A Trap So Tender

by Jennifer Lewis

  He couldn’t phone her. He couldn’t email her. So the one option left was to track her down in person.

  Eleven

  Fiona’s address was written on the back of her envelope. 1732 Whitefern Road, San Diego, California. He didn’t know if it was her house, or her parents’, or if she was staying with a friend. It didn’t really matter.

  His pilot flew him into San Diego International Airport. He’d arranged a rented car but had to wait a frustrating twenty minutes while they prepared it. He entered Fiona’s address into his GPS and set out into the darkening streets of the unfamiliar city, adrenaline pounding in his blood.

  It was nearly 9:00 p.m. by the time he pulled onto leafy Whitefern Road and found himself peering through the darkness for house numbers.

  His pulse thudded dully, but his brain was on high alert. He didn’t know what he intended to say to Fiona, but he did know he couldn’t just let her walk away after everything that had happened between them.

  The number 1732 flashed at him from a mailbox, so he pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. A light flickered in the window, suggesting a television on somewhere. He climbed out and shut the car door quietly, wanting to keep surprise on his side in case she decided to hide from him once again.

  He held his breath as the doorbell chimed. Who could that be? A distant voice. Not Fiona’s. I’ll get it.

  He heard footsteps moving closer and he braced himself as the door handle turned. A tall, striking woman with long braided hair answered. She stood expectantly in the doorway, as if waiting for him to announce his purpose.

  “I’m looking for Fiona Lam.”

  “Really.” She arched a brow. “And you are?”

  “James Drummond.”

  “I knew it.” She pulled the door open and gestured for him to enter.

  For some reason, that wasn’t the response he expected, so he stood for a moment before entering. “Fiona, darling, it’s for you,” she called.

  “I didn’t order anything. I thought we were going out.”

  Her voice, from a distant room, made his pulse pound in his temples. An urge to rush forward seized him, and it took every ounce of strength to keep his cool.

  “It’s a visitor for you.” Her tall friend eyed him from head to toe with obvious amusement. “I understand things a lot better now that I’ve seen you in the flesh,” she whispered. She extended her hand and he shook it. “I’m Crystal.”

  A hush descended as Fiona rounded a corner and stopped dead. Even the distant TV sizzled into white noise as adrenaline surged through him. “Hello, Fiona.”

  * * *

  Fiona realized she’d finally gone mad and started seeing visions. Not Banquo’s ghost, but James Drummond, larger than life and standing in Crystal’s living room.

  “Aren’t you even going to say hello?” Crystal’s voice jolted her from a fog of confusion.

  “James?” She didn’t trust her eyes. Or any other part of her. Her heart raced and she fought a violent urge to run into his arms, which were not exactly stretched out to welcome her.

  “Can we talk alone?” His tone was serious.

  “And have me miss all the fun?” Crystal teased. “All right. I’ll go hide in the bedroom in my own house so you two can straighten out the mess you made.” She turned and headed up the stairs. Fiona wanted to beg her to stay. Don’t leave me alone with him. But wasn’t this what she’d secretly hoped for when she printed her address so carefully on the back of the envelope?

  “I’m so sorry.” The words rushed out of her on a wave of relief that she could finally say them to his face. “I know I should never have done it. I didn’t think it through and things got out of control, and I…”

  He stepped forward and silenced her with his mouth. His kiss was fierce, almost cruel, and she yielded to it instantly, clutching him close and kissing him back with every ounce of strength she had left.

  His lips pulled away, leaving her shaking. “Don’t think I’ve forgiven you.” His eyes were narrowed, dark slate-gray and unreadable. “I haven’t.”

  She swallowed. Now desire pulsed through her like a stray cat loose in the house. Her thoughts tangled and tumbled over each other. “I haven’t forgiven myself, either. I should have told you the truth—about my father and the factory—but it all moved so fast and there was never a right time, and then it was too late.”

  “You made a fool of me. Not just in the press, but in the privacy of my own home.”

  She shivered. “Everything that happened between us… None of that was pretend. I really meant it.”

  “How could you say that when all along you were playing me over a piece of property?”

  “I started out wanting the property, to make my father happy, but as I got to know you, I…I…” Why not? “I fell in love with you.” The words tripped over each other and came out jumbled.

  “You have a strange way of showing it.” Humor glittered darkly in his eyes, along with something more intense.

  “It wasn’t fair of you to ask me to marry you when I barely knew you.”

  “You could have said no.” He cocked his head.

  “Did you think I would?”

  “No.” His egotism was infuriating.

  “See? Maybe the whole thing was a self-fulfilling prophecy. You thought I’d marry you just because you were handsome and rich and had a castle. Is that a good way to entice your life partner? You should get to know someone and find out what makes them tick before you try to take them down the aisle.”

  That glint of humor in his eyes had a hard edge. “I admit my own aims were somewhat mercenary. I needed a wife so I could look respectable to my Singapore business contacts. That rather backfired.”

  “I heard.” She spoke softly. “Though maybe you had it coming. You shouldn’t marry for any reason except love.”

  “You really are insufferably arrogant.” He stood taller, and seemed to tower over her.

  “Look who’s talking! You’re so used to running your own show you have no idea what to do when someone else has a different agenda.”

  “Normally, I find a way to change their mind.”

  “Well, you can’t always have your own way.” She pulled herself up as tall as she could, which wasn’t very tall, especially in flip-flops. And she became painfully aware that she was wearing flannel pajama bottoms and a T-shirt with a duck on it.

  “Not with you around.” His eyes narrowed. “And dammit, I do want you around.” He stepped close again but instead of zeroing in for the kill this time, he let his mouth hover just over hers, as if testing her to see if she could manage not to kiss him.

  She couldn’t. Their lips met, hot and wet, and her fingers thrust into his hair as she tugged him close. She felt his hands roaming up and down her back, pressing into her, almost lifting her off the ground with the force of his embrace.

  It was so good to hold him again, to let herself fall into his arms and lose herself in his heated kisses. “You’re coming with me.” He breathed the words into her ear.

  “Where to?” His hotel?

  “Scotland.”

  “But I have a meeting tomorrow with—”

  “Cancel it.”

  “Okay.” Proctor & Gamble could wait. “Am I allowed to pack?”

  “I’ll watch while you pack. I’m not taking my eyes off you for an instant. I have no idea what you’ll do next.”

  His gray eyes bored a hole into her while she shoved some clothes into a duffel bag and tried to hide her fistfuls of lingerie inside a plain gray T-shirt.

  “I need to change.” Was she supposed to strip down right in front of him? Even though he’d seen it all before, it felt weird.

  “Nonsense. I like ducks. Let’s go.” His face had an intensity she’d never seen before. This whole thing was weird, like a crazy dream—or nightmare—and she had no idea what was going to happen next, but she knew she had to go with him.

  * * *

  His private jet flew them to somewhere
on the east coast of Canada for refueling, then on to Scotland. She kept expecting to hear some kind of explanation of what he planned, but none was offered. James was very busy on his laptop for much of the time, with only a murmured explanation that a big market move was underway and he had to pay close attention.

  She didn’t even want to argue or demand more details. Sitting here quietly in her pj’s while the plane hummed through the night sky felt like the beginning of a rigorous and entirely deserved punishment for her sins.

  It was daylight by the time they landed in Aberdeen and James’s driver put their bags in the trunk. “That was a quick trip, sir.”

  James murmured a gruff assent. As he climbed into the back next to her, he whispered in her ear, “I feel like a repo man.”

  His breath, hot on her skin, stirred the emotion she’d tried so hard to keep under control. “Demanding payment of debts?” She couldn’t even remember what repo men did.

  “Taking back what was mine all along.” His mouth met hers again in a hot kiss that made her skin prickle with awareness. As the car pulled away with them in the backseat, he deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight against his chest.

  When he was done he sat very still, staring out the window. She still had no idea what to say, so she didn’t say anything.

  Her heart swelled with a mix of fear and anticipation as they followed the road along the berm that edged the estate and then turned into the long drive. She’d been so sure she’d never see this beautiful place again.

  Pale morning sun bathed the landscape, heightening the colors and making it seem even more like a fairy-tale kingdom. When the car pulled up in front of the castle, the driver opened her door and she set her first flip-flop onto the gravel, feeling the sudden chill of the air. Smoke from a fire and the rich smell of damp earth filled her nostrils. It was ridiculous how much she’d missed this place.

  James took her arm, an interesting formal touch, and they walked up the front steps. “You’re in your usual room,” was all he said before he disappeared.

  Alone in her room, with her bag brought by one of the staff, she immediately checked the top drawer of the dresser, where she’d left the ring. Still there, twinkling quietly against the dark wood.

  Her stomach tightened. Did he not see the note at the bottom of her letter? This ring must be worth a fortune. Even a wealthy man like James couldn’t simply forget about it.

  Or did he intend for her to put it back on? Heart pounding, she pulled it from the drawer and slipped it back onto her finger. It fit snugly and glittered ostentatiously against her skin.

  No. Too presumptuous. She took it back off and placed it carefully in the drawer. She even found herself glancing over her shoulder as she slid the drawer closed. She was embarrassed by the idea that someone might see her revisiting the recent—yet so distant—past when she had been James’s intended fiancée.

  She showered and changed into a simple black dress with a row of buttons down the front. As she did them up she wondered if James’s fingers would be next to touch the tiny mother-of-pearl buttons. Her belly shivered at the idea, but she tried to push it from her mind. No sense jumping to conclusions.

  She knew that dinner was served at eight, so she came down only one minute early, not wanting to find herself alone in the grand rooms, looking awkwardly at the paintings and smiling politely at the staff, while James was nowhere to be seen.

  The smell of roast meat filled the dining room already, and she almost jumped when she saw James, also dressed in black, at the far end of the room. “I asked the staff to leave dinner for us. We’re on our own.”

  She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or scared. What punishment had James in mind when he bundled her into his private jet and brought her here? The hard planes of his face offered no clues. “Let’s eat.”

  They helped themselves to racks of lamb, roast potatoes and delicate baby carrots, and sat at the polished wood table—large enough to seat forty—in a silence that grew more deafening with each passing second.

  Three glasses each glittered with a different color of wine, but she didn’t dare take a sip as she didn’t want her judgment any more clouded than it already was. She managed a few bites of the delicious food, but finally she couldn’t stand the oppressive quiet anymore. “Do you intend to run me though and hang me from the battlements?”

  James stared at her for a moment, then threw back his head and laughed. “Tempting as that might seem, I don’t want to compound my social disgrace by becoming a murderer.”

  “Understandable. Perhaps it would be more convenient if I ran myself through.”

  “No doubt, but please don’t.” A light shimmered in his eyes. Otherwise, his face was hard as granite. “I have a more fitting punishment in mind.”

  “What’s that?” She never did like suspense.

  “I think you should be forced to follow through on the promises you made.” His gray eyes regarded her steadily. “I held up my end of our bargains.”

  Her heart beat faster and she mustered all her strength to keep a poker face. “True.” Did he mean that he still wanted to marry her? And if so, was it only to make the rest of her life a living hell? “What exactly did you have in mind?”

  “Marriage, of course.”

  She battled the rush of excitement that threatened to derail all common sense. “Why would you want to marry someone you can’t trust?”

  His eyes narrowed, until they looked almost black. “Keep your enemies close.”

  “Another school of thought holds that it makes more sense to move to a different continent and forget all about them.”

  His eyes glittered with amusement. “I think the Drummonds would regard that as cowardice.”

  “Ouch. You probably shouldn’t marry a coward, either.”

  “Oh, you’re no coward. Just cautious. You knew it was a good idea to put distance between us until I cooled off.” He leaned back in his chair. “Very sensible, under the circumstances.”

  She swallowed. “So…you’re asking me to marry you?”

  “Oh, no.” His swift answer made her stomach clench. “I already did that. I don’t like to repeat myself. Especially when the results weren’t impressive the first time.”

  She blinked. He was toying with her. “You think I should decide whether to follow through on my promises.”

  He watched her coolly. “I think you already did, by coming here.”

  “I didn’t have much choice.” Her blood was pounding in her head. Did she really have a chance to do this over?

  “You always have a choice.”

  Inscrutable as a pharaoh, he sat and watched her from across the gleaming expanse of polished wood. She wanted to throw food at him, or run and kiss him, or scream and run around. Anything but sit here as if she was in a board meeting with a cold-eyed boss.

  James Drummond wanted to marry her, even after all she’d done. But there was no affection here, no promises of a happy life together. No declarations of love.

  “You don’t love me.” The words sounded plaintive, almost pathetic, on her tongue. It wouldn’t hurt if only she hadn’t fallen so foolishly in love with him.

  “Dammit, Fiona!” He smashed his fist on the table, which made her jump a foot in the air. His chair fell back as he rose to his feet. “I love you so much I can barely breathe.” He strode around the table. “I love you so much I can’t get out of bed in the morning without aching for the sight of you.” He pulled her roughly up from her chair. “I love you so much I can’t bear the thought of living without you.”

  He held her hands tight, and for the first time she could read the emotion in the stormy depth of his eyes. Every muscle in his body was tight, a coiled spring ready to explode with unexpressed emotion. “I love you so much I don’t know what the hell I’ll do if you don’t marry me.”

  Her only response was a throaty sob that exploded from her without permission. She jumped into his arms and hugged him. “I lov
e you, too, James.” Now her voice really sounded pathetic. “I’ve missed you every second. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, and it was killing me. I’ve never met anyone like you, and it didn’t take me long to figure out that you and I are almost ridiculously perfect for each other. It hurt so badly when I realized I’d ruined everything.”

  His arms around her felt so good. Emotion crashed through her in waves, and she kept having to look into his eyes to make sure this was really happening.

  “I’ll take my share of the blame, too.” He spoke gruffly. “I didn’t listen when you wanted to slow down. That didn’t fit my needs, and they were all I worried about. I was an ass.”

  “We were both asses.” She bit her lip. “I guess that’s why we tycoons aren’t often popular.”

  He laughed and hugged her close. “We’d drive anyone crazy, except each other.”

  “And maybe even each other, too. I do love you, James. I love you very, very much.”

  This time their kiss was soft and tender. And led to a night of lovemaking that confirmed what they both already knew—they were meant to be together.

  Epilogue

  “Don’t worry, it won’t rain.” Katherine Drummond beamed at the slate-gray skies over the sweeping lawn behind James’s castle. “Not now that we’ve found the cup.” Katherine had been at James Drummond’s magnificent estate for only one night, but already she felt more a Drummond than ever. The entire estate was in celebration mode. Staff dashed around making final preparations for the wedding, and guests had been arriving all morning from far and wide.

  “When are you going to put the cup together?” Annie asked. Sinclair’s wife had been there—as his housekeeper—when Katherine first came up with the idea to find the pieces.

  “When Jack arrives. Even though we have his piece with us, it won’t be the same unless he’s here.” She glanced at her watch. Nearly 11:25 a.m. and Fiona and James’s wedding was at noon sharp. “I hope he hurries up. It would be terrible if he missed the wedding. And I’m sure it would bring good luck to have the cup reunited at the ceremony.”