Fergus closed the distance between them and lightly ran his finger down her cheek. “Most of my clan acts like my family does. If you want to fit in here, you need to stand your ground.”
“Right, and next you’re going to tell me that you kept pushing my buttons on purpose to train me?”
Fergus winked. “But of course.”
As they stared at one another, Gina couldn’t help but smile. “So does that mean I can use you as my punching bag for self-defense practice, too? I’m sure you want me to be prepared against an attack as well.”
Fergus’s voice was husky as he answered, “We’ll see, lass. You’ve tricked me once, but now you’ve lost the element of surprise. You’ll have to show the rest of your abilities. A little one-on-one should do it. I look forward to pinning you in place.”
At face value, Fergus’s words were harmless. But the deepness of his voice implied more than sparring and she shivered.
Thankfully, she was saved by Aunt Lorna. “If you’re quite done, lad, I’d like to explain about the other people in the room. Unless you’d like to do it?”
Fergus looked to his mother. “Aye, I’ll tell Gina about Ara and Ross. Can you give us a second, Mum? Holly?”
The two dragonwomen shared another look before they were gone.
Gina was alone again with Fergus.
Fergus raised one arm up. “Come here, lass. I heard you were a wee bit cold. I have more than enough heat for the both of us.”
Remembering his warmth from earlier, Gina went without another thought. As soon as Fergus wrapped his arms around her, Gina sighed. Whether she liked it or not, Fergus was fast becoming her safe haven in the middle of the Scottish Highlands.
Chapter Eight
The instant Gina rushed into Fergus’s arms, possessiveness coursed through his body and his dragon spoke up. We should take her upstairs and kiss her again.
Not now, dragon. She needs something to eat.
We can bring her something upstairs.
Fergus was tempted to keep Gina all to himself, but that wouldn’t be fair to the lass. No. Arabella’s waiting and I’m sure Gina has a lot of questions about being pregnant with a dragon-shifter baby. Arabella can help.
His beast huffed. Only because I like Ara will I hold back for now. But make sure Gina is sleeping with us tonight.
I’m not going to jump her the first night on our land.
Now who’s the randy one? I just want to hold her.
Gina’s voice interrupted his reply. “So tell me about this Ara person. Is she important?”
He couldn’t resist rubbing up and down Gina’s arm. Thankfully the lass didn’t tell him to stop. “Aye, she’s Finn’s mate. I don’t know if they showed the interview with Jane Hartley and Arabella MacLeod on American TV or not. If they did, she was the scarred dragonwoman who talked about her torture at the hands of dragon hunters.”
“I remember watching the video online. I thought she was with Clan Stonefire?”
“She was, but then Finn’s dragon wanted her. The rest is history.”
Gina looked up and met his gaze. “So if someone’s dragon wants another, they pretty much don’t have a hope of escaping?”
He stilled his hand. “I wouldn’t put it that way. A female can reject a male if they wish. It’s just harder for a male to move on if the female is his true mate.”
“And what about female dragon-shifters? They are oblivious to all of it?”
An accent different from Fergus and the other MacKenzies filled the air. “Of course not. But I like to think we’re a bit more restrained.”
Arabella MacLeod stood a few feet away. Fergus snorted. “Aye, so I imagine you and Finn are talking about computer code and security threats when you disappear into your cottage and tell us to stay away?”
Arabella raised an eyebrow. “It’s more like we need a break from you lot.”