Dare, Lydia - Tall, Dark and Wolfish

"

Seduce

her?" The man looked slightly ill.

"You've done it before. This time, do it with marriage in mind."

"Seduce her. I might just give that a try," Alec muttered as he stepped from the room and closed the door. Then he opened the door again. Ben didn't bother to raise his head.

"Don't go and get similar ideas about Miss Campbell, Ben. Mark my words. Seducing that one is not in her best interest. Or yours." The door clicked shut.

Ben turned his head in his pillow and closed his eyes while he worked to get a girl with hair the color of fire and fury off his mind. But even in repose she met him in his dreams.

Elspeth dropped her head in her hands and groaned. "I canna take one more day of this, Rhiannon. No' one more day. If another person comes ta the door with well wishes, I might just lose my temper."

"I honestly dinna ken ye had so many friends, El. It's pretty nice ta see them all comin' together for ye."

El pushed the corners of her mouth up and glared at Rhiannon. "But my face is goin' ta freeze like this if I have ta smile at one more person."

"Only one more day. The burial will be tomorrow and then ye can start fresh."

Only one more day.

Elspeth repeated the phrase over and over in her mind.

"Uh-oh," Rhiannon said as she removed her feet from the settee where she reclined. She crossed quickly to the window. "Ye've company, El."

Elspeth rose and raised the drapes to peer out. She quickly threw open the door when she saw the man approaching. He met her with a smile.

"Lord Benjamin," she said.

His eyes twinkled. "I thought I gave you leave to use my given name, Miss Campbell."

The door opened farther and Rhiannon spoke over her. "'Tis no' proper, and ye ken it," she whispered vehemently.

"Shush yer mouth, Rhiannon. His lordship is here to see

me

. No' ye." She very nearly stuck out her tongue. "Stay with my grandfather, will ye?" Then she turned and closed the door behind her. "What can I do for ye, Ben?"

"To be quite honest, I wanted to see if you have any ideas for how to heal my little…" He grimaced. "Affliction."

"I do have quite a few questions on the topic. I suppose I could take a walk with ye." She looked over her shoulder and saw Rhiannon staring daggers at her from behind the window glass. This time she did stick out her tongue. Ben chuckled at her.

"Lead the way, and I will follow." He motioned toward the lane.

"No' that way," she said, motioning over her shoulder. "The best views can be found in the other direction."

As they started down a well-worn path, Elspeth began her line of questioning.

"How long have ye been a Lycan, Ben?"

"Since birth, Elspeth. It's a family trait, passed from one male to another. One cannot choose to be Lycan or not. It just is. I find that I miss it quite a bit, now that I no longer have it."

"Did ye lose it because of illness? Were ye sick? Or did ye suddenly just lose the ability ta change?"

"There was an incident," he said as he glanced at her out the corner of his eye.

"What sort of incident?"

"The sort that I can't explain to a woman of your standing." Color crept up his face.

"Beggin' yer pardon? Ye canna tell someone who's illegitimate about yer incident?"

"Oh, no, no!" He stopped walking and turned to face her. "I truly don't care if you had one parent or two. You could be born of a gypsy tribe and I wouldn't feel differently about you."

"Just how

do

ye feel about me, Ben?"

Fourteen

How

did

he feel about her? Good question. It was one thing he needed to think about. She was more of a distraction than any woman he'd met in quite some time. She was the only woman he still thought about when he walked away from her. But he couldn't possibly tell her that. Because very soon he would be on his way back to London.

"I have great trust in your ability to heal me." He hoped she didn't realize what effort it took to hedge around her question.

"Then ye have more trust than I do, Ben. Because I've no idea if I can help ye or no'. Why did ye come all the way ta Scotland ta find help? There are no healers in London?"

"There are doctors, yes." He nodded his head as he absently plucked a piece of tall, dry grass and rolled it between his fingertips.

No mythical healers, however

.

No

one like her.

"But no one ye could tell about yer Lycan side, I assume?" She raised her face to his. Her hair shone like fire, and he wanted nothing more than to put his hands in it. He coughed to cover his moment of discomfort.

"It's a bit difficult to talk about," he admitted. And it was forbidden. "If any of my Lycan brethren knew I'd revealed any of this to you, they would feel terribly betrayed."

"No' ta fear, Ben. I can keep a secret when it's needed." Her smile was all the reassurance he needed. "May I see yer mark?" she asked.

"The mark of the beast?"

"Aye, the mark of the beast. I'm simply curious." She shrugged her shoulders and suddenly looked vulnerable.

Ben looked around. The area was secluded. No one would see, and there wasn't anywhere else they could be alone. One of her coven or another was always there, sitting watch.

He tugged his shirt from his trousers and slid the top button of his waistband through its buttonhole.

She gasped slightly, her hand fluttered to her pinkened cheek. There was no doubt in his mind she was an innocent.

Ben took her hand in his and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "I don't have to show you."

Elspeth shook her head. "I forgot ye said ye'd have ta remove yer clothes."

Ben chuckled. "Not completely." He lifted his shirt and pointed to a spot just below his waistband. "It's here."

Elspeth leaned over to get closer to the mark. He immediately felt the warm touch of her breath against the tender skin of his abdomen and stepped away from her.

"I canna see it if ye move, Ben."

"This might not be such a good idea," he said, fully prepared to tuck his shirt back in, just so she would step back. He was already hardening under her gaze.

Elspeth dropped to her knees in front of him and tugged off one of her gloves. "Doona be so daft, Ben. It's a strip of skin and nothin' more."

But it was quite a bit more than a strip of skin. And if he didn't take her attention from the area, it would soon be even more.

She smoothed the pad of her thumb across his birthmark. "Heavens, ye are warm."

"It's a trait," he grumbled. And getting warmer every second.

"Hmm." Her finger caressed him. "It's no' so much, is it? Small thing, it is."

Ben felt the tender swipe of her thumb all the way to his core. He instantly felt the beast in him rise to the surface. He turned from her to face in the opposite direction.

Her delicate hand came to rest on his back. It was hot enough to brand his skin through his clothes.

"I have a fear greater than that of losing my ability to change with the moon. And it's that I'll hurt you, Elspeth." He wanted to drag her beneath him and toss her skirts up. He wanted to be inside her. And he wanted it right at that moment.

"Why?" she asked. Her eyes narrowed as they searched his face.

"Regrettably," he started, trying to remove the growl from his voice, but failing miserably. "I must go." Ben turned to jog away, but her hand on his arm stopped him. "Let me go, Elspeth," he barked.

"And if I do no'? Then what will ye do, Ben?"

If her coven sisters could have seen her at that moment, they would have told her she was playing with fire. Yet she couldn't have walked away if she had wanted to.