Lingerie Wars (Invertary 1)

He nodded grimly.

“Fergus,” he shouted. “Deal with the fire.”

Kirsty’s eyes were glued to the flames. It was the one thing she feared. She was losing everything. Her heart stopped dead for a second. And then she turned her back on the shop. She turned and she ran.

She ran towards what really mattered.

She ran to Lake.

Rainne snuggled in closer to Alastair. He pulled her tight to him as she draped her arm over his warm body.

“It sounds like a street party,” he said sleepily. “Maybe there’s fireworks. I heard that there might be some.”

“There’s enough fireworks in here for me,” Rainne mumbled against him.

The vibrations from his chuckle rumbled through her body, making her smile.

“One year, the guy doing the fireworks bought some really dodgy Chinese ones. The kind that blow off arms and legs. They’re illegal now, I think. He sailed out in his wee boat into the loch with the intention of staging a display over the water. The boat was too small and the first rocket was too strong. When it went off, it sent him flying out of the boat—but not before he’d set light to the next one. The whole load went up at the same time. Blew his boat to smithereens. He swam ashore. He was practically blue from the cold and seriously cheesed off about his boat. The town never left him in charge of the fireworks again.”

Rainne smiled against his skin before turning her face to kiss his chest. Bliss. Lying in the soft light, listening to Alastair. It was perfect. Slowly, she ran her hand down his stomach, trailing fingers over tightly corded muscles. He caught her wrist before her hand strayed too low. Rainne grumbled and he laughed.

“I’m worn out, lass,” he told her. “Give me a minute.”

“How is that possible?” Rainne demanded as she propped herself up on an elbow to look into his beautiful brown eyes. “You’re in your sexual prime. You’re supposed to be able to go non-stop for days.”

“Sexual prime?” he said as his eyebrows arched sceptically.

“Yes,” Rainne said primly. “I read about it. Men peak around eighteen. So technically, you’re past it already.” She smiled sweetly. “Maybe that’s why you can’t keep up.”

He flipped her onto her back and pinned her in place.

“You cheeky wee thing,” he told her. “And when do women peak, exactly?”

“Thirty-five,” she said. “I have years of stamina, desire and ability ahead of me. You, on the other hand, are stuffed. It’s all downhill for you from here on in.”

Alastair laughed as he shook his head.

“You have no idea what stamina is, Rainbow,” he told her in mock seriousness.

“No?” she said with a smile.

“I think I may have to show you,” he said before he leaned over to kiss the hollow in her neck, which make her head swim. “I feel I have a point to prove here,” he said as he kissed her lips softly. “I think you need to learn that there’s nothing at all wrong with my sexual peak.”

Rainne giggled as she writhed against him.

“I can feel your sexual peak,” she told him. “And I’m not convinced.”

“Wretched lass,” he said as he captured her mouth with his.

Soon his kisses took Rainne far away. She clung to him, feeling the promise of a future in every touch, and was lost in him.

When Alastair had finished proving his point, Rainne lay wrapped in his arms. The silence and darkness conspired to become a blanket around her. She felt safe from tomorrow in her cocoon with Alastair. But sadly, tomorrow would come. And there were decisions to make.

“I can hear you thinking,” Alastair teased. “Good things?”

She could hear the sleep in his voice.

“Absolutely,” she lied.