Jennifer Lewis – A Trap So Tender (страница 2)
“It’s funny that you have a Scottish first name, when there’s nothing Scottish about you.”
She lifted her slim brow with a slightly defiant air. “I do like plaid. I even bought a pair of plaid shoes the other day. What’s Scottish about you?”
“Good question. I’m not sure anyone’s ever asked it before. I’m probably the only person I’ve ever met who actually enjoys single malt whiskey.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You’re certainly the only one I’ve met. I tried it once and I won’t be doing that again.”
“I treat it with a healthy respect, myself, as it’s killed a lot of my forebears.”
“They were drinkers?”
“Drinkers, fighters, fast drivers, the type of men who go out looking for the end of a sword to run into.”
Curiosity sparkled in her eyes, and stirred the arousal gathering low inside him. “And you’re not like that?”
“I prefer to be holding the sword.”
He expected a laugh, or at least a smile, but she simply seemed to consider his words for a moment. “I suppose that is a better position to be in. Are you afraid of ending up like your ancestors?”
“Can’t say I am. Though I keep getting emails and letters from my American cousin who’s decided it’s her mission to save the Drummond family from an ancient curse by reuniting three parts of a lost chalice.”
Her eyes widened. “A curse? Do you think there’s anything to it?”
“I don’t believe in that kind of nonsense. Hard work and common sense are the cure for most so-called curses I’ve heard about.”
“You did say your ancestors kept wading into trouble.” She raised a slim brow. “Maybe there’s something to the legend. Where is the chalice supposed to be?”
“According to my cousin’s last rather breathless email, she’s already found two pieces. One was in the family home where she resides in New York—she’s a Drummond herself by marriage—and the other was found in the ocean off an island in Florida, where it sank in a pirate ship three hundred years ago. She thinks the third piece was brought back to Scotland by one of my ancestors.”
“How intriguing.” She leaned forward, giving him a tantalizing whiff of her soft floral scent. “Are you going to look for it?”
Her obvious excitement stirred a trickle of interest in the idea. He’d almost forgotten about Katherine Drummond and her pleas for him to join in the hunt. He’d been so busy lately he couldn’t remember if he’d even responded. “I don’t know. Do you think I should?”
“Absolutely.” Her eyes shone. “It’s so romantic.”
Romantic was good. He was already entertaining romantic thoughts about Fiona, whose black cocktail dress wrapped her slim, athletic figure like a glass around a shot of single malt. “She’s convinced the third part of the cup is hidden somewhere on my Scottish estate. She’s even offered a reward for the person who finds it. I’ve had to hire security to keep treasure hunters from digging up the lawns and climbing the battlements.”
She laughed. “And you’ve never looked for it at all?”
“Nope. I know easier ways to earn a few thousand dollars.”
“But it sounds like an adventure.” Fiona glowed, and he found his own body temperature rising in response. He resisted the urge to loosen his collar, which suddenly felt tight. “I think you should search for it. Who knows what fabulous things might happen if you find the missing piece and put the chalice back together?”
“My life is pretty good right now.”
“I bet there’s at least one aspect of it that could be improved.”
Lifestyle? Just because he liked to mind his own business and control his own destiny didn’t make him a womanizer. On the other hand, even serial monogamy began to look a bit flaky after nearly twenty years of dating, simply because of the sheer number of women involved.
There was no shortage of women ready, willing and able to marry him. They usually threw themselves at him once they got wind of the Scottish estate or the millions in investments. What he needed was a cool-headed and congenial business partner. Someone he could trust in the kind of legally binding contractual situation that modern marriage really was.
Someone—perhaps—like Fiona Lam.
She licked a droplet of champagne from her upper lip, sending a surge of heat crashing through him. Breathing deep, he shrugged out of his jacket. Fiona was a very attractive woman, and her high intelligence was even more of a turn-on than her lush lips or shapely legs.
“Or maybe I’m wrong?” She leaned back in her chair, eyes appraising him coolly. “Is there anything you want that you don’t already have?”
He laughed. “Always. That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning.”
“The thrill of the chase?”
“Makes my venture capitalist heart pump hard.”
“Maybe you’re not so different from your Scottish ancestors. You’re just excited by different quarry.”
“You could be onto something. They wanted a stag, or the neighbor’s estate, I want a nice international conglomerate with growth potential.”
She smiled. “You’re funny.”
“I’m not so sure about that, but I am pretty predictable.”
She tilted her head, sending a fall of shiny black hair to one shoulder. “Why haven’t you ever married?”
He stilled. “How do you know I haven’t?” Did she know more about him than she was letting on?
“No ring. And no tan line where the old ring used to be.”
He relaxed slightly. Being somewhat notorious, he tended to be on guard when meeting new people. Besides, anyone reading a business magazine could know the basic facts of his life. It was hardly top-secret information. “Never met the right woman.”
“Too picky?”
“Something like that. A marriage isn’t like an investment, where it’s worth taking a chance on because you can always get out.”
“You can always get out, for the right price.” A smile tilted her soft mouth.
He grimaced. “Usually the highest price the market will bear. Not attractive to a careful investor.”
“You’re too cautious to get married, aren’t you?”
He nodded. “Or maybe it’s just the family curse.”
She laughed aloud, a pretty ringing sound, like the bells they used to play in the church back on the estate when he was a kid.
Where did that thought come from?
“I think you need to find the last part of that chalice and put it back together. Think of it as a hunt.” She leaned forward, rested her elbows on the table and her neat chin on her interlocked fingers. “It’ll be a great story to tell.”
A crazy idea flashed into his brain. “Come look for it.”
“What?” Her eyes widened.
“Come to Scotland. I have to take a trip back myself right now to deal with some estate matters. You said you’d like to visit. Take a break from the rat race and breathe some highland air.”
She was silent, and he could almost hear the cogs turning in her brain. Her eyes sparkled and he could see the idea intrigued her. “But I don’t even know you.”
“I’m pretty well-known around town. Ask people about me.”
“What will they tell me?” She looked deadly serious.
“That I play by my own rules, but always stand by my word.” He hesitated, knowing what else she would hear. “That I’m happiest when sinking my teeth into a new business.” He deliberately avoided the part about his alleged Casanova ways.
Her eyes had narrowed slightly, and she appeared to be considering his proposal. His pulse ratcheted and he realized how much he wanted her to accept. Even the usually unwelcome prospect of returning to the grim and vast baronial castle and the manager’s endless to-do list seemed less daunting with the prospect of the lovely Fiona in residence.
“Okay.” She spoke quietly, but without hesitation.
“You’ll come?” He couldn’t believe it.
“I will.” She sat back in her chair, expression still serious. “I’ve always wanted to go to Scotland, I love the idea of looking for an ancient relic, and I have nothing better to do right now. Why not?”
“Why not, indeed?” They discussed dates for a minute or two and he sent a text to his pilot while the waiter served their food. For the first time in as long as he could remember, his nerves crackled with excitement over something other than an intriguing business deal. “Done. We leave tomorrow.”
“Great.” Fiona’s voice faltered slightly. This was moving so much faster than she expected. “Who knew I’d be eating sea urchin and going to Scotland all in the space of one week?”
What would her dad think about her leaving so soon after she’d arrived? The main purpose of her stay here was to build their relationship. After ten days they’d barely managed to relax enough to hold a conversation, and now she was taking off around the world with his sworn enemy?
She’d have to explain her plan. He’d understand and know she was only doing it for him. He’d be so happy when she figured out how to wrest his factory back from James Drummond’s octopuslike embrace. This man needed to be stopped, and she wasn’t afraid to do it.