The Dragon Guardian (Lochguard Highland Dragons 2)
For two countries that shared a language, they were a hell of a lot of differences.
Still, Gina wouldn’t have it any other way. Scotland had been her new start and so far, it was paying off. She only hoped BroadBay wouldn’t come after her. Lochguard was being kind, but there was only so much they would do to help a stranger if she brought trouble to their front door.
Chapter Nine
Fergus half-jogged toward the old Sinclair place. Extricating himself from his family had taken longer than he’d anticipated.
His dragon paced at the back of his mind. I don’t know why you bothered to be nice about it. Gina waits for us. We should’ve left directly.
Then they would’ve come over and never left. Mum and Holly, in particular, don’t want the lass alone. Besides, I needed to fetch Gina’s cat.
His beast huffed. We will protect her. That is enough.
My biggest concern is protecting her from us.
I would never hurt her. But protecting her means taking care of her. She still hasn’t eaten anything. I don’t like it.
Fuck, she must be hungry. We’re going to have to stop by the shop.
Fergus rushed to the closest shop. So much for being Gina’s Guardian. He couldn’t even remember to get her some food.
He would work on it. After all, Fergus had yearned for so long for a female of his own. He needed to take care of the one who was probably his true mate. Especially if he was to convince her to stay.
And after their interlude back at his mum’s house, Fergus wanted her to stay. Just thinking about his hand on her soft, warm thigh as they flirted made his heart warm. He’d never felt so at ease with any female in the past.
Picking up a few things at the shop in the clan’s central living and shopping area, he paid the clerk and ran the rest of the way to the old Sinclair place.
Very few houses shared a wall on Lochguard, mostly because dragon-shifters liked their space. However, the Sinclair brothers had been close and lived as neighbors for sixty years before they died. He wondered if he and Gina would be neighbors that long, or would he succeed in wooing the lass? If his bloody brother hadn’t tossed the butter earlier, Fergus might’ve pushed Gina a little further. A hand on her thigh was a start, but all he wanted to do was hold her close and never let go.
As it should be, his dragon stated.
His beast may be certain, but Fergus was cautious. The last time he’d pinned his hopes on a lass, that female had fallen for his brother.
His dragon roared, but before he could throw a tantrum or worse, Fergus constructed a complicated mental maze and forced his dragon inside. Fergus hated to do it, but he wanted complete control of his first evening alone with Gina. If he couldn’t manage a kiss again, then he at least wanted to find out a bit more of her past.
Coal meowed inside his carrier just as Fergus stopped in front of porch on the left, which was Gina’s house. “Just a moment, Coal.”
Knoc
king, Fergus waited. The door opened and he nodded at Arabella. “Is everything okay?”
She raised her brows. “I don’t give advice to you often, but stop hovering, Fergus, or you might drive her away. She’s far stronger than you give her credit for.”
He growled. “Of course the lass is strong. She escaped BroadBay and took care of herself in a strange land, all whilst pregnant with a dragon-shifter’s child. But when it comes time for the bairn, she’ll need help.”
“So you plan to take the child as your own?”
“If Gina will let me.”
Arabella studied him a second before stepping aside. “She’s in the kitchen.” She reached for her coat. “Finn should be done by now, so I’m going home. Call if there’s any trouble.”
Arabella taking an interest in someone so soon was unusual. “What did Gina do to you?”
“Nothing.”
He gave her a skeptical look. Then the scent of the ham and potato bake wafted up from his takeaway bag, reminding him of his female needing to eat. “Go, then. I’ll keep her safe.”
“I hope you can, Fergus. I hope you can.”