A Howl for a Highlander

Page 17

She laughed. “I only wear the bikini when swimming at night, normally just when I’m out with my girlfriend. I hadn’t expected you to follow me down to the water. If I’m to walk the plank and jump into the deep, blue sea, I definitely would risk losing my bikini. Besides, it’s family fare during the day, so I’ll dress modestly. Swim trunks down to my knees with a big billowing skirt and a high neckline.”
He laughed. “That I’ve got to see.”
But she was certain he’d prefer seeing her string bikini again.
After they finished their drinks, the catamaran anchored, and they were served bowls of potato soup to start the three-course gourmet dinner. Then the main course came. Both chose mahimahi with Cayman-style sauce to enjoy the island experience, rather than selecting the chicken with mushroom sauce. Their fish was served on a bed of rice with steamed vegetables on the side, and slices of white bread and creamy butter. Coffee and rum cake finished the meal.
Everything was delicious, and as they ate each course, the catamaran rocked slightly in the Caribbean Sea. Shelley realized then that she’d never actually eaten on a boat, just sailed a few times. But anchoring and eating at a candlelight dinner shared with Duncan was romantic and casual and unique enough that she’d remember it fondly forever.
Feeling full after eating the last of her rum cake, Shelley didn’t think the night could get any better. But Duncan took her to the bow of the boat and pulled her to sit between his legs, well away from everyone else. Loosely draping his arms about her shoulders, he held her like that as they watched the sun sink lower in the sky. It was as if none of the rest of the people on the boat existed, just two wolves enjoying the sunset on a dinner cruise.
The bright ball of fire slipped into the blue water, leaving wide pink, purple, and orange ribbons stretched across the sky as if an artist had stroked his paintbrush across it. Skimpy clouds, a darker shade of purple, floated across the ribbons, growing darker as the sun sank lower.
Duncan wrapped his arms around Shelley’s waist, tightening his grip as he leaned down and kissed her ear. She sighed, loving every minute of the colorful display, wishing she had her camera with her to catch the vibrant colors that made the night even more perfect, and loving being in the Highlander’s arms. But she’d left her camera in her backpack in the car. “Hmm, Duncan, this beats drinks with Sal at his place any day.”
She shouldn’t have mentioned Sal when she was having such a good time with Duncan, but she couldn’t get the crook off her mind.
“I’m sure he’s rethinking his miserly offer of a date with you. Hell, for you, he should have offered the moon. He sure can afford it.”
Sal had to be pissed off that Duncan had taken her out. “Most likely women rarely turn him down, no matter what his offer is.”
“He’s not that outstanding looking,” Duncan grouched.
Shelley gave a little laugh. “No, not at all. Distinguished but not movie-star handsome. Not like you. I dare say he’s never been in a movie.”
Duncan grunted. “I was an extra.”
“Right. But he has sort of an appeal, like a man used to getting his way, someone who has money and power.” She shrugged. “A lot of women are drawn to that.”
“But not you.”
“No. I know what a rat he is, but it wouldn’t have mattered. The only reason I didn’t turn him down outright was that I thought I could help you get to him. So I didn’t want to burn bridges right away.”
“I don’t want you near him. This is strictly my business, understand?” Duncan had the stern look of a warrior who didn’t want a woman getting hurt or involved in any way.
“Of course,” Shelley said, not about to get into an argument with Duncan. If he wanted her help, she’d do what she could. If not, that was his call. “Will you drop me off at the reserve again tomorrow?”
His mouth parted, and then he frowned. “Didn’t you already record every plant there was in the forest?”
She smiled. “More than one hundred species and more than five hundred and fifty plants live in the forest. I think I missed one or two.”
He shook his head.
When the catamaran began to sail back to port, Shelley was in wolf heaven, snuggling next to Duncan as if the two of them were on a honeymoon. Or like wolves might do, curled up together under the light of a silvery moon.
She wanted to stay up all night. Run as a wolf with him. Swim as a human. Play until she was too exhausted to do anything but sleep. She wanted to enjoy all of that for now, and nothing more. She’d never had this much fun in her life. Going on a cruise like this with Wendy would never have been the same.
Her thoughts shifted to the problem with Silverman and what his next move might be.
“What if Silverman calls me again in the morning?”
“He’s not going to wait.”
She stiffened and looked up at Duncan. “What do you mean?”
“You only told him your first name over the phone, right? He hadn’t even asked for it before this, expecting you to be blown away by his bold interest in you. He figured he’d learn all he wanted about you when you had drinks with him tonight.”
“Yeah, he never did ask, and I wasn’t about to offer until I spoke with you. I wanted to see if you thought we could use his interest in me to your advantage.”
“That’s the thing. He’s going to want to know who you are, who your girlfriend is, and who I am before long. He’s going to want to find out where we’re all staying. He’ll think you’re rooming with a girlfriend. He’ll have the notion of visiting you early tomorrow before I have a chance to pick you up for the pirate cruise. Try to ingratiate himself with you before it’s too late. Maybe even attempt to turn your head so much that you’ll forget you had a date with me in the afternoon.”
“He can’t think I’d be that interested in him. You don’t think he believes I might consider being his mate, do you?”
Duncan snorted. “Money can buy just about anything. The thing of it is that the man’s already got a mate.”
Her jaw dropped.
“I wouldn’t put it past him to take another, pretending he doesn’t have one already and hiding that fact from his first mate while he hides her from you.”
“Wolves don’t do that.”
“Normally, it’s not done. Then again, normally they don’t pick up other women, wolves or otherwise, once they have a mate. But he’s got one, and she’s still in the U.S. while he’s dallying with some other woman here.”
Shelley folded her arms, her back still stiff. It was one thing to pretend to be interested in a bachelor wolf to help Duncan out if she could. It was quite another to pretend to be interested in one who was not only mated but also having an affair with a human woman. He truly was a bastard.
Then another thought struck her. “Does his mate know about the money he’s been stealing?”
“Aye, lass. Before he went into hiding from the authorities, he deposited a whole lot of the stolen funds in her name. She didn’t steal any of it that we know of, but she and Sal are attempting to avoid having to give up any of the estates they have all over the world—and luxury cars, two planes, and a couple of ships—by saying it was her wealth and had nothing to do with his stealing.”
“It goes against everything I believe.”
“The stolen money? Or lacking loyalty to a mate?”
“Both.”
“Aye, that it does.” Duncan sighed deeply. “I had not planned for things to go this way. What with the devil’s interest in you, I will have to stick close to you, and I don’t like it one wee bit.”
“Sticking close to me?” she queried, her voice and brows raised.
He chuckled darkly. “Nay, lass. You think I would have an aversion to sticking close to you like this? I fear I’m going to have a time trying to learn where our money is while keeping him away from you.”
Shelley pondered that for a moment, not liking that she would be the object of such scrutiny by a wolf as rotten to the core as Silverman. Nor that Duncan had to worry about her while he needed to learn what he could about Silverman and where the clan’s funds were.
“What if he’s waiting at the harbor now? What if he follows us from the harbor to the villa? He’ll know you’re rooming with me. Then again, maybe that will be the end of his interest in me—once he learns he’s not going to be able to get to me alone all that easily. Since most wolves have scruples, he will assume that we’re smitten with each other and that he has no chance.”
Duncan ran his hands down Shelley’s bare arms in a soothing way. “Nay. Over the years, I’ve learned that a liar believes everyone else lies. A cheat believes everyone else cheats. It’s a way to justify one’s own actions. He’ll believe what he wants to about you. He’ll find out soon enough that we’re together. But I doubt that will dissuade him initially.” Duncan leaned over and kissed her ear.
“That’ll be a definite crimp in his plans to get you alone, to wean you away from me. He wouldn’t have had time to post anyone at the dock before we left, but I’m almost certain he’ll have someone watching now. Maybe even he himself will be nearby, checking me out—his competition—when we arrive back at the island.”
They were getting closer, able to see the dock and sandy beach in the distance. She tried to make out anybody who might be watching them, but it was impossible, even though she could see better in the dark than a human could. “Maybe I should have told him I was mated to you.”
“He’ll know we’re not mated, or you would have told him at the reserve. Hell, I would have told him so.”
“If he learns who you are, won’t he realize you might be trying to have your money returned?”
“No. We had the money listed under a corporation with a different name in the UK. He doesn’t know he stole from a Highland wolf pack or he’d be running scared.”