Velvet Haven

work. Where did you get it done?”
    He frowned as he looked over the terrace, toward the lake. “Scotland.”
    “I thought I detected a faint accent.”
    He didn’t reply, but continued to watch the waves pound onto the shore. “What is your favorite element, Mairi?”
    That stopped her. What a bizarre question. She looked at him, but he appeared to be dead serious as he waited for her answer. He shrugged, then looked away. “Mine is water. It can be both tranquil and fierce. When it’s raging it can be the hardest element to control, but when it is calm it can soothe the soul.”
    Wow. Not only was this guy a total knockout, he was deep and philosophical. Totally not what she expected from his outward appearance.
    “If you close your eyes you can hear the waves.”
    “Not over the wind,” she said as she moved closer to the balustrade. “Plus with the thunder—”
    “Close your eyes and I promise you you’ll hear them.”
    Mairi did as he asked, and felt his arm move. She was aware of his body, warm and hard beside hers. “Listen, Mairi.”
    She did, trying not to focus on him and how he made her want to rub up against him. Pressing in, she leaned against him, and he anchored her with a hand on her shoulder. The winds quieted, and she heard the rhythmic crashing of waves hitting the sand.
    “It’s beautiful,” she purred, allowing the sound to wash over her. She stood quietly for a few minutes, listening, feeling herself calm, marveling at the way she could hear the waves as if she were standing right on the beach, her toes buried in the sand.
    He bent down and whispered in her ear, “Feel better?”
    She was surprised to realize she did. She didn’t know if it was the cool air, or the waves, or Bran’s calming presence, but there was no denying that she was feeling much better. “I’ve never thought about the water before, but I like it. The sound is soothing. Not like the wind. The wind can be so . . . haunting.”
    “Yes, I find it haunting as well, the way it can whisper to you.” Suddenly he frowned, his face growing cold, as if he was mad at himself for saying such things.
    “Thanks,” she said, nudging in beside him. “I feel much better.”
    He nodded, but seemed uncomfortable. “Do you want to go back in?”
    “No.”
    “Aren’t you cold?”
    His coat was huge on her, the hem dragging on the ground. She closed it and wrapped her arms around her body. “Not anymore.”
    His gaze lingered over her face before he once again turned his attention back to the water. “Tell me about yourself, Mairi.”
    She shrugged. “There’s not much to tell. I’m pretty boring.”
    He turned to her, and leaned his elbow and hip against the balustrade. He tucked her hair behind her ear and watched as the strands slipped through his fingers. “Husband? Lover?”
    She shook her head and felt herself flush. “No.”
    His fingertips skated along the shell of her ear. “Why? When you are so different from all the other women out there?”
    That got her attention. When she met his gaze, her heart stopped beating. The way he was looking at her made her want to jump straight into his arms.
    “The trust thing. I’m too suspicious and I ruin it. Plus, I’m a geek. Men have to compete with books for my attention.”
    His eyes glittered in a hypnotic dance that lured her in. She could trust him. She could feel it.
    “Ah,” he whispered as he wrapped his big palm around her neck and massaged the muscles there. “A book worm. That isn’t a bad thing.”
    “I know what I’m getting with a book,” she admitted, opening up to him. “You never know what you’re getting with a man.”
    He pulled her a bit closer, still holding her gaze. “That’s so true.”
    She wondered what he meant by that. Was he hiding something or just stating a fact? She licked her lips and asked, “And you? Do you have a girlfriend?” She couldn’t bring herself to say lover. It felt way too intimate.
    “No.”
    Her blood warmed, and a little current of excitement ran along her spine. She saw his nostrils flare, heard him inhale deeply. “I like the way you smell, Mairi.”
    She moved closer. Tilted her head up, inviting him to bend down and meet her halfway, but he didn’t. He just kept looking down into her eyes.
    “What of your parents?” he asked.
    “Gone.” She swallowed, not wanting to talk about her parents, most especially her father. “Yours?”
    “They’ve been gone many years. It seems like