Ian (Las Vegas Sidewinders Book 15), page 13
“It is?” Liam looked shocked.
“Of course.” Ian frowned. “This is about the family name and our heritage, not just me or you or Granddad.”
“It’s because of The Ember Group, isn’t it?” Lachlan said thoughtfully. “They’re a bunch of wankers and they turned you off to the whole damn thing.”
“They did,” Ian admitted. “But the work was no fun either. It was a combination. Not to mention the amount of money I lose if I leave hockey.”
“Your father and I came up with a plan that one of his five sons would be the family solicitor so we didn’t have to outsource, and we gave the choice to Ian and Liam. Since neither of them want to do it, are any of the other three of you interested?”
“Me.” Finn didn’t even hesitate. “I’m not going to work with those Ember wankers, though. So you’ll have to find me somewhere else to intern. In fact, I think we should start looking at a new firm sooner rather than later.”
Another awkward silence filled the room and finally the duke spoke up. “You’re interested in the law, lad?”
“I am.”
“Why did you never mention it to me before?”
“No one ever asked and it’s always the older boys getting the attention. I’ve applied to law school but I have another year of undergraduate studies first.”
The conversation went off-topic, their grandfather asking him a dozen questions and offering suggestions. Ian watched and listened, but didn’t say anything since he’d gone to law school in the U.S. and had a different perspective on things.
“What do you think, Ian?” Finn asked him directly after a few minutes.
“I think it’s fantastic if you’re relatively sure you’ll enjoy the work.”
“I like contracts, words, finding loopholes… It’s a mindfuck, which is my thing.”
“Better you than me,” Lachlan murmured.
“It seems like we’ve accomplished far more than I thought we would,” the duke admitted after a bit more casual conversation.
“Then I’m out,” Liam said. “I’ve got to get to the office.”
“I’ll ride in with you.” Lachlan followed him out.
“I’m going back to bed,” Mac said, lumbering to his feet.
“I guess I’ll find something to do.” Finn shrugged, bumping fists with Ian before going after his brothers.
Ian sank into the chair across from his grandfather and looked at him warily. “I’m confused.”
“About what?” His grandfather poured himself another cup of coffee.
“All this pomp and circumstance and I’m not sure what the purpose was.”
“To bring the five of you together to talk, see how everyone feels.”
“And?”
“You’re still the firstborn of my firstborn, and a future duke. You’re just not the future family lawyer.”
“That’s it?” Ian cocked his head. “All the years of manipulation and stress and worry, and you’re over it?”
21
The duke looked the tiniest bit contrite. “I’m not over it, but I’m a realist. I don’t have the power to change your mind, and I’ve already lost a child. That’s not a pain I ever want to feel again. So you’ll go back to America and be the fantastic athlete that you are, make your money, and maybe someday you’ll come home to be the head of our family. You don’t have to be the head of the company to do that, though I hope you’ll hold on to your shares and keep an eye on the lads when I’m gone. You’ve the coolest head of the five of you, and with Liam at the helm, you’ll need to rein him in on occasion.”
“You’re leaving me shares in the company?”
“Don’t be daft. Of course you’ve shares in the company. What kind of man would I be to cut you off simply because you’re your own man? And a rich one at that.”
“But—”
“Don’t push your luck. Now, don’t you have a date with your young lady today?”
“Actually, no. She’s shopping with Isla.” Ian paused. “Would you be interested in a round of golf?”
The older man smiled. “I’d like that very much, lad. Shall we ask Mac and Finn to join us?”
“How about we do just us this time?”
Everly and Isla spent a wonderful day together, shopping and having high tea at a beautiful place called the Grand Cafe. It was a magical afternoon and she felt like a princess, something she hadn’t experienced in a long time. It wasn’t that it was so fancy, despite the crystal chandeliers and flutes of prosecco, it was more about the aura. The company. Even the damn tea. Between the elegant finger sandwiches, the fresh scones, and the desserts, it was the kind of treat she rarely indulged in. So far, she was charmed by everything she’d seen and done in Scotland and she was barely a week into her trip.
They talked and laughed throughout the day and Everly felt like she had a friend that had nothing to do with Ian. Between the secrets in her past and her job, she kept her circle of friends small by design, and now the familiar rush of guilt washed over her. She hated lying about who she was, who her father was. But there was no help for that. She simply didn’t trust easily, and though she would have loved to come clean, finding out what Ian’s family did for a living had changed everything. How did the daughter of a world-class thief admit her identity to a titled family who ran one of the largest financial firms in the U.K.?
The smart thing to do would be to end everything now. She could move to Inverness for a week or two and cut all ties with the Campbells. That would minimize the chance of having her heart broken and having them find out who she really was, but the thought of never seeing Ian again was unbearable. It hadn’t been long but they had something special. Her hope was that once they’d established they were on the same page about the future of their relationship, which could only come with time, she would find a way to explain the truth. If things fizzled out between them before that, no harm, no foul.
At least that’s what she kept telling herself. Their chemistry was almost tangible and they were in bed before she could form a cognizant thought about anything.
“You were supposed to buy me dinner first,” she teased as they nestled together in bed.
“I still will,” he responded. “I just couldn’t wait to touch you, beautiful.”
“I like it better when you call me lass.”
“You’re a bit enamored with Scotland, I think.”
“A lot enamored with Scotland. And a certain green-eyed Scot.” She pressed her lips to his shoulder, licking salty sweat from the skin.
“Likewise. Lass.” He kissed her, his lips tender, grazing hers over and over, his hands roaming her body as if he owned it.
She’d never been with a man who made her feel so many conflicting emotions. Excitement. Passion. Fear. Need. She rarely allowed anyone to get this close to her, but Ian was different.
Her stomach growled, loudly, making them both chuckle and interrupting their passion.
“You weren’t kidding about dinner, eh?” He turned onto his side and looked at her. “What do you feel like? We can go somewhere or order takeaway. There’s a good Chinese place not far from here. I bet they’d send it over.”
“Oh, yes, let’s do that.” She’d just sat up when the phone rang and she saw it was Margot trying to FaceTime her. Considering she and Ian were both naked, she didn’t respond.
“Not wanting your friend to see me naked?” Ian asked, grinning.
“Not tonight. Maybe when we know each other better.”
He playfully wiggled his eyebrows. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
He pulled on boxers and then got out his phone. He handed it to her after searching for something. “There’s the menu. Let me know what you want and we’ll order.” He disappeared into the bathroom and she took a moment to enjoy the view of his glorious backside and muscular back before focusing on what she wanted to eat. Mostly, she wanted him. Had she ever been so in lust with a guy before? She couldn’t remember when. Of course, there was so much more to Ian than good looks.
By the time he came out of the bathroom she still hadn’t decided what to eat and handed him back his phone. “Just order some stuff. I’ll eat almost anything.”
He arched a brow. “Really? You’ll let me pick?”
“Sure.” She got out of bed. “I have to pee.”
Ian had just hung up from placing the order when she came out of the bathroom in a tank top and panties. He’d just ravaged her body and could go again, but he reached out his arms to her instead. She settled back into bed against him, sliding her legs between his.
“Food’s coming,” he said dryly. “If you keep that up, neither of us will be in any condition to go down and get it.”
“Fine.” She laughed good-naturedly. “So tell me what happened with your grandfather this morning.”
He shook his head. “You wouldn’t believe it. He was so mellow about almost everything.” He gave her an abridged version of the meeting.
“So you’re off the hook? You can just keep playing hockey and forget about your law career and the family business?”
“Well, yes and no. He still wants me involved. He said something about me keeping an eye on Liam when he’s gone.”
“Doesn’t he trust him?”
“He does, of course, but Liam’s a bit of a hothead. He’s the one always getting in bar fights and such. Not a bad lad, just no patience for stupidity, and while I get it, you can’t run a multimillion-dollar business that way.”
“No, of course not.”
“Granddad and I spent the day golfing, just the two of us, and it was nice. First time in a long time we’ve had such a fun day together. Except for the dads’ trips.”
“Dads’ trips?”
“Most pro teams do a dads’ trip every year, where all of us bring our dads on a road trip and there are fun events to go along with it. My father only got to go on one before he passed. Granddad couldn’t bring himself to go the first couple of years, but he’s gone on the last two with me and loved them. Most relaxed I’ve ever seen him. On his best behavior too, not talking about my law degree or anything. That’s what he was like today.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Very good, but it also makes me nervous, like he’s setting me up for something.”
“You think so?” She wrinkled her nose. “He loves you. There’s no doubt about the pride and affection he has for his grandchildren. At least from what I saw.”
“He does, but he likes to get his way and I’m not sure he’s got the patience to wait for Finn to finish school.”
“But what could he do?”
“Technically, nothing. But guilt? He’s good at it. I can picture him faking an illness, claiming I’m the only one who can save the family…or some such nonsense.”
“You should have more faith.” She was tracing little circles on his chest with her finger. “Besides, you won’t be here much longer, right? When do you go back to Vegas?”
“Early August. I need to be back in my routine before training camp starts in September. I stay in shape but it’s hard to stay disciplined here. Come August, I’ll be back in the zone physically.”
“I should figure out how to get in the zone physically,” she sighed. “I’m terrible about exercise. I truly don’t know why I don’t weigh a thousand pounds.”
“I can think of lots of ways to burn off calories while you’re here,” he murmured, kissing her lightly.
“Food is coming,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, yeah.” He sat up. “By the way, I mentioned to Granddad that you might be interested in seeing the birds and he was excited. What are you doing next Thursday? He works from home on Thursdays and said he would beg off around two and you could have a lesson in falconry.”
“Will you come too?”
“Of course.”
Ian had never considered himself a romantic, usually focusing on short-term, physical relationships and steering clear of women that looked for attachment, emotions or commitment. Everything about Everly changed that in him. He stayed with her at the bed and breakfast and followed her around like a lost puppy as she worked all day. She’d photographed two more castles, both Lauriston and Craigmillar, since they were close to Edinburgh and both held particular elements she wanted to capture. She also spent one afternoon photographing what felt like every piece of architecture in and around the city, from St. Giles’ Cathedral to Rosslyn Chapel. He still couldn’t get over how much she loved every inch of every castle, every piece of history that adorned the country. She couldn’t get enough of it and he couldn’t get enough of her.
They were headed to Huntington today—he hadn’t been home in a week—for her falconry lesson with the duke. He knew all the birds and had enjoyed it some as a child, but he’d been gone for years and didn’t usually have a lot of free time when he was home. However, Everly had this today and her second interview with his mother tomorrow, which meant two days he wouldn’t have her to himself, which had become important to him somehow.
He had an idea, though, and as they drove to Huntington, he tested it out on her. “So, I was thinking…”
“Yeah?” She glanced at him. “About?”
“Would you like to get out of Edinburgh for a week?”
“And go where?” she asked.
“A few places. But I thought we’d head north and west, stop at Stirling Castle and then head up to Inverness. I know you want to take the tour of Loch Ness. There are a handful of castles along the way and Urquhart is not to be missed.”
“Urquhart is on my list!” she said with a grin. “You know me too well.”
“I’m getting there.” He pulled into the driveway and got out of the rental car. He usually used Liam’s when he was home since Liam and Lachlan could drive into the office together in Lachlan’s Mercedes, but since he was staying with Everly and she had the rental, it was convenient. She usually let him drive as well since she wasn’t yet used to being on the left side of the road. It always took him a few days to adapt as well since he’d been driving on the right since he was eighteen.
“Well, I’m down for whatever you have in mind. Road trips with hot guys in kilts is a bucket list item.”
He cut his eyes to her, holding back a chuckle. “Did I say anything about a kilt?”
“You’re Scottish—you must have one.” She paused. “Don’t you?”
“I do, but we don’t just randomly wear them. Usually just for a wedding or special event, something quite formal.”
“Oh. I guess that’s why the only ones I’ve seen so far have been people taking wedding pictures or dressed in costumes.”
“That’s about right. But I could probably be convinced to wear mine.”
“Yeah?” She got out of the car. “What would you want in return?”
“Wild monkey sex in the barn?”
“You have a barn? And what kind of sex, exactly, is wild monkey sex?” She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot. She was totally calling his bluff.
He laughed and slid an arm around her shoulders. “I have no bloody idea. I was being glib. However, a buddy of mine is getting married in a couple of weeks and my mates and I were going to wear kilts with Ghillie brogues.”
“Ghillie brogues? I have no idea what that is. Now I have to research.”
“Or I could just show you.”
“Okay, yeah, we could do that.”
“They’re shoes,” he whispered as they walked around the house to a small building in the back. “Specific to wearing with kilts. They’re a bit like wing tips, very formal.”
“I have so much to learn.”
“And I look forward to teaching you.”
22
They walked into what looked like a barn, but once inside there were what looked like kennels, except made for birds. They were closed but roomy, with one bird in each.
“Oh, wow, is that a bald eagle?” she asked.
Ian nodded. “It was injured. Granddad rehabilitated it, but it can’t fly anymore, so it has to stay here. It’s called Wingman. I believe Finn named him when he was about twelve.”
“The bird or Finn?”
“Finn was twelve. I believe Wingman is about twenty-five.”
“Do they live a long time?”
“About twenty years in the wild, but longer in captivity.”
“Wow.” She looked around, her eyes wide. “Oh, look, that’s a peregrine falcon!”
“Yes, that’s Mercury.”
“Like the planet?”
“Like Freddie.”
“Was your grandfather a Queen fan?”
“Still am.” The older man joined them. “I see Ian’s showing you around.”
“Yes. This is amazing. I’m fascinated with birds, especially falcons and hawks.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place.” The duke walked over to one of the cages, pulled a long leather glove on his left hand and up his arm, and held it out to Mercury. The bird hopped on obligingly and the duke spoke to him in a soothing voice. “Hello, love. How’re you today? You being a good lad? Come say hello to Everly.”
She turned with a smile.
“He likely won’t bite, but don’t reach for him because he doesn’t know you and he might think you’re his lunch.”
She grimaced. “I won’t.”
“Ian, be a good lad and get Everly a glove.”
Ian nodded and grabbed a couple from a hook on the wall.
“Birds of prey aren’t like parrots and other domesticated animals, but I’ve had most of mine for a long time. I’ve raised Mercury since he was hatched, so we’re old buddies and he’s fairly tame. I still don’t trust him not to bite a stranger, though I can handle him.” He stroked the bird’s belly and Mercury cocked his head curiously. “As you can see, they’re not used to it so I tend not to do it, but he knows not to bite me.”
“He’s beautiful.”
“I think so too.”
Ian handed her a glove and she slipped it on.
