“Change of plans.” He fastened his helmet and sat down on the Harley. He turned the key and revved the engine.
Suzanne sat down behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She leaned into him and pressed her breasts into his back. The usual comfort she felt in this position now gone, she felt only coldness from Damian. She had hurt him. The last thing she ever wanted to do.
But it had been inevitable. This fixation he had with her would end at some point. Of that, she was certain. After all, Wade had stopped loving her after five years. She steeled herself against the coming torture. She couldn’t handle another break up. Better to keep Damian at arm’s length for the rest of her stay. She eased away from his body and tried to enjoy the ride. But where before, the bike had held fascination, fun, daring, it now held only torment. The summer wind in her hair, against her skin, had lost its appeal.
When they arrived at the castle, Damian lifted her from the bike and unsnapped her helmet. But instead of the passionate kiss she usually got when their heads were free of the armor, he only looked at her sadly. She reached for him, but he pushed her hand away.
“Not now,” he said. “I can’t.”
“I understand,” she whispered, willing the tears not to fall. She hurried into the castle.
“Suze.” Isabella rose when Suzanne entered the front room. “You have company.”
“What?”
A man sat on one of the sofas, his back to Suzanne. He looked remarkably like…
“Wade?”
Her skin froze as the auburn-haired man stood and turned toward her.
“Hi, Suzie.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I needed to see you,” he said. Then, “Who’s that?”
Suzanne grabbed Damian’s hand. “This is Damian MacGowan. He lives here. He’s the caretaker’s son.” She wanted to add more. He was so much more than that. But what could she say? Boyfriend sounded so infantile. Friend would be an insult. Lover? The day Suzanne Wood introduced any man as her lover was the day that pigs would fly to the moon. Her heart lurched. After today, they might not be lovers anymore anyway.
Wade held out his hand. “Wade Stallworth. Suzanne’s fiancé.”
Damian’s eyes grew darker, and the ominous swirling began.
“Ex-fiancé,” she said.
Suzanne sensed Damian’s hesitation, but he took Wade’s hand in a masculine grasp. He inhaled and then dropped Wade’s hand as though it were a hot coal.
Wade turned to Suzanne. “I need to talk to you. Can you get away for a few hours? Maybe for a late lunch?”
She had nothing to say to Wade, but he had come all this way to see her. It wouldn’t hurt to see what he wanted.
“Uh, sure, I suppose I could go with you.”
Damian grabbed her arm. “Don’t go.”
“Now you want to be with me?”
“It has nothing to do with us. Just don’t go. Please.”
“Could you excuse us for a few minutes?” Suzanne said to Wade.
She led Damian to the kitchen.
“What’s going on now?”
“Don’t go with him,” Damian said.
“I swear I have no feelings for him at all, okay? But he came all this way to see me. Surely I owe him a few hours of my time.”
“You owe him nothing. Don’t go. It doesn’t feel right.”
“What?”
“I can’t explain it any better than that.”
“More of your feelings? Like how you and I are destined to be together? You can’t explain why, and I’m just supposed to accept what you say?”
“Aye.”
Suzanne shook her head. “I don’t work that way, Damian. I’m a lawyer. I need logic. Reasoning.”
“Don’t go.” His eyes pleaded with her. They were clouded and angry. But underneath the wrath was sadness. Damian was in pain. She reached for him, but he pulled away. “Trust me. Don’t go.”
“I do trust you. I do. But where is the harm?”
“I can’t say.”
“I’m sorry, Damian, but I’m going. I spent five years of my life with Wade, and he traveled across the world to see me. The least I can do is find out what he wants.” Unable to look at his shrouded eyes again, she turned and walked out.
“Let’s go,” she said to Wade.
“So where’s a good place to eat around here?” Wade asked once they were on the road in his rented Jaguar.
“Honestly, I haven’t eaten in Padraig much. Mostly, Damian and I have gone to Thurso. There are some fabulous places there.”
“You and Damian?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you two together?”
“Yeah. Sort of.” But maybe not any longer. She looked at her ex-fiancé. He was handsome, no doubt, and more refined as compared to Damian’s ruggedness. Manicured fingernails, side burns trimmed just so. Damian’s soft unruly waves were so much nicer.
“So.” He cleared his throat. “You’re with that Damian fellow.”
“Yeah. We’ve spent a lot of time together.”
“Then you and I definitely need to talk now.”
“Why?”
“Gloriana and I broke up.”
“Who’s Gloriana?” Suzanne chuckled as she realized she knew. “The slut from your office who you dumped me for?”