Chapter Three: Playing With Fire
Dinner was delicious. Willa Mae had wanted to be brave and try things she had never heard of before, and what she had heard about haggis had made her wrinkle her nose. But she was determined to experience all she could in the time she had, because she wasn’t sure when, or even if, she would return. Truth be told, she was glad for the distraction that the food provided, because she could feel Niall’s eyes on her as she ate, and the heat between them had continued to simmer. She hadn't noticed that he had dimples until he had smiled at her earlier, and her reaction had caused him to ask if she was okay.
She was definitely not okay. Niall Drummond was charming, witty, urbane, intelligent…everything a woman could want in a dinner companion. Everything a woman could want in a first date. Everything to make a woman want a second date. She chided herself as she finished her meal. This wasn’t a date. It was a business dinner. They had talked mostly about the work they wanted to accomplish together, and she had been happy to show him that she had ideas that he might wish to use. But the awareness of his nearness, of his sex appeal, of his interest in her…all of it made her insides shake, and made it hard to concentrate on the things that should be holding her attention.
When the desserts arrived, she watched as he asked for a second set of utensils. He was serious that they would each share both. He served her a dish with the dumpling first, while he had his from the bowl. The dumpling was really deliciously smooth and sweet, with just enough fruit to give it texture. It was served with a heavy clotted cream that was equally delicious. At this rate, Willa Mae was sure she would end up returning to the states a few pounds heavier. Then he served himself the crannachan, which was like a trifle with a kick, and let her have the tall glass it was served in. It was presented with what appeared to be cottage cheese. The slightly sour taste went perfectly with the sweet notes of the trifle, and Willa Mae savored every bit of it.
“Mmmm! That was divine!” She smiled at him, unguarded, and watched as his eyes went dark with awareness. Immediately she withdrew, straightening her spine and putting her spoon down. “Thank you.”
She didn’t smile again, and refused to look him in the eye. Instead, she finished her drink as she looked around the pub which had filled up while they ate dinner. The noise was deafening, but she wouldn’t have missed it for the world. She knew she was drawing a lot of eyes, as the only person of color in the establishment. What would it be like when the castle’s renovations were complete? Would the village see an influx of more people who looked less like its inhabitants? How could she sell it to a more diverse market? She’d have to help Niall come up with a sales pitch that was inclusive without being fake.
Happy that she had finally managed to corral her thoughts, she looked over at him when he said,
“You’ll find that your accommodations have changed. I’ve put you in a suite adjacent to mine until it’s time for you to leave.”
She kept her surprise to herself and merely asked, “Why?”
He raised an eyebrow at her, but didn’t challenge her any further, for which she was grateful. She didn’t want to complain about her accommodations to the master of the house when she didn’t know who had ordered them.
“You were placed there in error,” was all he said.
She knew that he was lying, and that it meant his mother had ordered it for her. Given the family’s hostility to her from the moment of her arrival, she wasn’t at all surprised that she had been relegated to a child’s room, which it had clearly been. His decision to place her elsewhere was another sign that he was more than just a pretty face.
“How early will I need to be up in the morning?” she asked, before her thoughts took her back into the rabbit warren of desire from which she was working hard to keep it.
“Breakfast is served at eight every morning, and you will need to be with the family for this one only. I will understand if you prefer to take your meals alone or away from the castle after tomorrow morning, but I need you to bring the family up to speed on the plans and ideas that you already have.”
He didn’t apologize for his family’s behavior, but she could tell from his stiff bearing and tight voice that he was not happy with them. She was grateful to him for allowing her to choose to escape them if she wished. Maybe she would come back to this inn for dinner and try something from their seafood menu. She already had good things to say about the food she had tried. She would research it tonight when they got back to the castle. It was something she had started when she first began this job, and had begun to travel more extensively both in and out of the States.
“Is breakfast a formal affair?” she asked him. When he quirked an eyebrow at her again, she added, “Will I need to dress up?”
He chuckled. “I’m sure it would tickle my mother to no end if you did, and it might move you up a smidgen in her estimation. But we’ll be going out immediately after and will be out all day. You need to dress comfortably for extended time in the car.”
He looked her over as he spoke, and she felt the intensity of his gaze like a heat lamp on her flesh before he said, “What you’re wearing now would be ideal. Perhaps a somewhat heavier blouse and a hat.”
“I didn’t bring a hat,” she said.
“Not a problem. I’ll make sure you have one for the day.” He paused for a second, lowering his eyes and then looked up again to ask, “Would you like another half pint?”
“Oh, no thanks, I’m full.” In fact, she was so full she felt like the dumpling she had eaten earlier. “But please don’t let me stop you from having another drink if you want.”
“Thank you, but I think we can head out now. I’d like to take you for a last drive to a spot close to the castle that is magical at night.”
Back in the car, Willa Mae pulled the blanket that was on the back seat over her knees as there was a distinct chill in the air. The sky was clear, the stars scattered across it twinkling in iridescent splendor. There was no moon as far as she could see, but the bejeweled firmament was a delight to behold.
“It’s so beautiful!” she exclaimed, her head back so she could take it all in.
“Indeed!” His agreement was made in a low tone, and she looked down to find him staring at her. Her face heated up, and she was glad of the darkness to hide her reaction from him.
He put the car in gear and drove off, and Willa Mae kept her gaze out the window, staring into the darkness, letting her cheeks cool. It wasn’t as though she had never been called beautiful before, but it had never been by anyone as charismatic as Niall Drummond. She also knew that he was not the sort of man to keep one woman around for too long. She had Googled him as part of her preparation for the trip, and his name had been connected to a number of high profile women, among whom were actresses, models, and the daughters of the rich and famous. His interest would wane as soon as she left. All she had to do was keep him at a distance for another day and a half. She could do it…she had to.
They turned off the main road, and took a single lane path, barely wide enough for the little car, that seemed to go on forever. Eventually, however, it ended at a large pond, whose calm waters were as bejeweled as the sky, thanks to the reflection of it on the surface. She could not suppress an exclamation of surprise and pleasure at the sight.
“This is magnificent!” she enthused. “It’s like a jewel box, holding all the stars in it.”
She turned to look at Niall, unable to hold back her elation from him. She watched him lean in, and knew if she didn’t move, this man whom she had only met a few hours earlier would kiss her. It shocked and amazed her that she wanted him to do just that, and so badly that her hands shook with the desire. Mustering every ounce of strength she had, she moved away from him.
“Would you like to take a walk?” he asked. “We won’t go all the way around, but there’s a bench we can sit on for a while halfway round.”
She should say no. Walking would encourage things like hand holding, and other intimacies she wasn’t ready for. Even though she wanted his kiss, now that she knew he wanted to kiss her, she had to resist the pull he had over her. They could be nothing to each other, and this ridiculous attraction was merely lust. She hadn’t had a boyfriend for years, and she supposed her body was craving some masculine attention. But Niall was her client, this was a job, and she would do well to remember that.
“Of course!”
What the hell? Her mouth had apparently taken over her brain cells, because that had not been the answer she was planning to give him. Now she would look like a fool if she said no, so she turned reluctantly and unbuckled her seatbelt. He opened the door for her and held out his hand. Willa Mae took it…what else was she to do when he was being such a gentleman? He helped her alight, and as she had suspected, did not relinquish her hand once he had closed the door.
“I can manage now,” she said, pulling on her hand as they began to walk beside the pond.
“This place begs for hand holding, don’t you think, Willa Mae? And where’s the harm, after all?” His voice was low and persuasive.
“This isn’t the kind of relationship we should be establishing,” she pointed out sharply. “You’re my client. Our relationship is strictly business.”
“And yet,” he said, stopping her when she would have continued walking, “here we are, battling an attraction that has been growing since I picked you up at the airport.”
Willa Mae gasped. The last thing she had expected was for him to acknowledge aloud that there was something arcing between them. She couldn’t let this go any further. She wasn’t looking for a hookup, and especially not with someone whose family thought she was the devil incarnate, or close to it. They didn’t even live in the same country. It was impossible. She wouldn’t encourage his attentions, no matter how hard her body screamed at her to do so.
“It happens sometimes,” she conceded, as though this was not the first time it had ever happened to her. “But that doesn’t mean we have to give in to it. We’re adults, not children.”
He let go of her hand suddenly, and the sharp longing that pierced her to feel his touch again startled her. She had just told him to let her go, and now that he had, she wanted him back. Maybe she’d have to accept her ex’s invitation to go out for drinks. They hadn’t seen each other in years, but he was back in town and looking to reconnect. Maybe she should give him a chance. Maybe the attraction would return once they were out together. Anything to counter this unwanted feeling. No doubt she would have further contact with Niall, but with a plan to counteract his effect on her firmly in place, she would be better able to withstand it.
He remained silent, walking beside her until they got to the bench he had told her about. It was an ornate wrought iron affair, bracketed on either side and behind it by beds of flowers. It was clearly meant for lovers, and Willa Mae’s skin prickled as she stood awkwardly beside it looking out over the water. She had to say something to break the silence. She knew Niall had withdrawn because of her words, and it bothered her, despite her need to keep a distance between them. Which was pissing her off. She didn’t like being this unbalanced and unpredictable. She wasn’t a silly girl with a crush. She was a grown woman.
“Does it have a name?” Anything to break the oppressive silence.
“Locals just call it The Pond,” he replied coolly.
Willa Mae noticed that it was actually larger than she had thought, because a part of it was shadowed by tall trees. And that part also carried lily pads on the surface. She wondered if there were fish in the pond, but didn’t ask. She wasn’t keen to start any further conversation. If he wanted to pout, she’d let him. She didn’t care that his feelings might be hurt. As long as she did her job, that was all that mattered. So why did she feel so bothered that he remained silent standing next to her, his hands in his pockets as though he didn’t want to be caught off guard touching her again?
“We’d better go now,” he said after a few more minutes of strained silence. “We’ll need to be up early, and I have to work to finish.”
His tone was dismissive, and it cut her sharply, which didn’t sit well with her. Why should she care that he was treating her like the stranger she was? It shouldn’t matter? But it did, so much she wanted to stop him, reach for the hand she had spurned before, and apologize for upsetting him. She kept her eyes in front and her mouth closed, though. Nothing good could come of her out-of-whack emotions. She needed to sleep. It was jet lag making her feel so out of sorts. She’d be fine in the morning.
The drive back to the castle took only about ten minutes, and once they were inside, he turned to her and said,
“I hope you have a good night. Breakfast at eight.”
He walked away, leaving her with Andrews, who had appeared with a tray as if summoned. He gave her a quizzical glance, and she looked away, not wishing to acknowledge that she understood his unspoken question. Instead, she followed him up the stairs to a suite that took her breath away. It was so vastly different from the tiny room she had been placed in before that she was speechless.
“I hope that you will enjoy the rest of your stay, Ms. Jamison. Shall I have someone give you a wake up call?”
Andrews was solicitous but distant, something he had not seemed to be before. Willa Mae knew then that she would have no allies in this house if she alienated its master. Feeling frustrated and annoyed, she shook her head.
“No, thank you. I just need to know where the dining room is.”
He placed the tray on the side table. “I’ll be available to escort you to breakfast by eight o’clock, then. Good night.”
He turned and walked out, gently closing the door behind him, leaving her fuming. He didn’t even know what had gone down between her and his boss and he was taking sides. She was not a fan of being given the cold shoulder, especially not by people she had assumed would have her back in a hostile environment. Now, she wasn’t so sure. Would Niall throw her to the wolves in the morning and leave her to manage as she could? Or would he step up, as he had done today? She wouldn’t know until breakfast time…and now she dreaded it.
She removed her makeup, washed her face and brushed her teeth, and decided she would shower in the morning. Which meant she’d need to give herself enough time to wake up properly. She wasn’t a morning person by any means, and tomorrow morning most of all she had to be as sharp as a tack. Which meant she needed to stop dithering and get to bed. The covers had already been turned down for her, and she sat on the side of the bed, letting her fingers sink into the luxurious softness of the sheets, savoring their smoothness and enjoying the firmness of the mattress. The pillows smelled faintly of some pleasant indistinct scent, and she smiled as she wrapped her arms around them and closed her eyes. What it would be like to have a lover in this bed. She could well imagine it…
She turned abruptly. This was no time to start thinking about her sexy host again. They had not parted on the best of terms, and she had no business to be daydreaming about him in her bed now. Pushing thoughts of him firmly aside, she retrieved her notes, reviewing the things she wanted to say to his family, adding the ideas she had had at dinner. As she worked, she nibbled on the cheese and fruit slices on the tray. When next she looked at the digital clock on the side table, an hour had passed, and she was beginning to see double. Time for bed. She fell asleep almost as soon as she slid between the sheets.
Next morning, after an invigorating shower, she dressed carefully. She wanted to go for casual chic, to meet the needs of her breakfast meeting, which was how she dubbed what she had to face in less than an hour, and the day Niall had planned for them. She settled on the jeans from the night before, but paired them with a matching button-front denim top, over which she layered a bright yellow cardigan. She draped an ornate necklace with a gold medallion suspended from it around her throat, set gold knobs in her ears and slid her feet into soft leather ankle boots. Spritzing herself once more with her favorite perfume, she rechecked her braids, which she had pulled high on her head in a loose pony tail, and decided that it would have to do.
Draping her sunglasses on her shirt, and picking up the black bag she had her tablet, inhaler, camera, and cell phone in. A knock at the door announced Andrews’ arrival, and she promptly opened the door…to the sight of Niall looking like he was getting ready for a GQ shoot. The dark slacks he wore emphasized his very long, muscular legs, and the plain gray t-shirt under a dark jacket spread snugly across his broad shoulders. His expression was cool, until she looked him in the eye and saw the smoldering heat. So, nothing had changed with him overnight, then, despite the way they had left things. If the way her pulse was jumping around was any indication, nothing had changed on her end, either. She took a deep breath and said,
“Good morning. I wasn’t expecting you.”
He eyed her for a moment without responding, and then said, “Andrews has other duties. I am your host.”
Willa Mae recoiled as though she had been slapped. So she was now just a duty. It shouldn’t matter to her, so she ignored the hurt that spiked in her chest, and smiled brightly at him.
“Well, then, thank you, your lordship.”
“You have no cause to be annoyed with me, Willa Mae,” he said, surprising her yet again. “You are the one who wishes to retain a distance between us. You are the one who refuses to do more than acknowledge that there is a spark. I am merely doing as you suggested and not acting on it.”
He stepped away from the door so she could walk out of the room and close it behind her. Then he walked beside her, not touching her, down the long hallway to the stairs. She felt like a tongue-tied teenager on her first date. This would not do.
“Look, I’m sorry if my plain speaking upsets you, but I came here to do a job…”
“And you cannot therefore also relax and enjoy yourself?”
His question stopped the flow of her words, and it seemed her ability to think rationally.
“There’s relaxing and then there’s stepping over the line, your lordship…”
He stopped her again, turning to her and gripping her arms at the elbows. “If you call me by anything other than my name for the rest of your stay here, be prepared for the consequences.”
His voice was a growl of sound, a warning she suddenly didn’t wish to heed. What would he do if she ignored it?
“Consequences, your lordship? What could you possibly…”
His lips crashed down on hers in a hard, punishing kiss. He didn’t pull her body in to his, for which she was grateful, but the lips that stroked hers, the tongue that licked their way across her mouth warned her that if she chose to continue her defiance, she would not like the outcome any better. Or maybe she would like it too much. She opened her mouth to kiss him back…and he withdrew. She felt the splash of a second rejection like ice water washing over her.
“I don’t think you really want to test me, Willa Mae,” he whispered before straightening and releasing her arms. Then he reached over and swiped a fingertip beneath her bottom lip. “Just cleaning you up. Breakfast will be difficult enough without questions about your just-kissed lips coming from my eagle-eyed mother.”
Willa Mae’s eyes widened, and she licked said lips, unaware for once of the way his eyes followed her tongue. “Maybe I should go and…”
“There’s no time to retouch them. They’re fine as they are. Still enticing, still begging to be kissed.”
This time when he turned, he offered her his elbow, and she took it, because she felt so unsteady on her legs that she needed his support to make it down the stairs. At the foot of them, he turned her towards the living room but stopped at the door across from it, and released her once again.
“After you,” he told her, and she walked ahead of him into the dining room, feeling like those poor souls in France must have felt as they walked to the guillotine.