Fergus grinned, making his eyes crinkle at the corners. “I like your way of thinking, lass.” Fergus leaned down and whispered, “It’s best to wait until Fraser isn’t expecting it. But no worries, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I’m the food fight champion.”
Fraser growled. “He’s lying, Holly.”
Lorna clapped her hands. “Now, now children, let’s play nice.” Lorna’s voice turned to steel. “Let’s eat.”
Holly hid her laugh by taking a drink.
Things were going well with Fergus. Each minute in his company helped relax her. Especially ever since Fraser pretended his meeting with her earlier hadn’t happened.
As Fergus lightly bumped his shoulder against hers, he murmured, “I’ll shield you, Holly. Always.”
She forced a smile. The words were meant to be romantic, yet they didn’t stir any flutterings or heat. Maybe with time the heat and awareness would come.
Glancing at Fraser one last time, he met her eyes. Heat flared briefly before his expression turned to a slightly cocky yet carefree one.
The flare of attraction only reminded Holly of what was at stake. Nothing would keep her from returning to her father.
Fergus slid a few slices of roast onto her plate and Holly focused on her food. The sooner she ate, the sooner she could convince Fergus to take her out of the room. She needed to sleep with the dragonman as soon as possible. Maybe even tonight.
Holly couldn’t afford to stay on Lochguard any longer than necessary or a certain auburn-haired, blue-eyed dragonman would get her into trouble.
~~~
Fraser gripped his knees under the table. His dragon was roaring and trying to claw his way out of the maze. Fraser wasn’t sure how much longer he could restrain his beast.
Yet if he left supper without eating, Finn, his mother, and maybe even Fergus would try to talk with him and see what was wrong. If there was one thing that was always true in the MacKenzie household, it was that meals were never missed and all of the siblings fought over the food. If someone missed supper, they either had a bloody good reason or something was wrong.
As long as he could make it through dinner, Fraser could spend the rest of his time working on the warehouse project and clearing Finn and Arabella’s garden. He wouldn’t have to see Holly again until after she’d slept with Fergus and possibly carried his brother’s child. By then, his dragon might even give up.
Fraser gripped his fork so tightly his fingers turned white. Who was he kidding? If his dragon’s tantrum was anything to go by, seeing Holly pregnant with anyone’s child but theirs would set his beast off. He needed to think of a plan to get him away from Lochguard. He might even request to be fostered at Stonefire. He could meet an English dragon-shifter female and forget all about Holly Anderson.
He just needed to make it through dinner first.
Faye plucked the basket of rolls from in front of him and piled three on her plate. Reinforcing his mental maze one last time, he decided to play his part and swiped one of his sister’s rolls and took a bite. “Thanks, Faye.”
Faye glared. Even when she’d been pitying herself after her injury and had been stuck in a wheelchair for four weeks, his sister had always been protective of her food. “You have five slices of roast and a heap of potatoes. Eat those first. You know rolls are my favorite.”
Fraser took another bite and replied with his mouth half-full. “But they’re warm.”
A pea bounced off his cheek from the other end of the table. Fraser glanced to both Finn and then Fergus. “Not now. We have a guest.”
Holly took another sip of wine and he watched the red liquid slide between her lips before she swallowed. The human had slender, pink lips he would love to nibble and then taste.
Before he was caught staring, Holly lowered her glass and spoke up. “Fergus here said he’d protect me. So, don’t hold back on my account.”
Fraser raised a brow. “Oh, aye? Did he, now?”
Fraser tossed the remainder of his roll in Holly’s direction, but Fergus snatched it out of the air. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”
As Fergus and Fraser grinned at one another, Fraser nearly forgot about Holly coming between them.
Then the bloody human took the roll from Fergus’s fingers—did she have to brush her fingers and linger so?—and tossed it back in his direction. “How about we eat first and play later?”
Fraser’s dragon snarled and tried harder to escape Fraser’s maze. No doubt, the beast had his own ideas of play.
Before he did something daft, Fraser poured some wine and took a swallow.
It was Lorna who broke the silence by tapping her knife against her plate. “I call a time-out. I didn’t slave away in the kitchen all day so you could toss my food across the table. If this is how you appreciate all of my hard work, then next time I’ll take the easy route and make fish, chips, and mushy peas.”