Tit for Tat Baby (4 page)

“Yes, Director and I’d appreciate you
reviewing it and comment on my time analysis.”

“Of course. I expect a weekly phone
call on your progress.”

“As always, Director.”

She ended the call and sat unmoving
for a moment then she screamed in frustration.  Ronan skidded to a halt a
few moments later with a large piece of wood in his hand, waving it around
wildly.

“What’s the matter, Lassie?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Ronan! I did not mean
to startle you.  I just had to get rid of some frustrations.”

“Och, now Lassie ye will give an auld
man a hea’t attack!  I thought the Vikin’s we’e attakin’!”

“The Vikings?  No, I think we’re
still safe from them.  Here is the list of the additional things I need.”

“Good. I will see te it right awey.”

Jenna sank down on the floor and
dropped her head on her drawn up knees. How could her father do this to
her?  He did not even think of another solution.  He just … he just
threw her into the lions’ den!

“So, little painter girl, are you on
your way?”

She clamped her legs tighter and
clenched her teeth.  She lifted her head and put her chin on her knees and
scowled at him. 

“I’m afraid your little scheme
backfired, oh high and mighty Callum McGregor!  The Director offered to
pack up my whole house and have it delivered here!”

His eyes became shuttered and they
glittered like the gem they represent.  He pushed his hands in his pants
pockets and looked at her down his aquiline nose. He stiffened when she rose
and he cursed.  She wore the tiniest pair of damn denim shorts he has ever
seen, with a short, white loose tank top that left her arms and midriff
bare.  He was relatively sure she was braless beneath that top.  She
walked closer to him and watched him watch her.  Her hips swung
seductively and her small bare feet stopped when she was abreast of him. 
She lifted her eyebrows and widened her eyes.

“So, I guess I am your new housemate
for the next two years, McGregor. Ain’t that just peachy?”

Then the damn little painter girl got
on her toes, took his face between her hands, pulled his head down and kissed
him sensually smack on his lips, turned and sauntered out of the room.  He
stood frozen, his shaft throbbing like a raging fire inside his pants.

Suddenly his thoughts took a totally
different direction than that of a little girl.  She needed to be taught
that actions such as those would lead to her burning her fingers … all ten of
them!

Callum
made sure he left at dawn and returned late at night for the rest of the
week.  By Saturday morning he was feeling more his usual self.  He
made a conscious decision that he was not going to allow a little snip of a
girl to chase him out of his own home.

He went for his usual jog down the hill
and circled the house and returned through the forest from the side.  He
did not actually jog, he ran. By the time he entered the forest he had taken
off his tee-shirt and tied it around his waist.  His body was covered with
a sheen of sweat and his body was energized by the run.

He broke through the thick patch of
trees into the lesser bushy part and followed the hiking trail back to the
house.  He rounded a curve and cursed.  A few feet in front of him
was the little painter girl.  Once again in a tiny pair of shorts – these
were loose, but came together high on her hips on the sides, which left those
beautiful legs totally bared.  She wore a tight top, which had thin straps
over her shoulder and left most of her torso bared as well.

Does this damn girl own any clothes
that covers her body at all?

Running as fast as he did, he caught
up with her in no time, but he ignored her and ran past her down the hill.

Jenna nearly died of fright when he
ran past her so fast.  Then she nearly passed out from a shortage of
oxygen in her lungs.  The man was just too damn sexy to be allowed running
around in a pair of running shorts, his toned and muscled body shiny and sweaty
from his run.  She was having serious problems containing her libido when
he was near. 

One of these days I am going to jump
his damn bones!  See if I don’t!  Dad did say I must prove to him I
am not a girl.  And one should listen to your parents!  Thanks Dad!

By the time she arrived back at the
castle she was just as sweaty and hot.  She jogged directly to the pool’s
edge, kicked her running shoes off and with a twirl in the air, plonked in the
pool on her back.  She sank to the bottom and then kicked to the
surface.  She   floated lazily on her back with her eyes close.
The water cooled her down quickly and soothed her tired muscles.

The next moment something hit her on
her stomach and she nearly swallowed the whole pool in fright.  She pushed
upright and grabbed her running shoe just as it started to sink. 

“What the de …”

She swung around and there in his full
glory, stood the master of the castle with his fists on his hips, dressed in
cargo shorts and a white shirt.  He was barefoot and looked annoyed.

“My running shoe!  Really? 
You couldn’t just have called me?”

“Breakfast is ready.  Hurry up
little painter girl.  I don’t like to wait.”

He turned and sauntered back towards
the castle.

“Well, don’t bother!  I will eat
later.”

He turned around and scowled at her.

“And inconvenience my staff in the process? 
Get out and get dressed, little girl. I want your progress report over
breakfast.”

“I put it on your desk yesterday.”

“I’d rather you tell me.”

He climbed the stairs.

“Don’t make me wait any longer than I
need to, Miss Burkes.  It will only annoy me further.”

She snorted, but swam to the edge and
got out of the pool.  She dried herself with one of the towels on the deck
chairs and ran up to her room.

“It will only annoy me further!” 
She mimicked as she went up the stairs and snorted again.  “Seems to me
you are permanently annoyed, McGregor!”

“Did you say something, Miss Burkes?”

She skidded to a halt at the top of
the stairs and cursed, annoyed with herself that she did not notice him leaning
over the balustrade at the top of the stairs. She looked at him with wide
innocent eyes and shook her head.

“No, not a word!  Except maybe
…” 

She took the two steps that separated
them and leaned down to kiss him on his mouth.

“Morning Honeybuns.”

And walked as quickly as she could
without running to her room.  He caught her just as she reached towards
the doorknob.

He spun her around and pressed her
hard against the wall with his muscled body.  Her breath got caught in her
throat and she looked into his eyes.  His green eyes shot fireballs at
her.  His one hand closed around her waist and the other around her
throat.  He pushed her higher against the wall with his hand around her
waist and she gasped as her feet left the floor.

The hand around her throat tightened
slightly, but only to force her face up to his.  He leaned closer and his
breath was hot against her lips.

“Pay close attention this time, little
painter girl.  Be careful what you wish for.  Your fingers will get
burnt!”

Then his lips closed over hers and his
tongue immediately speared past her lips to take sensual possession of her
mouth.  The way he explored every inch of the inside of her mouth with his
tongue set her whole body on fire.  She moaned softly and the kiss
hardened, turned wild in the way his tongue took possession of hers, the way he
sucked it into his and demanded immediate submission from hers.  When her
lips curled against his and her tongue tangled and sucked just as sensually
from his mouth, the kiss became passionate and erotic. Jenna pressed her legs
together tightly, desperate to calm her quivering core, but still felt the
liquid heat slithering past her sheath lips.

He pressed his hips against her,
forcing his hips between her legs. He lifted her slightly higher and pressed
his hard arousal against the apex between her legs. She gasped in fright at the
size of it and then mewled when he rotated the large ridge directly against her
clit.

He lifted his head and looked into her
eyes.  His eyelids were shuttered and his eyes still glittered like shards
of ice.

“I am not going to warn you again, so
heed me, well.  Next time … you will burn!”

He stepped back and just released her
waist and throat. She dropped to the floor.  He didn’t even glance at her
and stormed away.  Her legs were so weak she nearly crumbled to the
floor.  She leaned weakly against the wall, her clit and core pulsing in
desperate need.  She took deep breaths and managed to stumble into her
room and fell on the bed.

Oh
Lord. I am in serious trouble!  This man will more than make me scream …
he will easily make me beg for it!

Callum
stormed down the stairs and into his study.  He slammed the door shut and
stomped back and forth in front of his desk, furious with himself.  How
the devil did he allow the little snip to entice him to lose control and kiss
her?  He was not someone to allow his desires to ever take hold of him in
such an overwhelming way.  She was too young!  She could in fact be
his daughter for that matter! 

It took him another twenty minutes to
calm his anger before he trusted himself to face her again.  She was
already sitting at the table on the back porch where breakfast was served
sipping on a cup of coffee.  She made a point of ignoring him when he took
his seat at the head of the table.

Good!  Hopefully she got the
fright of her life!

Emily, the housekeeper, arrived with a
full English hot breakfast dished up for each of them.  She poured
Callum’s coffee and filled up Jenna’s.

They ate in silence for a while. 
Jenna flicked a glance in Callum’s direction.  His face was expressionless
and he ignored her.  Drat the man!  He sat there as if he did not
kiss her to a cinder and grind his massive, hard shaft against her barely
thirty minutes ago.  She snorted in her mind.  With his looks, it was
probably something he did so often, who he did it to, did not matter!

Just thinking of the kiss, put her
insides to quiver and her core throbbing. 

“Anytime soon will suffice, Miss
Burkes.”

She sighed and looked at him. 
His face remained expressionless.

“I would prefer you use my name. 
The way you say Miss Burkes makes me feel like a spinster!  My name is
Jenna!”

His eyebrows just shot closer to his
hairline and he waited.  She growled and felt like throwing him with her
plate.  He was so infuriating.

“Everything is now in place and the
workshop is set up.  Thank you for arranging everything I asked for, by
the way.  On the report I indicated priorities based on the condition of
each piece and how long it would take to work on each one.  If you would
rather I start with something different, I would appreciate you telling me
before Monday.  I’d like to start with the cleaning and restoring process
then.”

He nodded, his eyes still on
her.  He noticed that this time she at least wore a sundress that covered
her from chest to knee.  Albeit the top was tight before it flared from
her hips.  Her breasts strained against the material and the rounded
mounds were bared to his eyes.  His lips tightened, knowing she was
braless beneath the dress once again. 

She frowned noticing him staring at
her.

“What?  Have I grown horns or
something?”

He dutifully looked at the top of her
head and she simmered.

“Not that I can see.  Tell me,
little painter girl, where ha …”

“I. Am. Not. A. Little. Girl!” 
She pushed her chair back and rose gesturing to her breasts.  “In case you
have not noticed, I have all the parts of a woman and I can assure you, they
are all in full working condition!”

She turned and stormed to the door
where she swung around and flung with further irritation.

“Just let me know if you require a
full demonstration!”

Even
though she was wearing flops, she stomped so hard down the passage he could
hear her feet flapping on the floor. He chuckled.  A demonstration
indeed.  Would be interesting to see her reaction should he demand
one.  Maybe … he shook his head.  She might have a full female body,
but that does not increase her age!  She was still fifteen or sixteen
years younger than him at the very least.

Offering
the man a demonstration!  Are you totally demented Jenna!  He just
scared the hell out of you with the size of his … erection and here you go and
sass him again!

She ignored the voice in her
head.  It was not her fault the man was such a jerk. He just managed to bring
out the worst in her all the time.  She should really guard her mouth!