“No,” I agree. Nor the last. “But at the time, I was obsessed with Manic at Midnight and, admittedly, a bit with you. I had never had a crush on a celebrity before, and in true teenage fashion, I made it my mission to learn everything about you.
“When prom rolled around that spring, a few guys asked me to go, and I remember thinking, why waste my time when none of them held a candle to you?” I swallow, finally returning my gaze to him. “I guess that sentiment sort of stuck.”
“Mercury…”
“No.” I raise a hand. “I know what you’re going to say. It’s too complicated. It will only make things harder. My brother will never forgive you?—”
“I’ll do it.”
My head snaps up. “What?”
“I’ll do it,” he repeats, his eyes burning with an intensity I’ve never seen. “I’ll be your first. But on one condition.”
My stomach flutters, and I swallow a bundle of nerves. “Okay?”
“We take it slow. We go at my pace. Because if I’m going to be your first, I want to be your first…everything.”
Oh, sweet mercy.
Chapter Eighteen
ASHER
Mac looks over his notes and reads through them with his usual detached efficiency. “You have the tour of the local whiskey distillery with the earl tomorrow at eleven and the film premiere at eight in Edinburgh. The car will pick you and Miss Creed up promptly at six forty-five.”
Perfect. Another afternoon with my father. Another opportunity for him to remind me how much time I wasted gallivanting around in the States when I should have been home learning my place…
“Is there any way it can arrive any earlier?” I ask, referring to the film premiere. We don’t usually get many of those here, but the lead is a local man, and the historical drama was filmed mostly in Scotland. “I’d love to arrange a private dinner for the two of us, if possible.”
His face softens, no longer devoid of emotion. “Yes, my lord. I can certainly have that arranged. Anything in particular in mind?”
I’ve had dinner with Mercury every day for five weeks. I’ve seen her turn up her nose at scallops and devour shrimp. Butthere’s one thing she eats over and over, without fail. Smiling, I answer. “Italian. She loves pasta.”
“Very good.”
Just as he starts back in with his notes on my upcoming schedule, Niall, the house butler, walks into the sitting room. “Pardon the interruption, my lord, but a guest has arrived at the gate for you.”
“For me?” I’m not expecting anyone today.
“Yes. Normally, we would turn away any unplanned arrivals at the gate seeking an audience with you, but he is on your list of approved guests.”
Since the Darius incident, when my parents turned away my bandmate without my knowledge, I had a heated conversation with my mother, and we both agreed it would be wise for me to send a list to security so that if anyone else showed up, they would not be treated with the same disrespect.
“Send him up.”
“Y-yes, my lord,” he replies, stumbling a little, probably because I didn’t ask who it is.
I don’t need to. There are only a few names on that list, so it’s either one of my bandmates or my manager. But considering our interview with theMorning Starjust went live yesterday, I have a good guess who’s here.
I send a quick text to Mercury.
Me
Have you spoken to your brother lately?
She replies almost instantly.
Mercury
