Chapter 18

18

N athan tucked his boner into the waistband of his boxers to hide his arousal. He still felt her on his fingers. His lips. Had taken him everything not to mount her right there against the kitchen counter. Gennie had a way of making him lose his mind. It was as if last night’s thunderstorm had washed away his walls. Simply weren’t there, like they’d never even existed.

He didn’t even know who he was anymore, was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that she was here. In his house, making his mornings brighter.

His nights hotter.

His heart beat faster.

What in the seven hells was next?

Just as he reached the door, the bell rang again and pulled him from his thoughts. He opened it to find Gordon and Martin Cameron, their faces lit up with surprise.

‘Nathan, my boy,’ Gordon said. ‘What took you so long? Were you still asleep?’

‘Naw. Cleaning up breakfast.’ He scratched the side of his face and led them to the kitchen. Sure as hell wouldn’t tell them the truth. But he felt warmth slap his cheeks.

‘Oh, well…hello there,’ Gordon said as they entered the room, eyes on Gennie. He set his bucket of cleaning supplies down on the floor with a metallic clank. ‘Didn’t know you had a visitor .’ The way he pronounced the word ‘visitor’ sounded suspiciously like an adolescent saying ‘knickers’.

Nathan scratched his neck. ‘Gennie, meet the Camerons. They basically run the house. I’d be lost without them, wouldn’t last five minutes without their help. Gordon and Martin, this is Gennie. She’s staying with us for a while.’

She turned and her smile was absolutely dazzling. Nathan saw them both melting before the unbound radiance that was Gennie. ‘Hi! So nice to meet you both.’

Gordon and Martin exchanged a long look, then Gordon grinned. ‘Since when do you have houseguests?’

Aye, since when? Since he’d met this powerhouse at the petrol station, utterly defenceless against her. Since she’d first taken his hand. Since she’d saved his daughter’s life.

Martin patted him on the back. ‘Och, don’t listen to Gordon. Does ye good. Ye’re looking less like a rain cloud today.’

Gordon grinned and started to set up his cleaning equipment. Martin joined him, humming Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing , the tune off-key but no less suggestive. Nathan’s ears grew hot.

That cheeky old bugger.

The Camerons had been cleaning Glenwood Lodge once a month for as long as Nathan had been living here. The couple ran a tight ship with their facility management company and serviced estates all over the area with their small army of cleaners. But they always insisted on doing his place themselves. He’d known them since he’d been a wee lad, back when Martin’s folks owned the B&B and self-catering cottages in Blairdrochaid, where Nathan, Jo, and their parents used to spend most of their summers.

These days, he and Abby usually celebrated Hogmanay with the Camerons. Truth be told, apart from Doc Murray, Martin and Gordon were the only people in Blairdrochaid he let past his front door. They knew him, understood his need for privacy, and never pushed. It was a rare thing, that kind of acceptance, and he was grateful for it. Even if he hadn’t said it out loud.

Gordon was wiping down the counters, the lemony scent of the cleaning spray filled the air. Martin was sweeping the floor, his broom made a soft swishing sound on the tiles. Nathan leaned against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest. He felt a strange twinge of contentment. This was shockingly right, having her here with them.

‘You know,’ he said with a touch of unintentional pride, ‘Gennie’s part of the film crew on the estate.’

Bet you didn’t expect all this when you sent that dreaded email back in August .

His mind went back to that fateful day. Never in a million years could he have anticipated…her. This spitfire of a woman had come out of nowhere and knocked him off his feet. A wild blend of excitement and fear, the way she awakened parts of him he’d long since written off as dead. At nearly forty, he’d figured his best days were behind him. He’d pegged himself as a devoted dad, done with that nonsense. Feelings and sex and all that.

He obviously wasn’t.

Gordon looked up, his eyebrows raised in surprise. ‘Filming, you say? Sounds interesting.’ He sprayed the kitchen table, and the mist settled on the surface before he wiped it clean. ’What’s it you’re filming?’

Gennie put down the kettle she was filling. ‘The movie’s called Bow . I do some of the stunt parts for Marian’s character, but mostly for her lady-in-waiting. She’s played by Chloe Winslow. Don’t know if you’ve heard of her?’

Gordon’s lips pursed in disapproval. ‘Isn’t she that English lass who’s always stumbling out of clubs in the wee hours, her skirts only covering half her arse? Saw her in a magazine at Doctor Murray’s.’

Gennie laughed. ‘Yeah, that’s the one. Just living her life.’

‘To each their own.’ Gordon finished with the table and began scrubbing the sink, the sound of the brush against the stainless steel mingled with the hum of the fridge.

It’s like she’s always been here. How’s that possible?

Gennie’s eyes sparkled like fireworks as she launched into a description of the film, each word full of passion. Her enthusiasm was so irresistible that Nathan shoved his hands deep in his pockets to stop himself from pulling her into a hug right there.

Martin shot a look over his shoulder, a twinkle in his eye. ‘Well, doing stunts sounds like a risky thrill.’

‘It is,’ Gennie said. ‘And I love it. I hope I can get back to shooting soon. I injured my ankle, but it’s better.’

Nathan remembered how selflessly she’d thrown herself under that tree for his daughter. A wave of gratitude and awe washed over him for this fierce woman.

Don’t know if she knows, but she has the heart of a lioness.

As Gordon wiped down the counter, Nathan’s gaze wandered to the place where Gennie’s body had been pressed against his, shivering under his touch. Those velvet walls fluttering around his fingers in delirious pleasure.

The things she did to him. Made him want to do.

He coughed. ‘Right. I’ll be at the distillery if either of you need me.’ Nothing pressing there. He just needed some space to clear his head and pipe down.

‘Go on, lad, we’re not going burn the place down. Unless Gordon’s cooking, that is.’

‘Watch it, you old coot. My cooking’s the only reason you’re not skin and bones.’

‘Neither are you, love.’

Nathan met Gennie’s eyes and a wordless exchange passed between them, a grin and a nod. She may have been twelve years younger, but the woman had a perceptive wisdom that reeled him in. A strong, unrelenting current he couldn’t resist if he tried.

As he walked away, he heard Gordon’s voice, soft but firm. ‘Nathan’s a good lad. I’m glad he’s got some company for a while. It’s not good if it’s always him and his wee lass, you know. He needs some adults, too. Someone other than us every blue moon. At least until you’re back in Hollywood or wherever stuntwomen live.’

The words hit Nathan in the gut like a brutal uppercut. A harsh reminder that whatever this was, it had an expiration date. Gennie was only here temporarily, a meteor passing through his orbit before she moved on to another galaxy. The thought tasted like copper coins in the back of his mouth.

He didn’t want to think about the day she’d leave, the day this house would be emptier and colder than before. Because now he knew how it felt when it was full of light and love.

Resting his hand on the door latch, he couldn’t resist taking one last look at Gennie as she poured a glass of water. Cheeks flushed and glowing, lips curved into a sassy smirk. The realisation struck him hard. He was seriously falling for her, and he was long past stopping. There was absolutely fuck all he could do about it.

How long before the impact would break him?