Page 23 of Finding the One (River Rain #7)

He’d probably want more than cuddling, though, (so did I). And since, during our first kiss, it felt like we were two seconds from banging on the kitchen island with his mum and my dad right outside, I didn’t think it was a good idea to tempt fate.

He’d kissed me a lot while we were in Sedona. Small pecks or hard presses here, there and everywhere. Whenever the urge took him, he curled me into him and laid one on me.

We didn’t bicker about that.

On no we did not.

I loved it.

Even so, it was a daylong tease.

And again, they were leaving.

It was way too soon (in my estimation) to level up in that manner of our relationship. And it wasn’t the time, with Dad and Dair’s family around.

But with the way Dair was, all of it, not to mention my very long, very dry spell, I knew I wouldn’t want to wait too long to do that levelling up.

Like, when I was in Scotland.

I had a feeling that was something to look forward to.

Very much.

But now he was going to be over three thousand miles away (and yes, I looked it up). And that was when I was in New York. It was a lot further from Prescott.

On this depressing thought, I resumed my journey to the kitchen and found Kenna there making a cup of tea.

“Good morning,” I greeted.

“Guid mornin’, lass,” she replied on a smile.

I studied her closely.

The heavy was still in her bearing. The pain etched into her face. Neither was a surprise.

But the smile was authentic.

“I came down to see what to make for breakfast,” I told her. “Any preferences? Or I could run into town and buy some donuts from Bosa.”

“Ah, American donuts,” she sighed longingly.

That decided it.

“Are there donuts you particularly like? Davi? Dair?” I needed to know them all, but I was especially interested in Dair.

“Both my children have sweet teeth, as do I, so whatever ye decide. I doubt they’ll be picky.”

I’d get several of each selection so no one would feel like they didn’t get what they wanted.

I certainly wouldn’t mind having leftover donuts around when they were gone (Dad was leaving tomorrow).

They might get stale, but nothing ten seconds in the microwave and a quick scarf down my gullet wouldn’t cure.

“I’ll go get dressed and pop into town,” I said, moving to set up a travel mug so I could take some coffee with me.

“I’d wait if I were ye,” Kenna advised. “Dair’ll want to go with ye.”

“To pick his donuts?”

“To be with ye. My son won’t be best pleased if he gets up in the half an hour you’re gone and you’re not here. Especially with us leaving today.”

This made me feel all warm inside, because I sensed it was very true.

“Can I talk with you in the meantime?” she asked.

Oh boy.

Was this the mum-with-the-son-I’m-dating talk?

Already?

Or worse, the-mum-with-a-son-who-was-interested-in-a-messed-up-woman talk?

Eek!

“Sure,” I said hesitantly, and with no choice, I warmed my coffee, splashing cream in, and met her in the breakfast nook.

She started it. “I asked your father last night. But he’s leaving, and he requested I ask ye too, since you’ll be around for a while.”

Okay, maybe not the mum-with-the-son-I’m-dating talk.

“You asked Dad what?”

“If I can stay here at your house for a wee spell.”

“Of course,” I said immediately.

The skin around her eyes got soft.

And then my heart broke when her eyes got plain sad.

“I just don’t want to go home yet,” she murmured behind her teacup before taking a sip.

I could totally understand that.

“I’m certain Dad said the same thing, but as far as I’m concerned, you can stay as long as you like,” I offered.

She nodded.

“And Genny and Duncan are in town. They have a posse of friends, not to mention, there’s Judge, Chloe and JT. And Alex and Rix will be back in just over a week. If you want company after I leave, you can have it,” I continued.

“That’s lovely, dear, but I’ll be needing some time to get my head on straight.”

“Just in case,” I said.

“Just in case what?” Dair asked, strolling in wearing faded jeans and a lightweight, light-blue button-down he’d rolled up at his forearms. A shirt, not incidentally, that did amazing things to his eyes.

His dark hair was wet and curling around his ears.

God.

My mouth started watering.

And this man was about to fly thousands of miles away from me.

Torture!

“Get some coffee, love, while Blake puts on some clothes. Ye two are going into town for donuts,” Kenna told him.

Dair looked to her then to me, and I skedaddled out of the breakfast nook so I could get dressed.

“Travel mugs are up there, honey,” I said to Dair, pointing to a cupboard as I moved. “Pour mine in one, would you?”

I didn’t wait for his response.

And I didn’t get up the first stair on the staircase.

A strong arm hooked around my belly, I was pulled back into a hard body, then turned in his arm.

I looked up at Dair, “What on?—?”

“Honey?” he growled.

I blinked, not understanding his growl or the intense expression on his face.

He called me endearments all the time. Lass, lassie, babe, love and hen were used frequently by Scottish people, but darling and baby, which he liberally sprinkled about when he spoke to me, were not.

Was he upset I said that in front of his mum?

I mean, honey wasn’t pookie or love of my life or anything silly or weird and too soon.

Suddenly, his long fingers were fisted in the back of my hair and his face was a breath from mine.

All oxygen left me.

“Dair,” I whispered.

“I like that,” he grunted.

Oh.

Wow.

Good!

“Okay.” I kept whispering.

“Do it more often,” he ordered.

I blinked again because…

He couldn’t be believed!

“You can’t boss me into calling you sweet nothings,” I informed him.

“Funny, just did, and you’ll be doing it.”

“Unbearable!” I declared.

“Still, you like me,” he said on a grin, dipped in, brushed his mouth against mine, then turned me, and with a hand right on my ass , he scooted me up a couple of stairs. “Hurry, love. Now I have a taste for donuts, and I dinnae want a delay.”

I stomped up the stairs, grumbling loud enough for him to hear, “I need to have my head examined when it comes to my taste in men.”

To that, he chuckled and made sure it was loud enough for me to hear.

God, that man.

Once in my room, I was faced with an immediate crisis.

What to wear to go get donuts with Dair?

I selected my cream knit set with black stitching on all the edges (armholes, hems of top and pants). The top was sleeveless. The legs were wide and had very wide ribs in them. It was together, but casual and comfy.

Perfect.

I’d done my face regime already, so I rubbed in some tinted moisturizer, some under shadow base on my eyelids, stroked on mascara, spritzed on my perfume and put on some black Chanel T-strap sandals.

And I was ready.

Dad was up by the time I came down and I greeted him while Dair smirked appreciatively at my outfit, his gaze unabashedly aimed at my ass.

Chad told me I was beautiful all the time.

Odd, but I’d never felt beautiful, not even when he said it to me.

Until Dair.

Dair took my keys again, and I didn’t fight him. I liked driving, but if he was one of those men who had to be behind the wheel of any moving vehicle, it wasn’t worth arguing about it.

We were out of the drive and on the road when Dair asked, “What were you and Mum talking about?”

“She’s staying longer to have some peace before she has to go back and deal with things.”

“Aye. She told me. She told you too?”

“Since I’ll be here another couple of days, she wanted to be sure I was okay with it.”

“And you said yes.”

“Of course. And I’m glad. You and Davi both live in Edinburgh and she lives out in the country. She shouldn’t be alone now. I can keep my finger on her pulse, be there for her to talk to, and report back to you if I have any concerns.”

Dair said nothing for several minutes, which I thought was strange, and then he swung into a pull off, which I thought was more than strange.

I turned to him.

“Is everything o?—?”

I got no more out.

His seatbelt was back. My seatbelt was back. Then I was in his lap, and he was feasting on my mouth.

Oh my God.

Yes .

We made out, hot and heavy, in my car pulled off Senator Highway, and we did it as I put grave effort into memorizing the feel of his hair, the taste of his mouth, his fresh, spicy, minty scent, and the dominant moves of his tongue.

I knew my hair was no longer in its messy bun when he tore his mouth from mine and shoved his face into the side of my neck.

I struggled to calm my breath, especially when I could feel the warmth and harshness of his against my skin.

It felt like a triumph to make a man like Dair breathe that heavily, but by damn, I’d done it.

“Your sweetness is doing me in, lassie,” he murmured there. “Especially considering I’m going to be thousands of miles away from ye come tomorrow and I can’t thank ye properly for being all you can be.”

Talk about sweet.

I smoothed his hair and called, “Dair.”

He pulled his face out of my neck and looked at me.

I could see the heat in his eyes from our kiss.

I could also see the worry for his mother buried under it.

“You’re a good son,” I said softly. “And she’s a strong woman. It’s going to take time. But she’s going to be okay.”

“Fuck, you’re killing me, hen.”

I pressed my lips together.

“I ken she’s going to be okay,” he said. “I’m just glad you’ll be around for a few days to look after her.”

I stroked his freshly shaven jaw. “Of course I will.”

“The next week and more is going to be torture.”

He thought the same as me.

I couldn’t help myself.

I kissed him again.

We necked for a long time, and I enjoyed all that time, before he put me back in my seat (and I didn’t enjoy that).

Even so, there were donuts to get because there were mouths to feed.

Dair waited until we were both belted back up.

And I fixed my hair while he drove us to town.

Early that afternoon, I’d already said goodbye to Davi, and she, Kenna and Dad were hanging some ways away, giving me space to say goodbye to Dair.

I didn’t want to say goodbye to Dair.

I was in his arms, and I could feel him examining my face while I fiddled with a button on his shirt.

“Look at me, lass.”

I lifted my eyes to him.

He grinned audaciously.

“You so very much like me.”

I frowned and slapped his chest.

He laughed and took my mouth in a bold, deep kiss, albeit a pitifully short one.

We were oh so totally leveling up when I got to Scotland.

“Text me your flight details when ye get them,” he ordered when he’d finished kissing me.

I was a little dizzy from said kiss, so I didn’t have it in me to give him shit for again bossing me.

“Okay.”

“I’ll meet ye at the airport.”

I nodded.

He gave me a squeeze. “It’s not too long, Blake.”

“I know.”

He touched his nose to mine. Then he touched his lips to mine. After that, he held my jaw and stroked my throat with his thumb.

That felt crazy nice.

God, he was undoing me!

Finally, he let me go.

Totally undoing me.

We held hands back to the rental car.

Davi got in. After another hug with his mum, a shake of the hands with Dad that turned into a man hug complete with pounding of backs, and a tight squeeze and quick kiss for me, he got in.

Dad, Kenna and I stood in the drive and waved as they drove off.

Davi shoved out of her window and waved back.

I had little doubt Dair saw me in the rearview, waving.

Since that probably made me look the forlorn, infatuated woman, I stopped.

Davi popped back into the car.

And then they were gone.