refused to take his calls.
“Hello to you as well,” Saffron said, a smile in her voice. “I thought you might like my little trick. Many people think Ronnie is a man based on her name.”
“That’s a natural deduction. And you could’ve answered my calls before about this. Why are you really calling?”
When she didn’t
She expected to see him on the road or somewhere close, putting on his clothes, but he was gone. As were his clothes. It was like they just vanished.
Ronnie straightened and looked around the area. “Arran. Arran!”
No matter how many times she called, he didn’t answer and she didn’t find him. After several minutes, she gave up and got in her car.
“Damn,” she said, and slammed her hands on the steering wheel. “I’m such a coward. I want him and what he’s offering. Why can’t I take it? What’s wrong with me?”
She put her head on the wheel and simply sat there, hating herself for allowing the past to rule her. It was all because of Max, all because she’d been naïve and foolish.
Pete had warned her that what Max had done would jeopardize any future happiness. She’d laughed Pete off, but it seemed he was right.
Ronnie tried to remember the last time she’d had a date, a real date. The last time someone had asked her out had been just a few months after she broke things off with Max.
She’d declined the date, and the next several following that. Then she’d dived into work so that she hadn’t realized it had been over two years since she’d had a date of any kind.
With a sigh she lifted her head and looked at the water. What would it have been like to swim with Arran? What would it have felt like to forget about the past and give in to the attraction?
What would it have been like to kiss him?
Ronnie angrily wiped at a tear that dared to fall. Then she did as she’d always done. She gave herself that minute to wallow in guilt and regret, then she shoved it aside and looked ahead.
It was the only course she had. Look ahead. Always look ahead.
She fastened her seat belt and started the car. As she drove away, she was determined never to think of the loch and Arran walking from the water again. Never to think of the way her body reacted to his mere presence or what could have been.
CHAPTER
TEN
Arran watched Ronnie drive away. Only then did he release the breath he’d been holding. He wasn’t sure how he hadn’t hauled her against him and plundered her mouth as he’d wanted to do from the first moment he’d seen her. Several times he’d nearly come out of his hiding spot when she called his name.
She’d wanted to come into the water. It’d been there on her face. But something had stopped her. What was it?
And why did he care so damn much?
He dressed as the sizzle of her magic began to fade when her car drove away. He’d felt her magic while he was underwater, but to break the surface and see her standing there had brought all the ardor he’d worked so hard to cool back in an instant.
If he could forget the burning need long enough to talk to her about Druids, he might learn more about her. But damn if he could get his body under control. Yet, he was going to have to—and soon. He’d seen the way she’d looked at the arches. Whether it was a burial mound or something else she was uncovering, he didn’t like the feel of it.
And it seemed to be taking her. It was the way she looked at it that bothered him the most. The last thing he wanted was to confront her with being a Druid, but since he hadn’t been alone with her, he was fast losing time.
He’d had that opportunity a few minutes ago, and he’d blown it. All because of his damned cock.
His phone rang at that moment. “Shit,” he murmured, and jerked the phone out of his back pocket. Then he let loose another string of curses when he saw Saffron’s name.
“You’ve got some explaining to do,” he said by way of answering, since she’d refused to take his calls.
“Hello to you as well,” Saffron said, a smile in her voice. “I thought you might like my little trick. Many people think Ronnie is a man based on her name.”
“That’s a natural deduction. And you could’ve answered my calls before about this. Why are you really calling?”
When she didn’t