Free The Highlander's Hope - A Contemporary Highland Romance by Cali MacKay Page B

vent elsewhere.  I have no problem with you being upset, but if you’re going to have a fit, then you better start talking.”
    Iain glared at her, his hands tight around the wheel.  “Do ye not have any siblings that drive ye absolutely mad?  Or are they all as perfect as you?”
    “You’re being a real jerk, Iain.”
    He said nothing for a long while, and Cat refused to speak to him.  She knew families could be a pain, and whatever had gone down between Iain and his brother seemed to have really ticked him off.  Still.  She wasn’t going to be the punching bag for his sour moods.
    He swerved the car over to the side of the road and threw the gear in to park, spinning in his seat to face her.  “A jerk?  Maybe I am.  But guess what?  Ye’re stuck with me, just like I’m stuck with you.  So deal with it.”
    “That’s where you’re wrong.  I don’t have to deal with it, Iain.  I’ll find the jewels without you.  You can take your help and shove it up your Scottish arse.” 
    She flung the door open, furious, and stepped out into the rain that always seemed to be falling , slamming the door behind her.  He came after her, but she ignored him and kept moving down the road, refusing to acknowledge him.  Tears stung her eyes as she wondered whether she’d just thrown out her one chance of finding the jewels.  Yet she refused to back down.  
    He grabbed her hand, and she flinched, pain surging up her arm as her cut started to throb.   “Shit!  Sorry.” 
    She pulled her hand away and kept walking, leaving him to try and catch up. 
    “Cat. Ye’re getting drenched.  Come back to the car.”
    When she continued to ignore him, he picked up his pace and cut her off, so he was now standing in her path.  He gently grabbed her arms to keep her from escaping and was met with a glare. 
    “Let go of me, Iain.  I’ll find my own back to Dunmuir.”
    “And what then ?  Ye’re staying with me.  Remember?”
    She laughed , ignoring the burn in her eyes.  “You really think I’m still staying with you?  Think again.  I’m gone as soon as I grab my stuff and my car.  And even that will be far too much time spent in your company.”
    His eyes narrowed in scrutiny, before his gaze softened.  “Cat… I’m sorry .”
    He cupped her cheek, and before she could pull away, he kissed her, his lips on hers in a sweet and tender kiss.  She resisted, but could only manage it for a moment. 
    Her head spun as their kiss d eepened, her heart racing as he pulled her in close, her body molding to his, as she forgot about the other people walking by, forgot about the rain pouring down on them, and forgot about why she’d been mad at him.
    When their kiss finally slowed, he still held her close, his eyes searching her face.  “Can ye forgive me?”
    She let out a weary sigh, fighting through the dizziness of that kiss.  “Yes—but only if you stop being a jerk.  I certainly don’t need to know your life story and I’m not one to pry, but if whatever’s going on with you is going to affect our working relationship, then I need to know about it.  I told you about James, didn’t I?  Now it’s your turn to spill the beans.”
    “Our working relationship?”  His lips quirked into a smile as he leaned in to kiss her again—only to have her pull away.
    “And that kiss?  That never happened.”
    “Never happened, aye?”  His smug grin and her racing heart had her pulling out of his arms and walking back to the car .
    “No, it didn ’t.  And whatever didn’t happen is not going to happen again.  You hear me?”
    His eyes sparkled with amusement as they got into his car. “Aye, love.  It ne’er happened and I swear I won’t ne’er kiss ye again.”
    “Was that a double negative?”  The only response she got was a laugh as he pulled out into traffic and headed towards home.
    ***
    “Duncan?”  Iain called out but the dog didn’t come.  “That’s odd.”
    Cat could see Iain