His to Claim (13 page)

“Glenda!” Anna called out to her excitedly.

Stunned by that shriek, wide eyed, Glenda looked to the doors, and when she saw who it was, she did some screaming of her own. “Aahh.., ‘tis really ye, Anna?!”

The freshly laundered linen in her hands dropped to the floor as she flung herself over her childhood friend, uncaring of the muck that would stick to her.

Thrilled to see each other after a long time, the girls failed to notice the old caretaker of the house come up behind them.

The man in his early sixties was too exhausted marshalling a band of incompetent fools.

“What in Lord’s name is going-” His tirade died in surprise. “Anna..?”

The wonder of seeing his young niece chased all fatigue and irascibility from his corrugated face, giving his features a kindly touch. Though before long, his delight turned to concern as her dishevelled state registered on him. “What happened tae ye, lassie? Are ye hurt? Where’s yer luggage?”

“I’m fine, uncle Dugald. Please don’t fret-”

“Ouch!” Hackles raised, Glenda leapt away in scare from Anna’s side. “I..It moved!” She was pointing a shaky finger at the small bag the other girl was carrying slung over her shoulder.

Anna looked down and sure enough, the lump in her bag was squirming. She met Glenda’s eye, then Dugald’s, scrunching her face in apologetic grimace.

As she slipped her hand into the bag, the two waited with exaggerated wariness. The fiddling inside making them edgier.

When she pulled out, she was holding up a brown fur ball on her palm.

At close inspection it turned out to be a white kitten covered in drying dirt and grime, much like Anna herself.

“It’s a long story.” Smiling with pearly bright teeth shining, she tried to thaw and charm her uncle. She knew he couldn’t say no to that face.

“And none ‘ere ‘ave got time tae hear it.” Dugald said disapprovingly.

The coating of dirt on her face must be thicker than she had presumed. Her smile should have worked.. It always did.

“Master McBain’s coming home. And we awll are-”

“Master McBain?!” Saying Anna was ‘taken aback’ couldn’t aptly describe the blow she got from that news. “Not..Not Master Trevor? But on the phone you said, young master was coming.”

“He did come ‘ere, he did.” Dugald impatiently bobbed his head. “But Master Trevor had tae return soon after. Few days later though, Theodore Moore called us, and asked tae ready the manor fo’ Master McBain.”

“How can they do that?” Anna cried in betrayal.

Her plans can’t be thwarted like this! Didn’t womanisers prefer going new places and staying there until they hadn’t tapped every local beauty within ten mile radius? And Trevor McBain, as she had heard, was a rate one philanderer.

“What are ye blabbing, lass? They can dae whate’er they want.” His dim grey eyes looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

He couldn’t have guessed how close she truly felt to it. Anna desperately needed her scheme to work.

“And he doesna like cats. Lose it.”

“But it’s only a kitten.” She protested.

“Pets of any kind.” Dugald emphasised as if she were slow in mind, then turned to the young maid standing beside her and said, “show her tae yer room, Glenda. She’ll be staying with ye.” As the girls celebrated that verdict with exchanged looks of joy, Dugald lamented to himself, “Otherwise, the halls wouldn’t long be quiet from ye two traipsing up and down from one end tae the other.”

His gaze returned to Anna. “Wash up and get some rest. I’ll see ye at supper.”

She would have liked him to stop there with the imparting of his instructions, but he went on to add meaningfully, “without the cat.”

Deflated, Anna watched him go.

“’Ere, give the kitten tae me,” Glenda reached for the fur ball in Anna’s arms, “I’ll see ‘tis taken off the grounds.”

“No..”

Glenda’s surprised eyes looked up at Anna’s pleading ones. With a sigh, she relented. “Awll right, I’ll let ye hold it a wee longer. But it has tae gae.”

As her friend started leading the way, Anna’s mind worked frantically, while her hand absently stroked the wriggling kitty.

How could this have happened? After three failed attempts, this was supposed to be her full-proof plan.

No girl could ever have had this much difficulty losing her virginity as she was having!

***

A
merica

T
wo
M
onths
L
ater

O
ut sauntered Elaine through the glass doors of a reputed and exorbitantly expensive boutique after the last of her five fitting sessions.

She had been shopping for new dresses, and a breathtaking bridal gown. Trevor had demanded she change her entire wardrobe before their wedding. He refused to let a wife of his be seen in anything that wasn’t tagged with a well-known brand name.

All her selections were ready to be delivered by tomorrow straight to her and Trevor’s condo. Right now though, she had only a few small packages of
‘delicates’
along.

One was more for Trevor’s benefit than hers. Okay, Elaine thought with a secretive smile, so eventually she would be the one enjoying the fruits of its effects on him tonight.

A gleaming sedan stopped by the kerb before her. Its liveried driver immediately alighted from his seat to relieve her of her small load.

“Thank you, Pete.” She politely expressed her thanks to him.

“Just doing my job, Ma’am.” He answered opening the passenger door at the back for her.

The cool, plush inside of the car welcomed her with a scene where Trevor was engrossed reading a Newspaper. A furrow entrenched between his brows.

What could he have seen?
She was going to ask about it sitting next to him, when he began roaring with laughter.

“What is it?” Bewildered, she enquired.

“Da..Damn if I can..”

His laughs were getting infectious, and she found herself chortling too. “Would you tell me what’s so funny in the tabloid?”

“It’s Damian.” Trevor slumped back, exhaling a satisfied breath.

Watching his erotically evocative face unwind, Elaine’s heart skipped a beat. Reflection of the young boy she had first fell in love with could be seen in him like this. “Damian?”

“Aye, my older brother, the CEO of McBain Industries, nearly had to spend a night behind bars.”

“Oh, God!” Her hand came up to cover her mouth. “Why? And why’s that a laughing matter to you?”

“Apparently,”

Elaine’s horrified face rendered his brother’s plight doubly amusing to Trevor, and she had to wait for another bout of his laughter to cease.

“Will you quit laughing?” She thumped his shoulder irritably.

He shook his head back and forth in acquiescence, but was having a hard time doing as she ordered. “Damian.. He..he trashed some rocker’s party–for a lass no less!”

Incredulous, Elaine remained quiet for a long while, then, “Are you certain?”

“There’s a picture of him breaking the rocker’s nose. I wish I were there tae see this.”

Elaine snatched the tabloid up, sure enough, Damian’s fist could clearly be seen in the paper connecting with a rocker’s face. Someone in the party had taken that photo with his phone.

“I wondered what was keeping him in Scotland this long.” She heard Trevor say beside her. “Well, now we know.” He pensively raked his thick hair back, then linked his hands together behind his reposed head, unaware, the potent temptation he presented for any woman with her womb in working order. “Dae ye ken Hawk’s finally been bitten by the love bug?”

Too tempted to concentrate on anything else but him, Elaine flung the paper aside, heated up with passion for him. “Is it so bad, being bitten?”

Trevor observed her lazy eyes and recognised the desire that had tormented him, too, being away from her for three whole excruciating days.

He had been busy finalising an important new deal his steel company had gained. A business he started four years ago. With this new contract in hands, his company would become one of the top names in the country.

But even in that crucial time, it had been difficult keeping thoughts of her at bay. He had been unable to concentrate on anything. All Trevor had wished in those agonising moments was to come back to Elaine, take her in his arms. See her smile. Listen to her talk.

And now that she was in front of him, he wanted to do so much more–not let a moment go to waste. They had earned every second of their life together from here on.

His finger pressed a button on the car door and the dark sound proof partition between them and Pete rolled up.

Once private, his arm snagged Elaine to bring her over his lap.

Hard with his pent up desire, in a gravelled voice, he warned, “Lass, ye can bite me as much as ye want. But I hope tae Gawd yer ready fo’ some devouring of my own.”

Elaine threw her head back laughing as he clamped down on her throat with teeth bared.

*****

***

AUTHOR'S PAGE

B
ooks by the Author
Sierra Jaid

F
EAR

(Get Blown away by this

Smashing Introduction

to the upcoming YA/NA Book

L
EARNING
T
O
L
OVE
A
R
OGUE)

S
ynopsis:-

“Open your eyes birdie. The lion wants to play.”

Fear is all Sarah Rosenwal has ever known, and Maximus Castlemaine is everything she fears.

Scars from her past have yet to fade when mist of dark lies and darker deception begin to gather around Sarah’s one chance to a new life. And the only path that leads out is through the arms of a Rogue. But where her mind tells her he is far more dangerous a bet, her heart whispers another.

Maximus has put countless hearts to fear, but the sight of it in a pair of green eyes pure as virgin Jades changes something vital in him. He yearns to be the one to chase her fears away. Burns to see her melt at his fevered touch, his heated kisses. But for his every step forward, she takes two back.

As secrets and betrayals rage, Maximus is done waiting for the dice of fate to roll in his favour. He would carve a path through hell to her, but Sarah will be his.

Passion and innocence melded against each other are drawn to the brink.

And the price of what you wish is often the same as what you want.

*****

H
AWK'S
P
OSSESSION

(Second 'Upcoming' Book in

McBain Brothers Alpha Series)

*****

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H
IS
T
O
C
LAIM
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