If she craved him, Phelan yearned for the thrill of the wind on his face and the next conquest in his bed. She should be offended, but instead she found she admired him.
Deirdre had taken him and released his god. He could have given in and became evil, but Phelan persevered and won control over his god.
That’s what made him different from Jason. The Warriors could have taken over the world. Instead, they were defending it.
Phelan embraced each day, living life to the fullest while she hid in her memories and pain. It was too bad she hadn’t met Phelan before Jason had come for her.
Maybe then she’d have been strong enough to tell Jason to bugger off.
Then again, Jason never took no for an answer.
CHAPTER
TEN
Phelan turned off the paved road onto a back road. He kept the speed down mostly because he quite liked how Aisley’s arms hugged him.
The first time he took a turn and her hands flexed against his stomach, he knew she wasn’t the adrenaline junkie he was.
With her body plastered against his back, Phelan could think of nothing but divesting her of her clothes and touching every lovely inch of her.
He knew she had an amazing body—her tight clothes revealed a lot as she danced—but he longed to see her naked. Her mocha-colored skin begged to be caressed.
Phelan slowed the Ducati as he neared the loch. Even over the bike’s engine he heard Aisley’s sharp intake of breath when she caught a glimpse of the water.
He stopped and turned off the motor, simply staring at the sight that had stunned him from the first moment he saw it four centuries earlier and every time he visited since.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aisley pull off the helmet and run a hand through her midnight hair. Her lips were parted slightly, and her eyes took in everything.
He couldn’t hold back the grin. It was a magnificent sight with the trees surrounding the loch and the mountains rising up in the distance.
“I think I could stand here and look at this forever,” Aisley whispered.
Phelan grinned at her. “Aye. That’s how I felt when I first saw this place.”
“Where are we?”
“My home.”
She raised a black brow. “Your home?”
“Aye,” he answered with a chuckle. “Did you think a Warrior couldna have a home?”
Aisley shrugged, but she looked away hastily, causing Phelan to frown. She had almost said something, but he wouldn’t push her.
“Is this where you grew up?” Aisley asked.
Phelan rested a hand on the handlebars and tried to pull up any memories he had of his parents. “Nay,” he finally answered.
“It’s beautiful and peaceful. And so quiet.”
“A good place to escape for a while.”
She cut her eyes to him. “Is that what you do when you come here? Escape?”
“Oh, aye. No one knows of this place. No one.”
“Do you trust so few people?”
He contemplated her words, wondering why he’d never told Charon. “No one ever asked, and I didna volunteer the information.”
“Your own private haven. I’m jealous.”
“It’s your private haven as well.”
Her fawn-colored eyes turned to him. He spotted the uncertainty and trepidation in her gaze. She had said he didn’t trust, but she was the one who didn’t trust anyone. Aisley had secrets aplenty, and he worried there wouldn’t be enough time to get her to share them all.
Because he had a distinct feeling Aisley didn’t plan on staying for long.
“Maybe it’s not a good idea for you to take me to your home.”
Phelan drew in a deep breath. “Why?”
“It’s private. No one even knew you had such a place. Now I do. Aren’t you worried I might tell someone?”
“It doesna matter if you do.”
“What about me intruding on space that was yours alone?”
“I wouldna be bringing you if I didna want you there.”
“Still. I think we should go somewhere else. To keep your place private.”
Phelan turned to better see her. “What are you no’ telling me, beauty?”
“A lot,” she admitted. “A terrible lot, Phelan. Don’t bring me to your house. You’ll regret it. Trust me.”
“It’s just a structure. Nothing more.”
“Not true. It’s your sanctuary. No,” she said when he started to interrupt her. “If you didn’t care who knew about it, others would. You admitted no one else did. Don’t ruin that now.”
Phelan straightened. He was irritated at her rationale, mostly because he knew she was right. It hadn’t been a whim that made him bring her here. He wanted her to see it. He just wasn’t sure why. “Put the damn helmet on.”
Just as she took a breath to argue, he started the Ducati and revved it. He glanced over his shoulder to see her quickly put on the helmet and buckle it.
She was a contradiction. One minute he wanted to protect her, and the other he wanted to throttle her. She was ridiculously stubborn, astonishingly beautiful, and grievously broken.
With any other woman, Phelan would bring her to bed, give her a night of pleasure, and leave before she woke. But with Aisley, he wanted to do more.
The crux of the matter was that he didn’t know what to do. His only option for the moment was to keep her safe and gain her trust.
As soon as Aisley’s arms wrapped around him, Phelan continued on the barely discernable dirt road. After a ten-minute drive that took them around the loch, Phelan caught a glimpse of his home.
* * *
Aisley was prepared to continue arguing with Phelan about taking her to his home while she ogled the forest around her. Heavy clouds rolled in, but not even that could dampen the stunning scenery around her.
She was so absorbed in the forest that when Phelan stopped the motorbike it took her a moment to see the house. It wasn’t huge, but it was quaint and fit into the landscape perfectly.
Phelan shut off the Ducati and put his hands on his legs while his feet balanced the bike. She watched the pleased look come over his face, the small smile that told her he loved this place.
And she would ruin it by telling him who she was.
No. She refused to do it here. She’d find a way to leave and let him follow her. But there’s no way she could let him kill her in his own home, a home he cherished. It was too cruel.
Aisley got off the bike and removed the helmet as she took in the house. It had a steep roof with a chimney sticking up through the far side of the roof. A porch extended off the front of the house and faced the loch that was only twenty feet from it.
There were roses, pansies, bluebells, and violas planted in a glorious array of color around the house and porch. A path led from the parking area on the side of the house around to the porch.
Aisley looked at Phelan, and he gave her a nod to tell her it was all right to go look. With his helmet still in hand, Aisley followed the path to the steps leading to the porch. Then, she turned and looked at the loch.
