“And as a result, I’m hot and frustrated. Happy now?”
“Aye. We all need to go through these stages, and you have some catching up to do.” He brushed his mouth over hers one last time and stood. “It’s getting dark. And I need to go to bed before I collapse.”
She drew a long, trembling breath. “Right.” She’d conveniently forgotten that he must be exhausted. But that was partly his fault. He’d started it by wanting to kiss her again.
He held out his hand to help her up. “Let’s go back. We both could use a breather.”
“I guess so.” But she knew what would happen once her rational brain took over. She’d chicken out. If he gave her a chance to think things over, as he was determined to do, she’d never go through with it.
If they’d had sex tonight, she could have blamed her behavior on the charged atmosphere of the occasion. By tomorrow, she’d remember all the reasons why hav**g s*x with him was a really bad idea, beginning with the most important one—their potential business relationship.
Tonight could have been her initiation into the wonders of carnal knowledge by someone who seemed to know his way around the subject. Apparently he thought postponing the event would make it better. She wasn’t going to tell him now, but postponing it meant that it wasn’t going to happen at all.
Chapter 6
Colin’s exhaustion was real enough, but that wasn’t his only reason for calling a halt. He had some decisions to make regarding Luna, including the business matter of her inn project, and the personal matter of wanting her with the heat of a thousand suns. Decisions on both questions should be made only after due consideration and not on the spur of the moment.
This lusty attraction had scrambled his wits, which wasn’t a common problem for him. He would like to blame it on jet lag, but he feared it had to do with the beautiful Were herself. After he staggered to bed, and just before he fell into a dreamless sleep, he vowed to avoid being alone with her again until he’d sorted out his feelings.
Fortunately, he had limited time to be tempted by that deadly combination of innocence and passionate response that had nearly undone him at twilight on Happy Hour Beach. He slept until nearly noon. He barely had time to shower, dress in a cotton long-sleeved shirt and slacks, and grab a quick snack before the real estate agent, Regis Trevelyan, arrived by motor launch. Colin spent the afternoon showing Regis, a graying Were with a slight paunch, around the estate. Late in the afternoon, Colin invited him to stay for dinner.
He asked Luna to join them, and she agreed, but he noticed the rigid set of her jaw every time she looked at Regis. Maybe she thought that Colin had invited him to dinner because they’d signed a contract to list the property. The opposite was true. He’d invited Regis to dinner because the poor chap wouldn’t get the business, after all, and Colin wanted to offer him dinner as a small consolation.
The dining room had never looked better, and Colin gave Luna and her hard-working staff credit for that. Beeswax tapers cast a mellow glow over the dark paneled walls, and flowers graced the center of the table and the sideboards, as well. Luna had pinned her hair up in that sexy, mysterious way known only to women, and had worn a simple ivory dress that outlined her body so deliciously that she was driving him slowly insane.
But that was his personal problem. Even with that distraction to deal with, he could see that she was an excellent hostess. In her hands, Whittier House would flourish as an inn for Weres. He still had to mull over the particulars, but he was increasingly inclined to consider her plan. He’d never really wanted to sell Geraldine’s house, anyway.
“Amazing job on the salmon,” Regis said as Sybil cleared the dinner plates.
“Thank you. I’ll tell the chef.” Sybil beamed at him and continued to gather the empty dishes. She wore a white blouse and navy slacks, which might have been her attempt at a uniform.
Colin liked the comfortable informality of the staff’s clothing, which hadn’t changed since the summers he’d spent here years ago. But if Luna intended to set the tone as she’d put it, the staff might have to wear something more formal. “The salmon was great, Sybil,” he said. “Please thank Janet for producing it on short notice.”
Sybil nodded. “I will.” She glanced over at Regis. “In case you’re wondering, tonight’s meal was a special request of the laird.”
Regis chuckled. “Knocks me out, these fancy foreign titles.” He turned to Colin. “What does a laird do, anyway?”
“It’s not that much different from being the pack alpha,” Colin said. “We’re the guardians of a certain area and those who live within its boundaries. In my case, I combine both roles, as my father did before me.”
Regis drank the last of his wine, an excellent white from the Whittier House cellars. “And the last thing you need is another responsibility on the far side of the world, right?”
“I thought so, and that’s why I scheduled this appointment with you.”
“And I’m honored that you did.” Regis was practically licking his chops. The commission on the sale of Le Floret and the castle on it would bring him a year’s worth of income.
“But Luna has presented me with a most intriguing proposition.” Colin glanced at her and savored the surprise and pleasure in her green eyes. “She’s suggested turning Whittier House into an exclusive Were resort. I’m seriously considering the possibility.”
Regis looked as if he’d bit into a lemon. “Risky business, the hospitality industry. Fortunes have been lost trying to gauge the tastes of the fickle public.”
“But this is a specialty area,” Luna said. “Not many places cater specifically to Weres. Whittier House is already set up for that, including the need for open spaces, specially designed exits and entrances, and the most important aspect of all: seclusion.”
Regis gazed at her with new respect. “You have a point, and Weres do tend to have money to spend on luxury accommodations. I know of one large hotel that caters to Weres. It’s near Denver, in Estes Park.”
“I’ve heard of that one,” Colin said. “A large Were conference is scheduled there, but I’ve forgotten when.”
“Sometime in the next six to eight months, I think,” Regis said. “But back to your venture. Do you really want the headache of operating a business from your estate in Glenbarra? Why not just sell and be rid of the responsibility?”
Luna clutched her napkin and leaned forward. Candlelight danced in her glossy dark hair. “Or postpone that decision until the market for such properties is more lucrative. And in the meantime, create a guaranteed revenue stream.”
Regis glanced over at her. “And you would run the facility?”
“I hope to, yes.”
“And the chef stays?”
Luna nodded. “She’s a key factor in whether this would work.”
“I agree.” Regis settled back in his chair and patted his mouth with his napkin. “I hate the idea of losing the business, but if you two follow through with this plan, I’ll book a couple of rooms. My wife and my in-laws would love it here.”
Colin’s gaze met Luna’s for one brief moment. She glowed with excitement, and his heart lurched. From what she’d told him the night before, she’d struggled for every bit of security in her life. Running this inn would mean the world to her.
He understood the drawbacks of owning a business so far away from his home base. He’d have to trust her implicitly. Despite sophisticated means of communication, he still couldn’t supervise the operation adequately from Scotland.
But, the devil take it, he wanted to do this. His reasons were complicated and he wasn’t sure he’d examined all his motives as thoroughly as he should. Some of them might be less than noble.
He wanted Luna, more so with every passing moment in her presence. She would be grateful to him if he gave her the job of running the inn. But he didn’t believe in that kind of coercion on the part of males over females.
Besides, she could have scruples against becoming his lover if he confirmed that he would also be her boss. Damnation, he knew she’d have scruples. She’d said as much last night on the beach. But she’d also agreed to kiss him.
One thing he knew for certain. If he rejected her plan to turn Whittier House into a luxury vacation spot for Weres, he would have no reason to ever see her again once he left for Scotland. If he agreed to go along with her plan, they would have to work together to make it happen.
He’d known her for a mere twenty-four hours, and many of those hours he’d been asleep in his old bedroom. But they’d also comforted and supported each other during the scattering of Geraldine and Henry’s ashes. A Were’s true colors tended to shine through in moments like that, and Luna had provided the kind of calm strength that had kept Colin steady and focused.
She was special, and despite being a wee bit jet-lagged even now, he had the good sense to recognize how amazing she was. Whether they became lovers or decided it was too risky under the circumstances, she deserved a chance to create a haven for herself and other Weres on Le Floret.
Luna barely tasted dessert, and that was saying something, because Janet had made her favorite, a rich cheesecake laced with chocolate. But who cared about food when a person’s dreams were about to come true? She kept sneaking glances at Colin, who seemed to be enjoying his dessert and coffee just fine.
As for Regis, he asked for seconds as he praised Janet’s cooking to the skies. When he was offered an after-dinner liqueur, he accepted that, too, plus a refill. Luna thought he’d never leave.
If Colin really meant what he’d said—and he struck her as a man of his word—then they had plans to make, timetables to create, menus to plan, rates to discuss. She had considered all of that. An Excel file on her computer held every idea she had brainstormed since she’d hatched this concept.
That had been a mere five days ago. She vividly remembered walking the beach in total despair at the thought of being forced to leave Whittier House. Out of pure desperation, she’d come up with the idea of an inn exclusively for Weres.
She’d thought it was highly original, but after going online, she’d discovered a Were retreat in Colorado, the same one Regis had mentioned tonight. That seemed to be the only one, though, which meant the market was wide-open in Washington State. She wanted to run across the beach, fling out her arms, and shout with joy. This would work!
Instead she had to sit at this elegant table and listen to Regis discuss his golf swing. Luna knew as much about golf as she did about the mating habits of a duck-billed platypus, and a conversation about the sex life of a platypus had a lot more going for it, in her opinion.
But Regis wouldn’t be the only dull guest she’d ever have to entertain once the inn opened for business, so she did her best to look fascinated. Colin knew something about golf, so he held up his end of the conversation admirably. She hadn’t realized that Scotland was the birthplace of the game, but Regis seemed thrilled to talk with someone who had actually played the St. Andrews course.
Darkness had fallen by the time Regis finally summoned his private motor launch from Friday Harbor, the nearest marina to Le Floret.
“I’ll walk you down to the dock, Regis.” Colin left his chair and came around to help Luna out of hers. “Do you want to come with us?”
Not when she was dying to relay the good news about Whittier House to Janet, who would still be in the kitchen finishing her cleanup duties. “Thanks, but I need to check with Janet and make sure the dishwasher’s running okay. It was acting up this morning, and if it still is, I’ll call a repairman first thing in the morning.”
“Be sure and give her my compliments again, and put me down for your opening weekend,” Regis said.
“I’ll do that.” Opening weekend! She wanted to spin in place at the prospect. “Assuming Colin doesn’t reconsider his decision.” Testing, testing.
“I can’t imagine why I would.” Colin glanced at her. “But we have several details to go over.”
She laced her fingers together to keep from clapping like a four-year-old who’d been promised ice cream. “Yes, we do, and I have a prioritized list, along with any ideas that have come to me. It’s all stored on my computer.” Difficult though it was, she forced herself to be sensible. “It’s late, though. We can check that out tomorrow.”
His blue eyes flashed with amusement. “I’m surprised you want to put it off that long.”
“Not for my sake, but you’re still recovering from your trip.”
“I’m recovered enough to look at your information. After you check on the dishwasher, fire up your computer. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Perfect.” She couldn’t have kept the smile off her face if she’d been paid to do it. “My office is the one that used to be Henry’s.”
“I figured that out when I took Regis on a tour today.”
“It’s an elegant estate.” Regis glanced around the dining room one last time. “I predict this inn will be extremely successful.”
Luna started to say that she hoped so, but decided that response was too meek. “Thank you. I’m positive it will be.”
Regis still couldn’t seem to drag himself away. As he chatted about the tapestries and the paneling, Luna reminded herself that a guest’s reluctance to leave was a good sign, but she wanted Regis gone so she could celebrate with Janet.
Finally Colin managed to edge Regis to the dining room door. Once they’d stepped into the hall, Luna turned and hurried through the door into the kitchen where Janet was wiping down the counters.
Janet glanced at Luna and stopped wiping. “He’s going for the inn concept?”