Highland Fling by Shelli Stevens

“You’ve broken the seal and there’s no going back now. May as well just screw and get it over with.”
    “Which is basically what you’ve been saying from the start. So why the concern now?”
    “Because I never thought you guys would take me seriously, and now my conscience has kicked in. I know how Aleck is with women.”
    “I do too. I’m not under any illusions that he’s looking to settle down anytime soon, Kenz.”
    “Good.”
    “Is that dip ready?” Sarah hollered from the living room. “Some of us are eating as if we were still pregnant.”
    Delonna and Kenzie shared a laugh and moved away from the kitchen.
    “And a kiss isn’t serious,” Delonna said softly again.
    Kenzie gave a small sigh. “Is a kiss ever harmless? It’s the gateway to so much more. To potentially having amazing sex. Not that I’m trying to envision you and my brother having amazing sex. Let alone sex at all.”
    “You know, this conversation is pretty sucky.”
    “Aye, it is. All, I’m saying is, just…be careful.”
    As her friend moved past her back into the living room, Delonna felt a slither of unease race through her.
    For a moment she let herself briefly imagine hitting the accelerator instead of the brakes with Aleck. The way her pulse quickened and her body heated, she couldn’t deny it sounded all too appealing.
    And a little concerning.
    “How’s Delonna holding up?”
    Aleck glanced up from where he was arranging the bottles of alcohol.
    “She’s all right. Thanks for helping her file the police report.”
    Colin nodded. “Aye, well she should’ve come to the station in the first place.”
    “She was just worried, having not reported the tips and all. Where’s Hailey tonight?”
    “Girls’ Night In over at Kenzie’s and Delonna’s. I’m surprised the ladies didn’t mention it.”
    “Me too,” he mused. “Then again it’s Kenzie’s day off and Delonna worked the day shift. Who all goes?”
    “The whole lot of them. Sarah, Hailey, Delonna and Kenzie.”
    “Did Sarah bring the baby?”
    “Not tonight. I dropped by Ian’s earlier and he and Emily were on the floor playing with the wee one. Tummy time or something of the sort.”
    “He’s taken naturally to having an infant about. And he’s remarkably good with Emily as well.” Aleck shook his head.
    And to think Ian had been the one they’d all said would never have children. Now he had two and was a natural at being a father.
    “Aye. He’s doing quite well.”
    “What about you and Hailey?” Aleck slid his brother another beer. “Starting a family soon?”
    “Actually, aye, we’ve been trying.”
    Not having expected that answer, Aleck gave a slow nod. Though why he was surprised, he couldn’t say. Maybe Hailey and Colin had only been married for a handful of months, but they were both just past thirty and clearly in the mind to become parents.
    “Good. I’ll enjoy another niece or nephew.”
    “And you?” Colin lifted an eyebrow. “Are you not getting the itch to settle down and have a family of your own?
    Any amusement faded and Aleck gave a brisk shake of his head. “I’m not the marrying sort.”
    “It’s funny, because I sensed you once were.”
    He glanced up sharply at his brother’s soft words. Aleck’s blood quickened and he gave a small shake of his head.
    “That was another lifetime. I was a different man then.”
    “You weren’t even a man, Aleck. More a boy.”
    “I was seventeen. That’s hardly a child in nappies.”
    “Maybe not, but it was nearly two decades ago. Shouldn’t you open yourself up to the possibility—”
    “I’m happy with my life,” Aleck interrupted curtly. “I enjoy women on a certain level. A fun, physical level. Perhaps even a friendship level.”
    “That’s a shallow place to exist with women. You should try deeper waters.”
    “I have.”
    “Try again. Love isn’t a one-shot deal in life, Aleck.”
    “A matter of opinion. I’d rather not try to find out