and lowered her voice confirmed his suspicions. And yet…she’d admitted earlier that she’d responded to his kiss because she’d wanted to be seduced. She must not have an exclusive arrangement with this Were, whoever he was.
It was none of Duncan’s bloody business, but as he went through the cupboards in search of something they could warm up for dinner, he eavesdropped with morbid fascination. Even with his superior hearing he got only snatches of the conversation. Yet because his name came up a couple of times, he was reasonably sure Kate was discussing him.
Her soft laughter that followed a mention of his name pricked his ego. He acknowledged that he had one, although it wasn’t as big as Kate seemed to think. Trading punches on Sniffer was one thing, but he didn’t relish being the subject of a private joke between Kate and whatever randy Were she was talking to. That was too personal.
By the time she got off the phone and came back to the kitchen, his mood had deteriorated considerably. “I suppose he’s worried about you spending the night alone in this cabin with me.” As well he should be, considering that scorcher of a kiss.
Duncan took two cans from the cupboard and set them on the counter with a little more force than was necessary. The satisfying clunk of metal cans on the tile counter pleased him.
“Who’s worried?” She asked it so innocently, as if she had no idea what he was talking about.
But he wasn’t born yesterday. “The Were you were talking to just now.” He pulled more cans out of the cupboard without looking at her. “It’s plain that you have something going with him, and he can’t be happy about this situation you’re in, getting trapped for the night with me.”
“So you think I was talking to my lover?”
“Pretty damned obvious that you were, lass. I’ll wager you didn’t mention that kiss, now, did you?”
“I promised you I’d keep that incident private, and I will. But I suppose you don’t know me well enough to trust me not to blab.”
She sounded so blasted reasonable, so calm. There was even a hint of laughter in her voice. Meanwhile he was seething inside. And for no good reason, either. One kiss didn’t mean he had any right to feel jealousy regarding her. He was mostly angry with himself for letting that nasty emotion get its hooks into him.
He’d blame his funk on jet lag, and on finishing her book mere hours ago, which gave him an unrealistic view of how well he knew her. Plus their online contact, though contentious, might have tricked him into thinking he was the most important male Were in her life right now. Stupid.
He reached up to the top shelf for more cans. “I have to trust you. I don’t have a choice.”
“Duncan, you can stop stacking those cans. That’s plenty to choose from and you have some duplicates.”
He finally noticed that he’d gathered a grocery market full of canned goods on the counter. In his preoccupation with Kate’s phone call from her lover, he’d lost track of what he was doing and why. But he hated admitting that.
“Wanted to make sure we knew all our choices.” He waved a hand at the collection he’d created. “What do you fancy for dinner?”
“The chili looks good.”
He glanced at her. “That’s it? Nothing else, then?”
“One can of chili is more than enough for me, but if you want some, we should open two.”
Duncan pretended to study the options carefully, when in fact he’d be happy with warmed-up chili, too.But he’d hauled all this out of the cupboard, so he picked up two or three other cans and turned them around to read the ingredients as if trying to decide.
Finally he nodded. “Chili would be fine. I’ll just put this lot back in the cupboard for now. At least you know what’s available, if you get hungry for something else.” He began putting the cans back in the approximate order they’d been before, although he couldn’t guarantee they were the way the Stewarts had
It was none of Duncan’s bloody business, but as he went through the cupboards in search of something they could warm up for dinner, he eavesdropped with morbid fascination. Even with his superior hearing he got only snatches of the conversation. Yet because his name came up a couple of times, he was reasonably sure Kate was discussing him.
Her soft laughter that followed a mention of his name pricked his ego. He acknowledged that he had one, although it wasn’t as big as Kate seemed to think. Trading punches on Sniffer was one thing, but he didn’t relish being the subject of a private joke between Kate and whatever randy Were she was talking to. That was too personal.
By the time she got off the phone and came back to the kitchen, his mood had deteriorated considerably. “I suppose he’s worried about you spending the night alone in this cabin with me.” As well he should be, considering that scorcher of a kiss.
Duncan took two cans from the cupboard and set them on the counter with a little more force than was necessary. The satisfying clunk of metal cans on the tile counter pleased him.
“Who’s worried?” She asked it so innocently, as if she had no idea what he was talking about.
But he wasn’t born yesterday. “The Were you were talking to just now.” He pulled more cans out of the cupboard without looking at her. “It’s plain that you have something going with him, and he can’t be happy about this situation you’re in, getting trapped for the night with me.”
“So you think I was talking to my lover?”
“Pretty damned obvious that you were, lass. I’ll wager you didn’t mention that kiss, now, did you?”
“I promised you I’d keep that incident private, and I will. But I suppose you don’t know me well enough to trust me not to blab.”
She sounded so blasted reasonable, so calm. There was even a hint of laughter in her voice. Meanwhile he was seething inside. And for no good reason, either. One kiss didn’t mean he had any right to feel jealousy regarding her. He was mostly angry with himself for letting that nasty emotion get its hooks into him.
He’d blame his funk on jet lag, and on finishing her book mere hours ago, which gave him an unrealistic view of how well he knew her. Plus their online contact, though contentious, might have tricked him into thinking he was the most important male Were in her life right now. Stupid.
He reached up to the top shelf for more cans. “I have to trust you. I don’t have a choice.”
“Duncan, you can stop stacking those cans. That’s plenty to choose from and you have some duplicates.”
He finally noticed that he’d gathered a grocery market full of canned goods on the counter. In his preoccupation with Kate’s phone call from her lover, he’d lost track of what he was doing and why. But he hated admitting that.
“Wanted to make sure we knew all our choices.” He waved a hand at the collection he’d created. “What do you fancy for dinner?”
“The chili looks good.”
He glanced at her. “That’s it? Nothing else, then?”
“One can of chili is more than enough for me, but if you want some, we should open two.”
Duncan pretended to study the options carefully, when in fact he’d be happy with warmed-up chili, too.But he’d hauled all this out of the cupboard, so he picked up two or three other cans and turned them around to read the ingredients as if trying to decide.
Finally he nodded. “Chili would be fine. I’ll just put this lot back in the cupboard for now. At least you know what’s available, if you get hungry for something else.” He began putting the cans back in the approximate order they’d been before, although he couldn’t guarantee they were the way the Stewarts had
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