“Considering how angry you are, I’m surprised you don’t just leave me to it.”
She shrugged, relaxing into the sofa. Drawing her knees up, they touched his outer thigh. “I feel bad you had a nightmare day.”
“It’s better already.” He took another swig of beer, watching her over the top of it.
Regan smiled softly, her dimples just teasing an appearance. She was so beautiful, it knocked the wind out of him sometimes.
“I can’t believe you punched a guy in the face.”
Scowling, Thane looked away. “He deserved it.”
“What exactly did he say about me?”
“Nothing worth repeating.”
They sat in silence for a moment. “Well … thank you for defending my honor.”
At the teasing note in her voice, Thane replied, “I was defending both of us.”
She frowned but as just as quickly, her confusion cleared. Her lips parted on a little “oh.” “He insinuated you and I …”
Thane grunted his yes.
“He’s not the first one. Even Lachlan knows there’s gossip around the village about us.”
Anger and something a lot like guilt had him barking as he slammed his beer down on the nearby coffee table. “Who else is gossiping? I thought it was just those bloody women at the school?”
Regan tutted and moved a little closer, drawing him back against the couch. “No need to get worked up about it. They’re just spreading their jealous bile from the school gates to the entire village. Everyone thinks you’re sneaking into my annex at night.”
The imagery her words conjured caused an instant reaction in his body, and he flew from the sofa before he did something they’d both regret.
“Your hand.” Regan jumped from the couch just as he moved to walk away, and they collided.
Thane instinctively reached out to steady her as she dropped the frozen peas to grab onto his arms. They tensed against each other, her body tight to his. He could feel the sharp rise and fall of her breasts, hear her quickened breathing, smell her skin.
“Bloody hell,” he muttered hoarsely as their fiery gazes connected.
And there it was, clear as day for him to see in those glittering, chestnut eyes.
Regan wanted him.
For a moment, a lust more powerful than he’d ever experienced clouded his mind. His hands seemed to move down her waist with a mind of their own, tracing the gentle curve of her hips to her tight arse. He gripped her in his hands and pulled her deeper against him, and she gasped at the feel of him hard and throbbing, pushing at her soft belly.
Bending his head toward her, desperate to taste her—finally—Thane was a mere whisper from her mouth when she broke the silence.
“Thane,” she moaned his name with so much need, a savage possessiveness flooded him.
“Thane, you in?” Lachlan’s voice cut through the house from the front entrance.
It was like being hammered by five thousand bags of frozen peas.
“Fuck,” he cursed, unable to believe what he’d just been about to do.
Regan stared up at him in confusion and then something like disappointment.
Oh, hell.
Before he could say another word, she slipped away, hurrying down the corridor behind the stairs, toward the side exit.
Still aroused, Thane scrambled for a large cushion on the sofa, snapped up the bag of peas, and sat down, covering his lap with the former and his knuckles with the latter.
Just in time.
His brother strode into the living room. “Robyn said the kids were at a Halloween party, so I thought I’d stop by, see if you fancied grabbing some food.” He frowned, his eyes going to the stove. “Looks like you’re already sorted for dinner, though.”
“Aye. Regan left it for me. Isn’t there a Halloween bash at the estate tonight?”
Lachlan shook his head as he wandered over to the stove. “We agreed to skip it this year after, well, Fergus and Lucy.”
Thane understood. One of Lachlan’s security guards had been murdered on the estate only a few months ago. The creepy Halloween party they usually put on at the castle would seem in poor taste this year.
“Chicken curry,” Lachlan announced, stirring the pot. “Enough for two.”
Thane laughed, trying to sound normal. “Grab us both a plate.” He held up his bruised knuckles and peas. “Had a bit of an incident.”
His brother frowned. “I’ll plate up, you explain. Want another beer?”
“Can’t. Picking up the kids from the party in a wee while.”
“Can’t Regan do that?”
Scowling, he snapped, “No, Regan can’t do it. She’s not my beck-and-call girl.”
Raising an eyebrow, Lachlan set out two plates. “I never said she was. You’re in a fucking mood.”
With a sigh, Thane slumped into the sofa. “It’s been a day.”
“Tell me.”
It took the length of the story about Paul for reality to cool his libido. He did not, however, mention his interlude with Regan. What the hell had he been thinking? He’d almost kissed her. Though burying his arousal in her stomach seemed worse than a kiss, anyway.
“I can’t remember the last time you lost the plot like that,” Lachlan observed as Thane sat down at the island with him to eat. His brother ate a forkful of chicken curry and rice. “Regan cook this?”
Thane nodded.
“She’s not bad at all.”
“I know. She’s been a godsend.”
And I’m the vile bastard who nearly took advantage of her.
“Is that why you cracked Paul in the face? Or is the village gossip getting to you?”
“How bad is the gossip? I wasn’t even aware of it until tonight.”
Lachlan shrugged. “People daren’t say to my face, but you know I have my ways. They’re all twittering about you being shacked up here with an attractive younger woman.” Seeing Thane’s horrified expression, Lachlan frowned. “It’s just gossip, and you haven’t let the village gossip bother you for years.”
“They’re nosy, bored, pains in my arse.”
“Aye, well. Even so … you haven’t been quick with your fists since you were a boy.”
It was true. When he was younger, Thane was always in some kind of fight. He was quick to anger whenever someone said shit regarding the people he cared about. A lot of the anger was from loss, but he’d mellowed with age.
“I would have punched that git, Guy, if you’d given me the chance. But you beat me to it.” He referred to Arro’s ex-boyfriend, Lachlan’s former chef at the estate. Lachlan discovered he’d beat up Arrochar and had not only fired him but had taken a nasty swing at him too. Thane found out after the fact, once Lachlan’s security escorted Guy out of Ardnoch.
“Still. Sounds like you’re protective of Regan.”
Concerned Lachlan could tell she’d gotten under his skin, he shrugged. “Don’t you want me to be? She’s family. I’m just defending her as I would Arro or Robyn.”
“It’s appreciated.” Lachlan gave him a serious nod. “I’m glad it didn’t cause too much trouble for you.”
Too much trouble?
That was an understatement.