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"Gee, thanks. You sure know how to make a girl feel special."
"Best move away from the bank. Might tumble in if you aren't careful."
Rebecca takes a few steps, then glances back at the river before turning her attention to me. "I'd like to know more about the river. If it has special things in it like you say, I could use that information in my marketing strategy. I am here to help you level up your business. Isn't that what you want?"
"Aye." For some reason, I find myself scratching my cheek. "But I dinnae want your marketing strategy to erase everything that's unique about Collaidh Sgeul-Rùin."
"I don't want that either." She walks up to me, halting only inches from my body. Then she tips her head back, a necessity if she means to gaze into my eyes. The lass isn't short, but I'm several inches taller. "I have never created a generic marketing campaign. My work is always tailored to my client and the products they make."
"Glad to hear it. This distillery means a great deal to me."
She tips her head to the side. "Why is that?"
I want to refuse to answer, but I realize Rebecca is only doing her job. So, I sigh and tell her the truth. "My father always wanted to own a distillery and craft a unique brand of whisky. He never had the money to do that. Neither did he have wealthy friends who could offer financial assistance. He gave up on his dream."
"And now you have revived it."
"That's right. Da suffered a mini-stroke three years ago. Though he recovered from it very well, his body isn't as hardy as it used to be. He walks with a cane or a Zimmer frame sometimes."
"So, he isn't physically able to run a business."
Cannae help chuckling. "My father has barely lost a step since his recovery from that setback. He might need a wee bit of help now and then, but nothing can slow him down. He hasn't even retired yet."
"Then why didn't he want to run the distillery with you?"
"Because he lost interest. He prefers to play golf with Torcall Murdoch or spend time with family. Dreams can change, ye know."
Rebecca's smile turns a touch rueful. "Yeah, I know all about that phenomenon. I started out wanting to be an artist."
Her eyes flare wide briefly, as if she hadn't meant to tell me that. But she regains her composure swiftly. A lock of hair falls over her eye.
And I instinctively tuck it behind her ear.
She drags her tongue across her bottom lip while staring at my mouth.
Bod an Donais. I know I shouldn't kiss her, but the need swells inside me and forces me to summon all my willpower. A beautiful, sexy lass who's also clever and charming? No man could resist that.
Yet I have always kept my desires under control. That restraint saved my life more than once.
She leans in more and lays a hand on my chest. Her eyes have grown darker, making her irises become a deeper shade of whisky brown. I try not to notice how close her body is to mine, but it's bloody hard to ignore. She smells like bottled heaven and looks like sin in a skirt suit. Her eyes could intoxicate me with one kiss, I'm dead sure of that. Maybe that explains why my voice has grown deeper and huskier.
"Ah, lass, dinnae look at me that way. It's dangerous."
"You don't frighten me, Thane."
"But I should. You have no idea who I really am or what I've done."
She lays both hands on my chest now, and her body is pressed to mine. "I'll need to know everything about you, if I'm going to create a unique marketing campaign that accentuates the sensuality of your whisky."
Her voice has dropped to a sultrier register too. It makes my pulse beat faster and my skin grow sensitized to every sensation. I can hear the whispering of her breaths as they come faster and shorter. But when she takes one side of her bottom lip between her teeth and releases it ever so slowly...I lose my mind.
Aye, I lash my arms round her and kiss the lass.
For a few seconds, we gaze into each other's eyes with our mouths fused. Our breaths mingle and gust over each other, blustering out through our nostrils. I taste the barest flavor of her, but it's enough to push me over the edge. I grasp her erse with one hand, clasping it firmly while I shift the other hand up to the center of her back. Splaying my hand there, I clasp her to me even more firmly.
Then I thrust my tongue between her lips.
She moans. Her eyes roll upward briefly, then the lids flutter shut. And she thrusts her tongue into my mouth.
