Catch My Breath (21 page)

"Aw. That's a cute one. I'll email it to you if you'd like. You can print it out and have it framed."

Andrew walked into the room carrying his iPad.

"She's already roped you into looking at wedding pictures? C'mon Day, she only got here this morning. Don't scare her away just yet." He sat on the chair opposite us. "Have you noticed there are three times as many pictures of her as there are of me? It's like I was a gatecrasher at my own wedding."

"Oh Andy. Please." Dayna brushed off his teasing with a wave.

"So, Lia. What time is this dashing date of yours stopping by to pick you up?" Andrew asked, crossing his legs at his ankles.

"He said eight-thirty. So, soon, I guess."

"Is my big sister nervous? This is so unlike you. You must really like him."

"I'm not nervous.”

“Lies, all lies,” Stephanie remarked as she bounded into the room. “You’re pink in the face, you non-blusher, you.”

“That’s enough out of you,” I grinned. “When’s Darren getting here?”

“He just texted me. He’s out front.”

“What?” Dayna looked hurt. “Why didn’t he ring the bell to come in?”

“He’s hungry,” Stephanie answered. “He sends his hellos and apologizes for being antisocial. Have fun with Alastair, Lia. See you guys later.”

She waved, scurrying out the door.

Turning to me, my baby sister pursed her lips in mock disbelief. "I still can't believe you managed to snag one of the world's most eligible bachelors without even realizing who he was. I wish you’d said something at the wedding.”

“There wasn’t anything to say at the time. He was just some random guy I’d met.”

“Alastair Holden is not just some random guy,” she retorted. “Do you know how many girls would kill to be in your shoes right now?”

“Easy, Dayna,” Andrew gently interjected.

I smiled at him, thankful for his ability to reel her in when she got overexcited about things.

The doorbell rang. Andrew popped up off the chair to answer it. Seconds later, I heard Alastair’s distinct, smooth voice.

The chattering got closer as the two men walked into the living room. Alastair searched the room, honing in on me immediately. He was impeccably dressed, as usual, in faded jeans and a dark green button down shirt. The color accentuated his vivid eyes.

Dayna stood up and walked over to him with an outstretched hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you Alastair. My sister has told me so much about you.”

"All good things, I hope." His animated grin was infectious. "It's lovely to meet you as well. How are things at the magazine?"

Dayna was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered. "Pretty good. I have several new restaurants to write about in the next issue. Andy and I will be spending a lot of time eating over the coming weeks."

"Not that anyone's complaining." Andrew laughed and rubbed his stomach. "Best thing I ever did was ask a food writer to marry me."

"Thanks, babe."

I stayed by the couch, watching him interact with my sister and Andrew. His guard was up. His whole demeanor was impenetrable.

"Care to join us, Amelia?" he asked, catching my eye. He stared right through me as I walked toward them.

"Where are you guys off to?" Dayna asked, noticing Alastair lace his fingers with mine.

“Haven’t decided yet,” he said, squeezing my hand.

"Well, we don't want to keep you guys from your night out. Do you have the spare key, Lia?"

"I do, Dayna. Thanks. I won't be out late."

"It was nice meeting you, Alastair. We should all go to dinner before Lia has to fly back to Orlando. Maybe on Monday night?"

"That sounds great. Nice meeting you both." He led me out the front door and down to the car. His sporty Mercedes was parked against the curb.

"You drove here from Glasgow?"

"I did."

"Hmm." I slid onto the plush leather seat. Alastair got in and lightly squeezed my thigh. The warmth of his touch seeped through my jeans.

"Did you have a good flight?"

"It was alright. A little bumpy." Familiar piano music filled the car. "Is this what you listened to on your drive down?"

"Part of the way, yes. Do you recognize it?"

"I do. You were playing it at your house. John Field, right?" I smiled.

"Good memory. This piece is called
Nocturne Number Five
."

We drove past Westminster Abby, over a bridge across the Thames and headed toward the Jubilee Gardens. I saw the London Eye illuminated against the night sky. Alastair found a place to park at the Park Plaza County Hall and grinned at me.

“Fancy floating above the city with me?"

"Floating?"

"Yes. Floating. Come on." He got out of the car and opened the passenger door; all the while an amused grin remained plastered to his face. We walked a relatively short distance toward the London Eye.

"Are we going on that?" I asked, gazing up at the gigantic wheel.

"We are. Hence the floating."

"Your snark is duly noted, Holden."

"Feisty as always, Meyers."

Inside the welcome center, he led me to the Priority Desk. The girl working behind the counter nearly fell over sideways when she saw him approach.

“Good evening, Mr. Holden,” she stammered. “I have your reservation here.”

I watched in amused silence as she tried to maintain a professional expression. She placed a bottle of champagne, along with two glasses, on the counter.

"The champagne is yours to keep, so don't feel as though you have to finish it while on the Eye. Here are your glasses and your tickets. I'll let the priority boarding gate know you've arrived. Thank you and have a lovely time."

"Would you mind carrying the glasses, Lia? Try not to drop them."

I followed him outside and up the metal walkway toward the priority boarding area. A young man waved us into an open capsule.

Alastair walked in first, placing the champagne on the wooden, oval bench in the center of the capsule. I went in after him and put the glasses down. The sliding doors closed with a small swoosh.

"It's just us?" I looked around wide-eyed.

"Of course it's just us.” He popped the cork and poured champagne. "For you."

He glanced at the capsules in front of and behind us. I did the same. They were empty.

"Come stand by the window with me,” he requested.

Joining him, I watched the ground become smaller and smaller as the capsule lifted higher.

"Have you been on during nighttime before?"

"No. Just during the day." I looked at the twinkling city lights. "It's so pretty."

"You're so pretty."

"Cheesy," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"I heard that." He squeezed my waist. "A toast,” he grinned, raising his glass.

"To what?"

"To your being here with me. And to proper date number two." He lightly tapped his glass against mine. We sipped in silence.

“I didn’t know you were keeping track.”

“Well,” he said, taking my glass and placing it on the bench with his, “I am.”

I had a difficult time tearing my eyes away from his. A warm sensation spread through my body when he wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm glad you're here," he whispered.

"Me too."

The window was at my back faster than I said those two words. Panicking for a second, I pressed my hands against his chest.

“Sorry,” he breathed. “You just look so…”

Slanting his head, he kissed me. It was gentle at first, then grew more intense. His quiet moans drove me insane. I knotted my fingers behind his neck, holding him in place. Parting my legs with his knee, the full weight of his body melted into mine.

For a second, I thought I was actually floating. My feet weren’t touching the floor. He’d hooked my legs around his waist, cupping my behind in a firm grasp. I did not care one iota that I was plastered against a pretty sizable window in the middle of London. This long, deep lustful kiss we were locked in vaporized any sense of modesty I normally employed.

Trapping my lower lip between his teeth, he bit it lightly. I slumped against the window and groaned.

"Jesus, Alastair."

"My Lia." Keeping me caged against the window, he focused his stare. It was wild and hot.
And possessive
. I stiffened against the glass.

A strange expression crossed his features. His eyes cooled down as his gaze softened. Fearing I’d made him think he was scaring me, I pressed my lips to his neck. His breathing became labored while I moved my tongue up his neck before nipping at his earlobe. A growl rose from the back of his throat. His mouth found mine again and we were locked in another passionate kiss.

Not even the promise of a clear, perfect view of London could lure me away from the pressure and warmth of his lips. He placed his hands on the glass, on either side of my head.

“Touch me, Lia,” he rasped. “I like when you put your hands on me.”

Resting his elbows on my shoulders, Alastair pressed his body into me even more.

I yanked the tails of his shirt out of his jeans, running my nails up his back. Groaning, he kissed me harder, swirling his tongue around mine. At this point, I didn't care that we were in a glass capsule hundreds of feet above the ground. I was all sensation and I wanted him.

Breathing hard, he pulled away, lowering my legs to the floor. Not wanting to break this moment, I hooked my fingers through the belt loops on his jeans and held him against me. He closed his eyes and moaned softly.

"We're missing the view, love."

"Not really."

"But I want you to see it. You can stare at my boring face for the next few days." He grinned and peeled his body away. "Come on."

Vibrating with want, I half-heartedly pushed myself off the window. I took Alastair's outstretched hand and let him lead me to the opposite side of the capsule.

"Stand in front of me."

I did. He banded his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"There, to the left, are Big Ben and Parliament.”

The buildings glowed a soft gold that reflected off the river. I’d seen them at night before, but not from such a high vantage point.

"Wow. They look so lovely."

Alastair buried his nose in my hair. I looked farther out into the distance at the various buildings and homes. All of them were lit up and practically twinkling.

"There's so much of London I want to share with you. So much of England. Can you stay longer than four days?"

"I wish. I have a little something called a job to get back to at some point.”

"Can you convince them to give you the rest of the month off?”

"You're cute,” I laughed. "I can't do that. I've already taken so much time off this year between the wedding and now. I'm probably going to be working straight through to the New Year at this rate."

"Hmm." He turned me so I faced him. His crisp button down shirt was a tad rumpled, as was his hair. "We have another fifteen minutes left. Would you like more champagne?"

"Only if you can will it over here. I'm not letting you go."

"I like the way you think, Meyers." He brushed his lips against mine briefly. "My aunt and uncle are looking forward to meeting you. My aunt especially. She's been asking me tons of questions about you."

"Oh, God. Really?"

"Don't worry. I didn't divulge too much information."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Cheeky. Come on. Champagne." He strode over to the bench and offered me a glass. I enjoyed a fairly sizable sip.

He turned and looked out the window. "If you peek out that way, you can still see Tower Bridge."

I looked in the direction Alastair was pointing. There, in the distance, stood Tower Bridge, glowing brightly as it stretched across the river.

"I may only go on this at night. These views are amazing."

"Glad you like it." He fidgeted a bit with his glass. An odd expression crossed his face briefly. I wasn't able to decipher it, as usual. I decided to nip any potential mood swings in the bud.

"Were you serious about wanting to show me around England?"

"Very. Why? Do you have something in mind?"

"Well, this will probably sound super touristy, but I've always wanted to see Stonehenge. Is it far from where your family lives?"

"Not too far. Maybe an hour or so by car. Would you like to go there?"

"Yes, please. Unless you'd rather not drive that far."

"I think I can handle a drive to Stonehenge." He grinned. "We'll go on Sunday. Sound good?"

"Sounds fantastic."

Standing close to him, I asked, "Feel like watching the rest of the skyline with me?"

"Most definitely."

Snuggling against his chest, I watched the ground draw closer and closer. The rhythm of Alastair's heartbeat sped up. Closing my eyes, I listened to it, knowing it was my touch that made him react this way.

I ran my hand lightly down the front of his shirt, stopping at the waistband of his jeans.

"Are you teasing me?"

I grinned. "No."

"No?"

He spun me around, holding both hands behind my back. His flashing green stare was filled with raw desire. He leaned in, but didn't kiss me. Instead, he let go of my hands and tickled me furiously. The playful, flirtatious look on his face was priceless. He was positively beaming.

Just when I thought I couldn't take any more, he stopped. A brilliant smile was plastered to his face.

The doors to the capsule swooshed open.

"Looks like our ride is over. Time to get you back to your sister’s.”

I smiled, knowing I had the whole weekend to spend with him. Butterflies rustled in my stomach. I had to remember to keep a cool head while I was here. The way he entwined his fingers through mine made me melt. He placed a light kiss on my knuckles. We walked along the banks of the river for a while, not saying anything to each other. It was a peaceful, relaxing stroll.

When we arrived at his car, he opened the door for me.

I studied his profile in the light and shadows of the passing street lamps as we drove back to Gypsy Hill.

“You’re staring.”

“Does it make you nervous?”

“No,” he smiled.