Free Dark Heat: The Dark Kings Stories by Donna Grant Page B

touch.
    There was a smile on her face when Hal climbed into bed beside her and covered them with the blanket. Then he pulled her against him so that she rested her head on his chest. Her last thought before she fell asleep was how lucky she was to have found him.
    *   *   *
    Hal stayed at Cassie’s as long as he dared before he made himself crawl out of her bed and her arms to find his clothes. He was loath to leave her, but he had no choice. He had to get back to Dreagan before they realized where he was.
    He closed the front door behind him and turned to look out over the early morning land. The sun was hours away from finding the sky, but Hal could tarry no longer.
    He’d taken but three steps before a voice stopped him cold.
    “You tread on dangerous ground.”
    He turned to find Rhys leaning against the corner of the cottage, hidden half in shadows. Hal took a deep breath. He’d expected this, just not so soon. “We’ve each taken our pleasure with women plenty of times before.”
    “Aye. But none have ever affected you the way Cassie does. I see the way you look at her.”
    Hal glanced at the window above them that was to Cassie’s room. He didn’t want to have this conversation where she could hear, so he walked away.
    Just as Hal knew he would, Rhys caught up with him.
    “You know I’m right.”
    Hal gave him a glacial glare. “Enough. I told you. I can no’ explain what’s happening, but I feel different. I couldna keep away from Cassie if I tried.”
    “Then we make you.”
    Hal skidded to a stop and slammed his hands into Rhys’s chest, sending his friend flying through the air to land heavily in the snow. “Try it,” he ground out.
    Rhys leisurely got to his feet and dusted the snow from his clothes. “This is worse than I thought.”
    “This is none of your business.” With one last glower, Hal left Rhys standing on the side of the mountain.

 
    CHAPTER
NINE
    Cassie wasn’t surprised to find Hal gone when she woke the next morning. She kept looking over the snowy landscape as she ate her scrambled eggs and toast, half expecting to see him.
    Hoping to see him.
    Snow fell in an unhurried coating, but that’s not what concerned her. She was preoccupied with how he had assured her he could take care of the others regarding her.
    Did the others at Dreagan dislike her that much? Was it because she was American? Or was it something else?
    The idea that Hal’s friends didn’t think she was good enough hurt her far more than she would have liked. They didn’t even know her. How could they decide if they liked her?
    But apparently they had already made their decisions.
    The last thing Cassie wanted was to put Hal in any kind of tough predicament. He’d said the men were like his family. She knew all about having no family. Even now, being in Scotland and that much closer to Dan didn’t help the ache in her chest at wanting to be with family.
    She set down her plate with a sigh. With her hands resting on either side of the sink, she tried to discern her feelings. There was no doubt that in the time she’d spent with Hal, she was falling for him.
    Hard.
    The attraction between them was undeniable, and her feelings went deeper. Did his? She could be worrying about him and his family for no reason if she was nothing but a shag.
    Cassie turned from the sink in disgust. The way Hal had looked at her, touched her. There was no way she had just been someone to relieve him.
    “I could’ve been,” she murmured.
    There were men out there skilled enough to make women think they cared, and women out there desperate enough that it happened all the time.
    “I’m not that woman,” Cassie said. “I’m not that woman!”
    She wouldn’t be that woman. If all she got was one night with Hal, she would treasure it. But, God help her, she wanted so much more.
    It had felt right when he’d climbed into bed with her. To have his warm, solid body pressed against hers. To have someone hold her with such