“A group of us are thinking of going to The Living Room. This event is a bit boring. Do you two want to come?”
I was vaguely aware of Darren’s question. My thoughts were still tangled around my encounter at the bar.
“Hello. Earth to Lia,” Stephanie sang out. “Do you want to come out with us? Or would you rather go back to the suite and catch up on your beauty sleep?”
“Where are you guys going?”
“The Living Room. It’s a trendy lounge and nightclub. Right up your alley. Fancy cocktails and all that,” Darren said.
“Um, sure. Why not. I have to kick this exhaustion at some point, right?” I kept scanning the room for the nameless, stumble-rescuing, aesthetically pleasing Knight In Shining Armani. He seemed to have disappeared. To say I was sad was beyond an understatement.
Darren escorted us out to our waiting Land Rover. It was still parked behind the gray Mercedes SUV I almost fell onto earlier. The blonde girl from the bathroom was standing next to it. She looked annoyed but brightened when she saw Darren.
“Hi, Mac. I was hoping to bump into you tonight.”
“Hey, Sarah. Lovely to see you,” he addressed her politely, and then turned to us. ”Stephanie, Lia, this is Sarah Everett. She’s the vice president at my agency.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” she smiled. “Lia, you’re the girl I met earlier, right? Nice to see you again.”
She fixed her gaze on Darren.
“Where are you all off to?”
“Out for a quick bevvie. We’re trying to help Lia overcome jet lag by keeping her out as late as possible.” Darren slung his arm around my shoulders and grinned. “Waiting for someone?”
“Aren’t I always? Have you—”
“Good evening, Miss Everett.” A well-dressed man walked over to us from the Mercedes. I assumed he was the driver but his imposing frame made me think he could easily pass for a bodyguard. He smiled at me before continuing to address Sarah. “Sorry you’ve been waiting for so long, but he’s still tied up with some clients. He says to call him at the office on Monday if you’d like to discuss the marketing plan regarding the new acquisitions.”
Sarah’s face fell. “Oh. Alright. Thank you, Paxton.” She glanced at us, waved and walked off.
“Good to see you, Mr. MacCourty.” He shook hands with Darren.
“Ah, stop with the formalities, Pax. My dad is Mr. MacCourty.”
“Fair enough,” he laughed. “Have a good night.”
As he retreated back to his car, Darren opened the rear passenger door of the Land Rover for us to climb in. I yawned for the zillionth time.
“You sure you’re up for this Lia? We can go back to the hotel.” Stephanie half looked at me while fixing her hair in the rear view mirror.
“I’ll be alright. Another hour or so and … ”
Noticing the tall toned figure of a man, I shut up abruptly. Walking at a fast clip, he slipped through the crowd on the sidewalk like a ghost and climbed into the Mercedes. It was my handsome mystery guy.
CHAPTER TWO
Kanye West kept trying to convince me that what doesn’t kill me, would make me stronger as I jogged along the streets of Glasgow on Saturday morning. It was by no stretch of the imagination a warm April day. A chill hung in the air, wrapping its frozen fingers around the city. It reminded me of the brisk spring mornings in Connecticut, where I grew up. I inhaled the frosty air, daring it to freeze out my lungs as I ran. It was a good way to keep myself honest, seeing as I’d been living in the sweltering heat of Florida for five years. One could get very used to the luxury of warm weather all the time.
Our hotel had a gym, but I preferred the outdoors. I loved to run. It was something I picked up in college as a stress reliever during midterms. Other kids drank; I ran. I often wished I could run right out of my skin sometimes. The escape was wonderful.
Some of my favorite moments were spent running along Cocoa Beach early on a summer morning. But that was with him. Thinking about those days brought back a flood of memories that I tried not to dwell upon. When things were good, they were great. Then it all went down in flames. I swallowed hard against the sandpapery lump that fought its way up my throat. I packaged the memories and shoved them to the back of my mind.
I jogged for a little more than a half mile before I came upon a clearing. A huge manicured field stretched out to my left. About seven or eight young boys were playing soccer on one end. A flurry of activity at the far end caught my attention, so I slowed my pace to a brisk walk.
A group of guys was playing rugby. I’d never actually seen the game played in person before, so I walked to the edge of the field. But it was just my luck that the match had ended. The guys all clapped one another on the back and chatted amongst themselves as they grabbed their gym bags. As I got closer, one of them looked right at me. The force of his stare stopped me in my tracks.
He walked over in long, graceful strides. Sunlight glinted off his dark red hair, accentuating the chocolate flecks. Oh wow, it’s him. I lowered the music and hastily wiped sweat from my cheeks.
“Well, hello.” His rich, velvety voice swirled around me.
I swallowed hard. “Hi.”
“I thought you looked familiar. Had any more encounters with wayward carpets since last night?”
“No. I walk exclusively on hardwood now.”
“Wise choice.”
Without the benefit of my high heels, he towered over me. He was hot even with mud caked on his clothes. And wow, did he smell good. Traces of cologne still lingered on him mixed with his post-game sweat and pheromones. It was so intoxicating I had to look away. When I focused on him again, he was studying me with the same guarded curiosity as last night. Part of me wished I wasn’t a hot, sweaty mess.
“I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name,” he said with a small grin.
“Oh. I’m Amelia Meyers. But please, call me Lia.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Amelia.” My name rolled off his tongue readily, like he’d been born to say it for all eternity. “What brings you to Glasgow?”
“A wedding.”
He slung a gym bag over his shoulder, grasping the strap. The small movement caused his muscles to flex.
“Yours?”
“What? Oh God no. My sister’s.”
“The one in London?”
“Yep.”
“Why isn’t she getting married there?”
This guy was awfully nosey.
“They thought it would be romantic to have a wedding at a Scottish castle. Her fiancé is from Newcastle, so it was either London, Newcastle or Scotland.” I shrugged, stealing a glance at him.
“How long will you be in Glasgow?”
“We leave—“
“We?”
“Yeah. My best friend and I. She’s—”
“She,” he said quietly. Bright emerald irises slid over my face as he traced one of his slender fingers along his mouth. I wanted to snap at him for all the interrupting, but a flurry of nerves ran through my stomach. It’s not physically possible for someone to become more attractive overnight, is it? I blinked myself out of this hypnotic state.
“Oi! We’re off to eat, mate. Come on,” an impatient, stocky man yelled.
Tall, Dark and Sexy clearly didn’t enjoy being at the receiving end of that. His expression hardened as he turned around. I could only imagine the look he gave the other guy. It must have been scathing because the poor soul abruptly left.
When he faced me again his eyes were blazing hot.
“Finished with your run? I can drive you back to—”
“No,” I blurted out. “I mean, I’m not done yet, but thank you.”
The thought of sitting in an enclosed space with him was too much to handle. Standing this close to him in an open field was challenging enough.
“You’re sure? You look a bit out of breath.”
“Doubting my stamina?” I put my hands on my hips, narrowing my eyes.
The corner
of his mouth ticked up into a small grin. “Not at all. I’m quite sure you can go for a while, but jogging can be taxing on the body. A slow and steady climb is best to achieve maximum results.”
I wasn’t entirely sure we were talking about exercise anymore. I couldn’t form a sentence, so I stared at him.
“Don’t let me keep you.”
He gestured to the field. That little mischievous grin rankled me to the core. He’s teasing me. He’s got me flustered and now he’s teasing me. In an instant he managed to turn me on and turn me off simultaneously.
I still couldn’t form a complete sentence, which pissed me off.
“Okay then. Nice to see you again.” He kept grinning and sauntered off toward the parking lot leaving me in a funk. Annoyed by my pre-teen giddiness, I turned up my iPod and ran like hell.
Stephanie was awake and all bright eyed and bushy tailed when I got back. She buzzed around the suite in a huge fluffy robe, laying clothes on the couch.
“Hey. How was your run?”
“Eventful.” I tossed my iPod on the end table and plopped onto the chair.
“Oh really?” She stopped fussing with the clothes. “How so?”
Since we hadn’t had a chance to chat about what happened at the benefit, I quickly relayed the story, and then told her what happened at the field. She blinked at me like I had fifty heads.
“Did you get his phone number?”
“No.”
“What? Why not?”
“It really didn’t cross my mind.”
“Didn’t cross your mind? Honestly Lia,” she huffed. “It’s like you forgot how to flirt. You run into the same hot guy twice and act like it’s no big deal. And why didn’t you ask his name?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting to see him on my morning jog.”
“Well, we’ll have to stalk every tall, super toned, hot guy with red hair in Glasgow while we’re here then, won’t we?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Oh please. The old Lia would not only have asked his name and gotten a number, she’d be out having drinks with him right now.”
I fought back a smile. “I hate it when you’re right.”
“Maybe he’ll be at the soccer game,” she teased. “Darren did say he was bringing a friend.”
“Yeah, right,” I snorted. “You watch too many sappy chick flicks.”
“So jaded,” she sighed.
All talk of the mystery man took a backseat as we prepared for our day out with Darren. He’d bought us tickets to see his team and already announced his intention to convert us into loyal followers. I didn’t understand soccer at all, but the players were nice to look at.
I showered and threw on my favorite pair of faded jeans, a light sweater and sneakers. Seeing as we’d be outside all day, I figured casual was best.
“Braids and a baseball hat?” Stephanie giggled.
“It’s comfortable. Besides, if the weather goes sour and it starts to rain I'll be covered.”
“Always so prepared,” Stephanie remarked as she slid on her vintage sunglasses. “Alright, Sporty Barbie, ready to go?"
"Let's do this.”
Groups of young men and women clad in various team apparel lined the street leading up to the pub. The air was thick with cigarette smoke and excited chatter. The sun was shining and many people were taking advantage of the rare, nice weather.
"This is insanity. Look at all these people. Figures that Darren would pick the most popular area to meet." Stephanie craned her neck to get a better view through the throng of sports fans. She had a good three inches on me so I just watched all the people nearby.
I became very engrossed in a trio of young men to my right. They debated the merits of one player over another on a particular team. I hadn't the foggiest idea what they were talking about, but enjoyed listening to their accents.
An elbow suddenly greeted me in the side.
"Ow! What the hell?"
"Sorry, sorry. I see Darren. Let's go."
We navigated our way through several groups of people standing on the sidewalk. Once we reached a clearing, I spotted Darren. His spiky blond hair was immobile in the breeze as he chatted to someone next to him. My view of the other person was obstructed by a rather tall, lanky guy. As soon as he walked away, I sucked in a breath.
“Holy shit.” I stopped short.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“That’s him,” I barely squeaked out. Stephanie paused and followed my gaze. I drank in every inch of him. Faded black jeans molded to his toned legs perfectly. His lean upper body was showcased in a tight, long sleeved gray cotton shirt. Snap out of it, Meyers.
“Shut the front door, no it’s not.”
I didn’t have a chance to answer her. Darren saw us and waved us over. I married my eyes to the pavement and took a deep breath.
“Hey, you two. I ordered up some nice, Florida sunshine for today. What do you think?”
“Not bad,” Stephanie laughed.
Glancing up at Darren from under the rim of my hat, I could feel the other guy staring at me.
“Lia, Stephanie. This is Alastair Holden. He’s coming to the match with us. Don’t let his ginger hair frighten you.”
Even his name dripped with elegance. I squared my shoulders and boldly fixed my stare on him. So help me God, he was incredible.
“Get your eyes checked, MacCourty,” he said dryly. “It’s nice to see you again, Amelia.”
Darren’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He looked from Alastair to me. “You two know each other?”
“We met last night by the bar,” Alastair answered, “she was having some trouble negotiating the carpet.”
“Well then. We should get walking toward the stadium," Darren said. "It's about a twenty-five minute walk from here and the match starts in forty-five."
Stephanie linked arms with him as they started up the street. "We'll lead the way. You guys try to keep up.”
I fell into step with Alastair. A nervous, twitchy energy radiated from every cell in my body. We walked silently side by side for several minutes.
"So, this rugby thing I saw you playing earlier. When did you start?"
"This rugby thing…" He mimicked me. "You have quite a way with words."
“Are you going to tease me or answer my question?” I raised an eyebrow, looking at him incredulously.
“University.”
“Do you play anything else? Or is rugby it?”
“That’s pretty much it for organized sport. Work doesn’t allow me much free time, so I only get to join in on the weekends every so often.”
“Is this one of those free weekends?”
“It seems to be.”
His arm bumped into mine and I noticed a little smile cross his lips.
“What would you normally be doing if Darren hadn’t asked you to the game?”
“Working, probably.”
“That sounds amazing,” I snickered. “Do you ever have any fun?”
“You are quite the curious kitten, aren’t you? Questions, questions, questions.”
“They’re instrumental in getting answers.” I replied with a grin.
“Fair enough.”
As charming as he was, I could tell he was also extremely guarded. He steered the conversation away from himself so it focused more on me. I was just as guarded though. For the time being, I planned to keep him at arm’s length.
We all huddled at the street corner waiting for the crosswalk signal to change. As we stood in silence, I noticed several women staring at Alastair. They casually sized me up before whispering amongst themselves. He flicked his gaze from me to them. When we got the go-ahead, Alastair placed his hand at the small of my back. It was a light touch, but I was aware of the warmth bleeding through my sweater.
The stadium loomed large in the distance. I could hear singing and chanting the closer we got to it. Darren passed a ticket to each of us.
“Now, this is very important
,” he said solemnly, looking at Stephanie and me. “You must only cheer for my side.”
Stephanie burst out laughing at Darren’s seriousness. “It’s just a game, D.”
“It’s so much more than that, Steph,” he exclaimed, turning to walk through the gate. Alastair and I followed close behind. Once we got past the turnstiles, we walked through a tunnel into the stadium. Our seats weren’t too shabby; along midfield, tenth row. Darren attempted to explain the finer aspects of the game to Stephanie. She shot me a pleading look of help and surrendered to his lessons.
“Is this your first proper Scottish football match then?” Alastair asked.
“Yep.”
“If you have any questions I’ll do my best to answer them.”
“Thanks, I think.”
He smiled slightly as we settled back into our seats to watch the start of the match. It was an uneventful game up until the final two minutes.
Tens of thousands of people erupted into a massive throaty cheer as the soccer ball scooted past the keeper and hit the net with a low swoosh. Darren and Stephanie leapt to their feet and joined the celebration. The home team had just taken the lead away from the visiting rivals.
A sea of green and white scarves waved from side to side in a show of solidarity for the home team. The crowd noise didn't let up as the last seconds of the match ticked away. When the final whistle blew, everyone roared.
"Now that was a goal." Darren pumped his fist in the air. "First good win in a while. A celebratory pint is in order.”
Cool, drizzling rain fell as we walked toward the main road. I stifled an I-told-you-so while watching Stephanie cower away from the droplets.
Oodles of iconic black cabs zipped through the streets. Alastair hailed one effortlessly. Stephanie bolted inside as soon as it stopped. Darren joined her, leaving me alone with Alastair for several seconds. When I made my move, he wrapped his fingers around the doorframe, blocking my ability to get in.
“I have to admit, I’m not much of a football fan. I almost told Darren ‘no’ today.”
“What changed your mind?”
A sly grin curled his lips. “He said he wanted to introduce me to his American friends, Stephanie and Lia. Since I learned your name this morning, I figured you would be one of them.”
Catch My Breath Page 2
