Her responding smile was warm. ‘It’s okay. You’re bound to be feeling a little stressed. All you can do is see what he says.’
Without another word, I bent and lowered my face to hers, gently brushing her lips with mine. The feel of her mouth yielding to me confirmed that I hadn’t offended her with my outburst, and relief spread through my veins, warming my heart. She was special. I could feel it soul-deep, but it was too soon to tell her so. She’d think I was bat-shit crazy. But the awareness was there all the same. I would bide my time. Take it slow. I couldn’t afford to scare her away.
We began walking hand in hand again, and much to my disappointment, we arrived at her home rather too soon. I glanced up at the door and then back at Star, where she stood before me.
‘I’d invite you in but...’
‘It’s okay, Star. I totally understand. I have a long way to go to get you to trust me again.’
She gazed up at me with those beautiful big brown eyes of hers, and I tried hard to read her mind.
Her delicious mouth tilted up at the corners. ‘I think you’re doing well so far. Thank you for a lovely evening.’
Without thinking, I pulled her into my arms and pressed her against me. I found her mouth with my own and kissed her with all the urgency I was feeling. Her hands slipped up my arms until she grasped at the straggly strands of hair at my nape, kissing me back with just as much fervour. I was becoming addicted to the taste of her kiss. In fact, I was already there.
I wanted her. I wanted to stay the night and keep talking, keep kissing. But this wasn’t just about sex. It was more. It was about beingwithher.
She pulled away, her breathing ragged and her eyes wide. ‘I... I should go. If I don’t, I’m going to invite you in and I really need tonotdo that. Not tonight.’
Smiling down at her, I was relieved I was affecting her the way she was affecting me. My heart pounded in my chest and I wondered if she knew what she was doing to me; how she was under my skin already.
‘When can I see you again?’ My voice sounded husky.
She smiled shyly again. ‘Soon. Maybe we could meet in a few days? Wednesday maybe? We could go to DeBasement.’ She tilted her head to the side.
The glint in her eyes was irresistible, and the words, ‘Okay, sounds great,’ fell from my mouth before I had really thought them through.Oh, well. Too late to back out now.‘Can I pick you up again? Say around eight?’
‘That’d be great. Um... would you like my number just in case something comes up?’
‘Oh, yes, good idea.’ I bit the inside of my cheek in the hope it would halt my over-enthusiasm. I took my phone out and she reeled off her number for me. I immediately texted her so my number would appear in her phone too.
‘Thanks again, Fin, it’s been lovely. I’ll see you Wednesday.’ She kissed my cheek then unlocked and opened her door.
‘Goodnight, Star,’ I said softly, just before she stepped inside.
Once her door was closed again, I set off back home, my thoughts flitting between the gorgeous girl I’d just left and the bizarre call from McKendrick. What the hell could he possibly want with me? To say I was intrigued would have been a major understatement. But I would find out soon enough.
I resolved to put thoughts of my father’s enemy to the back of my mind in favour of the more desirable thoughts of Star Mendoza. My American girl. How could I have been so stupid when I almost lost her from my life? I was so bloody lucky she had been willing to give me a second chance. I would have to make sure not to mess it up this time.
18
Fin
I awoke at eight the following morning after dreaming about an intriguing, pink-haired American girl. I climbed out of bed, remembering I had a meeting to attend at eleven with Alasdair McKendrick.What the hell could he possibly want from me?Curiosity still niggled at the back of my mind as I turned on the shower and let the bathroom fill with steam before stepping under the cascade of muscle-melting hot water.
Once I was showered I stood before my bathroom mirror and assessed my less than clean-cut appearance.Should I shave? Should I try to tame my shaggy hair?I decided that I shouldn’t. It’s not like I was going for a job interview. So he needed my help, but I wasn’t even sure I wanted to help him yet. I compromised by dressing smartly in my grey suit trousers and black shirt, and after burning the first lot of toast I put in, I sat down on the couch and flicked on the news. The opening story was about the first public appearance of the newest baby to be born into the royal family, funnily enough to an American woman and British man, but the next story had me almost choking on my breakfast.
There he stood, Campbell Hunter, mydearfather, with a big cheesy grin on his face as he announced to the world that, ‘Economic advancement had prevailed over sentimentality’ for the major multi-million-Euro-wielding conglomerate who had just won the right to knock down a street of beautiful old cottages at Inveresk—where my brother lived and had his GP practice—in favour of a crass new shopping centre. It was a case I had worked on prior to my rapid extrication from my job, and I loathed myself for having any part in it. The proposed development had been a huge bone of contention between Callum and Dad, and had caused me and Callum to stop speaking for a while because he knew I too was against it and he was angry that I wouldn’t speak up back then. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. Callum had wholeheartedly supported the poor people who owned the cottages had fought tooth and nail with them against the compulsory purchase order, so they could hold on to their beloved homes—homes that, in some cases, had been in their families for generations—but clearly my father’s powers had won out.
Again.
With a gut-wrenching determination, I grabbed my laptop and began to research McKendrick Law. The last thing I wanted was to jump out of the frying pan into the furnace. If I was going to meet McKendrick to discover what his proposal entailed then I had to be prepared. And knowledgeispower, after all.
* * *
At eleven sharp, I was shown through the lavish lobby of the Balmoral Hotel in the city centre, and into a curved, white room with high ceilings, palm trees, and plush furnishings. I had been to dinner at the Balmoral before, but this particular room was new to me. Immediately I wanted to bring Star and made a mental note to book it.
Alasdair McKendrick stood as I approached. I knew of him already and had met him on a couple of official occasions, but not socially. He wore a slate grey suit, pale blue shirt, and a bold red, blue and green tartan tie.
