Page 12 of Hiding Nessie
‘Among other things.’ Lachlan’s fingers danced higher, though he seemed distracted.
Cam tipped Lachlan’s chin towards him. ‘Something on your mind?’
Lachlan almost seemed surprised he’d noticed. He chewed his bottom lip. ‘You’ve never mentioned Bryce before.’
Oof. That possessiveness hit Cam hard in the chest again. ‘I meant it. He’s only an old friend.’
‘Of course. I don’t doubt you.’ Lachlan cocked his head. ‘I’m just surprised I haven’t heard about him, if he was a big part of your life. Is he family, to you?’
Cam’s face screwed into a grimace. ‘I dunno about that. We got on. He did me a favour. Didn’t tell my parents when they came asking after me. But then…’ He tipped his head back onto the couch, running a hand through his hair. ‘He didn’t bother showing up for me after they died, either. I don’t really know where I stand with him. Pisses me off a bit, to tell the truth.’
‘That’s understandable.’ Lachlan’s fingers spread to palm his thigh more affectionately than lustfully. ‘I don’t mean to pry.’
‘I’m happy to tell you. You can always ask me anything.’ Cam’s gaze slid sideways, watching Lachlan from the corner of his eye. He was dying to ask. ‘Were you… jealous? I mean, did you think he and I were…’
‘Gosh, no.’ Lachlan’s face flamed bright red. His free hand squirmed in his lap. ‘Or maybe a little.’
Cam sniggered, tilting to speak into Lachlan’s ear. ‘I like it.’
‘I didn’t mean to assume anything,’ Lachlan insisted, his voice going a little shrill. He looked down at his hands. ‘But it’s only natural to think… I mean, it doesn’t really bother me but… you’ve probably had a lot more experience in this arena than I have. You don’t need to tell me.’ He added quickly, ‘It’s none of my business.’
Cam took a few moments to absorb this. Lachlan, with his three hundred years of life on this earth, thoughtCamhad more experience than him when it came to… sex? Romance? Relationships in general?
Lachlan seemed to perceive these thoughts playing out across Cam’s face. His fingers resumed their reassuring stroking of Cam’s thigh. ‘There aren’t exactly many opportunities around here. It’s not every day that someone slips me their number on a napkin,’ he said with a shy smile. ‘And I’m still not used to howboldpeople are in this day and age.’
‘How do you mean?’ Cam asked, trying not to get distracted by Lachlan’s fingers.
‘Well… when I was born, you could be hanged for expressing interest in someone of the same gender. Things have only just started to change. It was still a crime in Scotland until 1980.’ Lachlan fiddled with the cuffs of his sleeves, cheeks going pink. ‘To be transparent, I’ve been with three men, before you. A handful of nights each. Decades apart. They were just passing through, and the company lifted my spirits a little.’
A wave of blonde hair fell across his face and he looked up at Cam through it as though afraid what his response might be. Cam nudged his shoulder lightly. ‘I didn’t think you were a virgin,’ he said, hoping Lachlan would catch the amusement in his smile. ‘And I’m glad you’ve not been completely alone all this time. I feel pretty fucking ignorant, actually. I hadn’t even considered how hard things must have been.’
Lachlan climbed into his lap, sitting astride him comfortably. ‘You make it feel easy,’ he said with a warm smile, before leaning down for a kiss. Cam groaned into it. His patient but stiff cock had been aching to pull Lachlan onto him.
He broke the kiss briefly, staring into the blue depths of Lachlan’s eyes. ‘You know I’m not passing through, right?’
It seemed that Lachlan’s breath hitched. His eyelashes fluttered, pupils dilating. He answered Cam with another feverish kiss, before pulling him down onto the sheepskin rug in front of the fire. Cam didn’t ask any more questions after that.
Chapter Four
The snowy landscape was eerie under starlight. Only a thin sliver of moon lent its glow to the night sky, yet the white mantle of snow reflected it back from every angle, every tree branch, every rise and furrow in the ground. Cam walked with Lachlan through a world cast in ghostly shades of blue. He didn’t pull out a torch until they reached the bottom of the hill, where trees towed darkness over their heads.
At the little wooden pier, Lachlan stooped to inspect the water. Cam saw faint ripples in the middle of the loch, so he was surprised when he nudged a pebble over the edge and it clattered onto hard ice. It sent a faint reverberation skittering across the surface.
‘The water freezes close to the shore first. Where it’s shallower,’ Lachlan murmured by his side. He nodded to the rippling reflection of stars further out. ‘I shan’t have any trouble getting out there, but it might be more difficult in the morning. I’ll probably have to break the ice to come back out.’
He sighed and began pulling off his clothes, dropping them into a neat pile on the jetty. His skin prickled with goosebumps, making Cam shiver in sympathy.
‘I’ll come back out before dawn,’ Cam said, rubbing warm hands over Lachlan’s shoulders. ‘To make sure no one’s around.’
‘You don’t need to be out here.’
Cam frowned. ‘With both Bryce and a werewolf in the area, I’d rather make sure you’re safe.’
Lachlan leaned up to kiss him gently. ‘Don’t spend too long watching, you hear?’ He leaned longingly into the warmth of Cam’s arms for a moment and murmured into his collar. ‘If you catch a chill on my account, I’ll be very upset.’
Cam chuckled against his hair. ‘But then I’d get to enjoy you nursing me back to health.’
Lachlan shoved half-heartedly at his chest, before tearing himself away completely. He was fully shivering now, teeth on the verge of chattering. ‘I’ll change in the trees. I’d prefer if you didn’t watch.’
