Chapter Two: The Oldsmobile and the Perfect Ass

Kane slammed the door behind him and exhaled. His heart was thundering in his chest and his body felt as if it was on fire. Jesus Christ, he had never expected that…

After five hundred years of chastity and avoiding people, especially women, he had not been prepared to see such a gorgeous creature at his door. Those intelligent green eyes that looked up at him wide and bright, that pert pink mouth full of wicked promise, that huskier American voice, and Christ, those breasts straining against that tight blouse… She was a petite thing, probably less than five and a half feet tall, but her body was luscious he could tell. The kind he would devour to his heart's content. Thank God for the 21st century - the fact that women wore trousers now, especially jeans, was a gift from heaven. He didn't have to fantasize too hard about what that body would look like without clothes. He had a nice preview.

It had been far too long since he'd seen since such a beautiful woman, and Kane felt like a pathetic lad for the cock-stand he had sprouted just at the sight of her. His own jeans had hidden it relatively well but it had taken a moment to hide behind the door, furthering his embarrassment. Once upon a time he had been the one making ladies fall over themselves. Now he was the one panting like a young buck in heat.

Where on earth had she come from? That question reverberated across his mind as he made his way upstairs and finished dressing. It had been so long since he had had such a reaction to a woman. Some of the women in the town over the years had been comely, but he'd been resolute to avoid any after the curse. He knew he could never get close enough to one without her finding out what he was, and no woman would willingly sign up to be with such a monster. Iona, his former bride, had purposely punished him for his philandering and he didn't want to know what she would do if he were to slip up again. Therefore, it made much more sense to avoid women in general.

However, for a man of his appetites, that had never been easy. Especially when he transformed. He had always been a lusty lad, one that greatly appreciated the softness and beauty of women. Even now he could imagine taking that beautiful girl into his bed and wrapping her legs around his waist as he thrust into that delicious heat. Her moans were probably throaty and low, like her voice, and he wondered if she liked to hear filth in her ear as she got…

Kane shook himself, realizing he'd have to get himself in check or he'd be fighting blue balls for the rest of the day. He still had no idea how the lass had even ended up in Gealach Lán in the first place.

Iona had cursed his lands so that no one could find Gealach Lán. She had ensured that he and the land were tied there to eternity, forced to unite in a sort of unholy union. Sure enough, to this day no mail deliverers or solicitors, or even Amazon trucks came to the village. It wasn't on any map and visitors were rare unless they had taken every backwoods road they could find. Coming across Gealach Lán was like an accident. More and more strangers had started passing through as Scotland grew and the population became denser. But after the advent of cars, it was rare for someone to walk into the town and actually traipse in. The curse had made it so that the town took to new technologies very, very slowly. They had only started using electricity in the '80s and Kane was still loathing to install the so-called "internet." For that reason and many others, most of his people had left ages ago but for a few loyal families. Even their offspring had begun to leave more and more every generation. Now less than a hundred people still lived in Gealach Lán and all knew what he was.

Suddenly realizing something, Kane took a closer look at the tire rubbish in his bedroom. Christ Almighty… He had demolished her car. The townsfolk were smart enough to barricade themselves and their homes every full moon and must have sheltered her for that reason, but they would have totally forgotten about something as foreign and trivial as a car.

Shame pinched his gut and Kane groaned in embarrassment and horror. He had already humiliated himself in front of the first beautiful woman he'd come across in centuries and it wasn't even fucking ten o'clock in the morning.

That frustration gnawed at him still as he made his way through the castle and to the lower floor where the kitchens were. Outside was the small garage he had built about twenty years ago and the car he had finally begrudgingly bought. He couldn't even remember the last time he drove it and it showed. The car was probably older than the fine young lass that currently needed it. He'd gotten it when one of the townsfolk had died and their children had come to divvy up the estate. None of his children had wanted the 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, so Kane had decided to keep it for himself.

Pulling the overhead door up, he winced at the film of dust that coated the car like snow. The garage smelled like wet dog and he saw a few rodents scurry in fear from the sudden light.

"This is the car?"

The green-eyed beauty and Deidra had come upon the garage and the look on the lass' face was not one of pleasure.

Kane felt his cheeks heat. "Aye."

He watched as she walked towards the car cautiously, visibly weighing her options. The embarrassment he had felt, however, turned to lust again when he got more a glimpse at her figure. Christ, her ass is perfect. He quickly looked away when her gaze rose to meet his. For a moment, their eyes met.

"When was the last time you drove this?"

He shrugged for he honestly couldn't remember. "Five-six years ago?"

The look of incredulity on her face said enough. "Is there even gas in it?"

Fuck, he'd forgotten about gas.

"What am I going to do?" the lass exclaimed. "My God, I-I'm stuck here." She started pacing and though he felt immense guilt, Kane enjoyed watching her move.

The lass asked, "How far is the nearest town? Could I walk at all?"

The rain had let up but Kane knew the nearest town with a gas station was about 50 miles away. A few days' walk at least.

"Too far, lass," he heard himself say. He was responsible for destroying her car but he felt a strange desire to help her even further. A drive not dissimilar to his need to hunt during the full moon.

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to do? Just stay here forever?"

Deidra gave him an odd look and he felt that strange desire again. He knew that women in this time were not fond of being damsels in distress, but someone needed to save the girl.

"You can stay here."

____________________________________________________________________________

Jamie was trying to stave off the panic and disbelief that was threatening to take over her and stay in problem-solving mode. But facts and logic went out the window when she saw a busted piece of shit car from the '70s with no gas in it. That compounded when she heard the brooding Laird Murdock actually offer up his home.

"What?"

She felt like an idiot but the question had just come out of her.

Laird Murdock shifted on his feet but kept his arms crossed across his barrel chest. She could see the veins in his forearms bulge like he was some Navy SEAL or something. He stroked his beard and she watched the muscles of his bicep. Focus, Jamie!

"You can stay here at the castle," he grumbled. He didn't sound particularly jazzed about the idea. "I have plenty of rooms and we can take a few days to strategize."

"Donald's daughter is coming to visit in two weeks, actually," Deidra interjected. Jamie kept forgetting that the older woman was still there. "She could surely give you a ride back to Aberdeen."

"TWO WEEKS?!"

Jamie had never had a heart attack but she felt like she might know what it felt like in that moment.

"I can't stay here for two weeks! I-I have school and a job, and people will worry about me. They'll think I was murdered or something."

"If you try to walk from here to the nearest town on your own, you might be."

Laird Murdock's eyes were intense and hard like he was a scolding father reminding her that she had a curfew. She bristled.

"You know, I'm a grown woman. I can take care of myself."

"Obviously."

The sarcasm wasn't lost on her and she glared at him.

But his gaze didn't let up. She had the feeling that this Laird Murdock wasn't used to being challenged.

Funny, she tended to challenger everyone she met.

"How many miles is it to the nearest gas station? Guestimate?"

That gaze of his was still on her. "Fifty."

Fuck, that was far. An experienced athlete could do twenty miles a day after weeks and months of training, so she would probably be able to do ten to fifteen depending on the weather. But that meant it could take her almost a week. She'd need food, water, and how to actually get there. Plus, the walk back. She looked down at her shoes. Tennis shoes, but not the kind for walking fifty miles over rainy hills.

"By the time you get to the gas station and back, Donald's daughter will probably be here," Laird Murdock provided. "Might as well stay here and rest."

"I'm aware," Jamie bit out, momentarily feeling like an asshole. He was offering her a place to stay. For some reason, she didn't want him to be right.

But could she trust this stranger? This hulking man who lived in the middle-of-nowhere Scotland in a castle in a town tormented by some night monster? Her phone was dead, there was no way out, and she was positive that Laird Murdock himself also did not have some phone or computer that could connect her to the outside world. His car had proven that.

Worse, could she trust herself? Jamie had been involuntarily celibate for almost two years. Grad school had not been fruitful when the majority of her cohort were women. Tinder was a dystopian wasteland, especially near the university, and she and her ex had committed themselves to a clean split after he had decided to pursue law school instead of a life with her. Her avenues for romance had been Bridgerton and bad Netflix rom-coms. And this Laird Murdock was the sexiest man she had ever met bar none. He was a bit of an ass and she didn't like his cocky, self-assured attitude, but he was like walking sex with his strong jaw, muscular arms, and tall build. Plus, she had gotten the feeling that the attraction was mutual despite his prickly demeanor. She had thought she had seen some appreciation from him when they had first met, but she was one hundred percent positive when she saw him ogling her ass like it was for sale. If he beckoned her with a finger, Jamie knew she'd melt like horny, desperate butter.

She could stay with Deidra but the reminder of that horrid cot made her back hurt just thinking about it. It would be nice to sleep in an actual bed, take a hot shower, and have some of her own space. A castle this size would have plenty of that. And at the end of the day, did she have much of a choice?

"Well, thank you, then," Jamie sighed. "I guess that's all I can do right now. Thank you, Mr. Murdock."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I prefer Laird Murdoch, Ms…?"

The fight to not roll her eyes was difficult. "Campbell. Jamie Campbell."

____________________________________________________________________________

Kane watched this Jamie Campbell very closely as he showed her one of the many spare rooms he had available. He had heard over the years that many of his countrymen had emigrated to America, but he had still been surprised to hear such a Scottish name, and a Highlander one at that. But the more he drank her in the more he could see her in a wool gown with her long hair braided as the harsh North Sea winds whipped it back and forth. She looked like a woman he would have spotted at a dance and decided then and there that he would have her. The graceful move of her hips. The milky skin. The smattering of freckles lightly dusting her nose. The perfect ass…

Kane shook himself for the twentieth time that day and tried to focus. His new guest was perusing the stone-walled chamber and its ancient bed, something one of the few maids left had updated sometime in the late 19th century. He could tell from the apprehensive look in her eyes that she was questioning her decision to stay, rethinking the long fifty-mile walk to the nearest village.

He was surprised at how bold and opinionated a lass she was. He'd come to understand that women were much freer and independent in this day and age, but her assertiveness was… off-putting. He had never met such an outspoken woman, especially one her age. In fact, he could have sworn that he heard her curse as well. She had reminded him of the filly his father had given him when he was just a lad: strong-willed.

"Is there a restroom?" she asked after surreptitiously wiping a finger against the bed coverlet.

"Down the hall," he grumbled. It was a good idea that the servants had insisted on indoor plumbing a few decades ago.

"You wouldn't happen to have any extra clothes, would you?"

"There's a shop in town actually. They should have what you need."

When he saw the look on her face, he added, "Don't worry about the expense. I'll pay for all your needs."

He was responsible for her car after all.

He could swear that he saw her face soften a little. "Thank you, Mr… I mean, Laird Murdoch." The tiny raise of her eyebrow intrigued him.

She was… sassy.

They stood there for a moment, measuring each other.

"If there is anything you need, you just have to ask," he finally said.

"I appreciate that," she conceded and their eyes met again, hers sparkling with an appreciation he hadn't seen in a long time. "Very chivalrous."

He knew the lass was also interested, at least physically. It had been a few centuries but he could still remember the look of a woman who liked what she saw. She hid it well but he had caught her eyes taking the length of him, focusing on his arms and his shoulders, sometimes even his ass. Aye, she liked what she saw just as much as he did.

"I do need to get back to the car, actually," she spoke. "There is something in there I left that whatever that thing is didn't tear up."

Kane internally winced at the mention of "whatever that thing is." "What's that then?"

She lifted her hands. "The whole reason I was out here in the first place. I was trying to find Gealach Lán, some mysterious village that apparently disappeared five hundred years ago."

Kane froze, realizing that the lass had no idea that she was in Gealach Lán. The Campbell girl was more clever than he had thought. Iona had made sure no one could find the village after the curse, but she couldn't have stopped others from writing about the sudden disappearance of the Murdock lands. Who would have thought that a young American would have found it five centuries later purely by happenstance?

"Why were you looking for Gealach Lán?" he asked.

"My thesis." She gave a small chuckle. "I came to Scotland to try and see if I could find some inspiration for my Masters. I came across this old, leathered book about Scottish folklore and history and in it was this tale of a Highland village that just fell off the map one day. There were all types of rumors and theories about what happened to it and I thought I could somehow contribute, I don't know." She looked down at her feet. "Seems pretty stupid now."

An adventurer then, Kane mused. He had not met a lot of women who were scholarly or interested in pursuing such matters.

"And you came looking for it on your own?"

He thought it was an important question but she merely shrugged. "My advisor didn't think much of it, so I decided to strike out on my own." She looked around the room as she added, "He might have been right."

Kane wondered how much he should tell this brash but rather courageous girl. He admired her tenacity despite his annoyance at her stubbornness. She was no fragile thing, that was for sure. And he had always liked fire in his women… But telling her that she had already found Gealach Lán would lead to a dozen other questions, all of which he was not ready to answer. Jamie was clearly smart. Even if he didn't spell out that he was the reason for her stranding, she'd guess the truth eventually. Then she'd want nothing to do with him. It was probably better that way, but Kane couldn't deny that he wanted to get to know the girl more. Maybe it was boredom or perhaps even just lust, but he wanted to see if he could learn just a little bit more about this Jamie Campbell.

When she tried to hide a yawn, he said, "I'll give you some privacy. I'm sure you're tired after all of the events."

"You mean being stranded in some small, weird village without a car? No, totally normal day for me."

"I haven't met a lot of women who use so much sarcasm," he admitted.

She gave him a cheeky smile that made his cock harden. "Well, you just happened to meet one who's fluent."