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No problem for me. I waited for her to be ready, then gunned my engine and drove away from the hangar, tracking the river past Braithar, then Castle McRae, and over the bridge to the exit for the estate. From there, we rounded the loch and took the faster road east for a couple of minutes until we came to the village. I parked up outside the pub, watching Mia back neatly into a space one over. I opened her door for her with a sweeping hand gesture and a bow.
She giggled.
My blood heated. Why did everything about this woman turn me on so much? I had to remember my vow that this wasn’t a date, despite my dick having other ideas.
In the bar, I found us a table and pulled Mia’s chair out, pointing at the blackboard for the meal choices. “The steak’s good. I had their beer-battered cod a couple of times as well and I’d go back. Can’t attest to the rest of it, but pick whatever takes your fancy.”
Mia draped her jacket onto the back of her seat, giving me full chance to stare at her. In the cosy room, with the old boys bythe fire, the heavy wooden furniture, and the scent of ale in the air, she stood out, her blonde hair glossy and her figure driving me wild with every dip and curve.
Mia settled, and her gaze moved to something I couldn’t see.
She leaned in, pitching her voice low. “There’s a woman glaring daggers at you. She just walked in the door.”
I lifted my eyebrows, my curiosity on high alert. “Is it safe for me to look?”
She gave a subtle headshake. “Not yet. Nope. Wait…now.”
I snuck a quick peek over my shoulder, finding the lady in question instantly. Facing Mia again, I winced. “Oh dear.”
“Oh dear there’s your ex?”
I gave a dramatic shudder. “Nothing quite so horrendous. No, that lass is someone I turned down recently.”
It wasn’t the nicest memory, recalling how my anticipated night of fun had turned into sabotage.
Mia glared back at the woman. “Rude of her. You don’t owe her anything just because you weren’t interested.”
I wrinkled my nose. “No, it’s fair. I led her on, then at the last minute, I don’t know, panicked, maybe. I told her I was engaged, and she leapt from me like a scalded cat.”
Mia snorted laughter then quickly schooled her features. “Oh shit. She’s coming over.”
For fuck’s sake. I summoned strength and turned to face the incomer.
The woman arrived at our table and planted her hands on her hips. “Hello again. I’m surprised to see you out with another woman.”
Before I could answer, Mia stuck out her hand. “Hey there. I’m Mia, Valentine’s fiancée.”
The woman dragged her shocked gaze to my roommate. “Then I’m sorry for you. Your boy is an outrageous flirt. I wasn’t going to say anything, but I saw him whisper something to youthat made you laugh, and it pissed me off. From one woman to another, you need to have a word with him about his behaviour.”
Mia tilted her head. “I appreciate the concern, but the only person responsible for Valentine’s behaviour is Valentine.”
The woman shook her head. “You don’t understand. He was ready to take me home. He was going to cheat on you.”
Fuck that. “Mia’s right. I owe an apology for giving ye the come-on, but I’ve never cheated, and I never would. That’s unfair.”
The woman, whose name I wasn’t sure I’d known, appeared slightly mollified by my words, her hostility simmering. “Then you weren’t chatting me up?”
How the hell did I answer that without condemning myself? “Pretty sure flirting is my default mode. When it came to the crunch, I told ye my facts.”
“That’s…true. Maybe I’d had a drink too many and read into it. Apology accepted.” She slid her gaze back to Mia. “Good luck with that one.”
She left us and returned to her friends, their backs to us at the bar, though all of them threw us baleful glances.
Mia pulled an awkward expression. “I’m not sure I helped any there.”
“I don’t know. It’s kind of fun to be engaged again without warning.”
“My bad. I’ve no idea why I said that.”
