Page 23 of Utterly Dauntless

When he found the guilty party, his brows flew high, then his head lowered like a bull. "Oh, aye?"

The game that followed was part keep away, part rugby, with alliances forming and dissolving as the ball was passed and stolen. Betrayal seemed to earn the most laughter. When Grey finally got his hands on the ball, Aries knew she was in trouble.

Shug bellowed, "Run!"

She didn't need to be told twice. She hauled herself up the steps, hurried to the grass, and sprinted as fast as she could, driven by pure adrenaline. Grey hopped smoothly out the side, already cutting the distance. With his longer stride, he gained quickly. He caught her arm, dragged her to a stop, then threw her over his broad wet shoulder.

She squealed and laughed and pretended to struggle. Back at the pool, everyone cheered, but their voices died quickly when Grey continued around the corner of the building.

"Breathless and panting," he growled. "Exactly how I wanted ye."

Strong hot hands lifted her hips and lowered her to the ground. Instead of letting her go, he pressed her against the sun-warmed wall. She was solemn as the grave when their eyes locked.

"Time to pay the piper," he murmured, as he lowered his head and claimed her mouth.

The kiss was familiar, like coming home—the remembered taste of him, the way his hands cradled her face, the solid warmth of his body against hers. She melted into him, forgetting everything else as the years apart began to contract.

How had she ever walked away from this?

When they finally paused to catch their breath, Grey rested his forehead against hers. "Don't run," he whispered. "Please. Not until I've had my say. Then I promise...I will let ye go."

Before she could respond, he stepped away, leaving her gasping.

Leaving her.

Shug scowledat Grey when he came back to the pool alone.

"She gone?"

He shrugged, not daring to hope out loud. But resigned all the same.

A body came whizzing past. Aries' bum, strapped in a too-small, hot pink swimsuit, bounced only a few times before she flew out over the water.

"Cannonball!"

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The hotel's rooftop terrace offered a stunning view of Glasgow at sunset. Aries' body had been spoiled by the warmer climate of southern France, so summer in Scotland felt like anything but, especially at night.

She sat in one of the cushioned chairs near the fire pit, watching flames dance behind glass walls that blocked the wind. The day's swimming had left her muscles pleasantly tired, but her mind still raced.

Nothing like a hot kiss to scramble the brain.

Movement made her look up. She'd hoped it was Grey coming to join her, but it was Carson.

He hesitated. "Mind if I have a word?"

"Sure."

He settled on a chair and clasped his hands between his knees. The firelight caught hints of grey in his hair and made him look as old as she was, but she would probably always see him as a little boy, now that she knew.

"Ye're a generous woman, forgivin' me so easily, when what I did was truly unforgiveable."

"I'm not?—"

"Please." He took a deep breath. "Now, that it's just the pair of us, I want to say I'm sorry for bein' a right bastard. Terrorizin' ye like I did. I spent so many years wonderin' if I was mad, ye ken? Then when I saw ye..." He shook his head. "I just had to prove that I wasnae the disturbed child my parents believed I was."

"I understand." She truly did. "And I'm sorry too. Not just for what I did that day, but for staying away. But you should know that wasn't the only reason I fled. I was running from...from a curse that was taking my family from me, one by one. I thought if I left, maybe I could save my brother at least."

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