He's Captured My Heart (Captured Series Book 1) (17 page)

“Kieran, give me a minute to get dressed, okay?” I say, leaving him in the sitting room. I fumble through drawers and my wardrobe looking for clothes. I throw on a grey work dress and grab a matching jacket in case I need it.

“Kieran, come on in. I’m decent now,” I call to him.

“Right, missy. Do you have a plan of attack? Why didn’t you answer your bloody phone when I called you earlier? You know this makes for some good headlines. And the picture they got of you—I can’t remember the last time I seen you looking so damn hot. Oh hell yeah, I do, when you were leaving here
last night, actually.” Kieran sits down on the bed, looking at me with curiosity. He picks up my phone and hands it to me. “See? Look at all the missed calls you have. And messages. You are a very popular young lady this morning.”

Good god, there’s a dozen missed calls from my dad, a couple from Ethan, and—of course—from Kirsty and Kieran, along with several text messages as well.

Kieran: Your dad’s looking for you. He woke me xx K

Kieran: Phone me xx K

Kieran: OMG!!! HAVE YOU SEEN TODAY’S

PAPERS? PHONE ME!!! XX K

Ethan: Well you’ve done it this time, Lib. But you look fab in the pic. Love u.

“I suppose you better give me the paper. Let’s see what all the fuss is about.”

Kieran moves off the bed and steps over to the dresser, where I am trying to do something with my hair. He gives me the paper and picks up the hairdryer from the floor and takes the brush out of my hand.

“You read,” he says. “I’ll do your hair. You need to look professional today.”

Oh my god
. There are two pictures on the front page with a big headline:

HAS ALEX FOUND HIS VERY OWN FLOWER OF SCOTLAND?

Is that cheesy or what? Who comes up with these headlines? Not the most original I’ve seen.

The pictures are both from inside the restaurant last night. One shows Alex and me looking relaxed and comfortable with each other. His arm is draped round me or rather the chair, it’s hard to tell which. The other one is of just me, and Kieran is right; I
do
look good in this one, and I know why I looked so happy. Alex had just teased me about dessert.

Has one of America’s most eligible bachelors been snapped up by our very own Miss Elizabeth Stewart? “Libby” Stewart is the beautiful daughter of Phil Stewart and his wife, Jane. Phil is said to be working alongside Alexander Mathews. So does that mean Alex already has her father’s seal of approval? We can only imagine there are a lot of broken hearts today with this news. We have it from a very reliable source that they have already started house-hunting in Glasgow. Both are said to be impressed with what they’ve seen so far but will continue looking until they find the perfect property. Our source has said they look “very much in love.”

Alex has in the past been linked with various women in the States. As recently as just a few weeks ago, he was spotted arm in arm with American actress Katherine Hunter. Sources close to Miss Hunter say she is still looking forward to her trip to the UK next week for her film premiere and that she plans to catch up with Alex as well. The rumour mill stateside has been in overdrive for weeks, speculating on Alex and Katherine’s relationship and saying she was ‘the one.’ But one look at our pictures will have you believing otherwise
.

Our pictures show a young couple very much in love, enjoying a romantic night out. Other diners at the restaurant said that the couple looked very happy in each other’s company and spotted them kissing and cuddling several times throughout the evening. Management at the restaurant had no comment to make on the loved-up couple, but that comes as no surprise seeing as Phil Stewart is part owner
.

I stop reading. I’ve read enough. I can’t agree with one thing that’s been written. At least I know Dad isn’t responsible for this story. I glance up at Kieran, who is standing behind me admiring his handiwork. I have to agree; he’s made a great job of my hair. All
I have to do now is put on some makeup and
hey presto!
I might just be presentable.

“Well, love, I think it makes for some damn fine reading. And breathless readers like me anxiously wonder if there’s any truth to the story.”

“Oh, Kieran,” I say with a sigh. “There is no truth in it. I went and viewed a flat for me. Alex, Michael, and Kirsty all tagged along for something to do, and then we all went out for dinner.”

“That much I know. But come on—these pictures tell a story. You look radiant! You’re positively glowing,” he says. I know what he is waiting to hear. “I’ve seen the chemistry between the two of you. Now I find you both half-dressed and looking like…well, I know that look, honey. Tell me everything!”

“There’s really nothing to tell. Now do we not have a wedding today?” I say, standing up changing the subject. I head to the bathroom to put on some foundation, face powder, and mascara. That’s as good as it’s going to get today.

We head downstairs. Already the hotel is busy, with staff all in early to set up. Kieran’s checked and double-checked the weather forecast for today, and its full steam ahead for a romantic outdoor wedding, with the reception in our grand hall. Fussing over the details will help me keep my mind off everything else. I’ll be too busy to fume about the photos.

My phone bleeps with an incoming text:

Alex: Beautiful pic in the paper. Your dad will be here soon to speak with you and pick me up.

Shit.

“Kieran, can you delegate some staff to start setting up for the ceremony and preparing the hall? The cake will be delivered shortly, along with the flower arrangements for the tables and the arrangements for outside.” I pause, hearing a loud voice coming from the entrance. I don’t need to turn to see who it is. Dad. “I need to speak with my father. I’ll be in the office if you need me.”

“No bother. Can we do breakfast at nine? If we don’t, who knows when we’ll have a chance to eat later?”

“Yeah, sure.” I turn to greet my dad, who looks furious. I really don’t need this today.

“Morning, Dad. What brings you here this fine morning?” I say without making eye contact.

“
Office. Now
.” His voice is commanding. Shite. He sounds furious with me.

I nod my head. He walks on in front of me, muttering under his breath. What he’s saying, though, I don’t know. I send Alex a quick text:

Libby: He’s here. Not happy. My office.

Dad’s pacing the floor. Well, I may as well get comfy. I could be here for some time. I walk round
my desk and sit down. I wish Alex would hurry up and get here.

“Do you have any idea how I feel being the last to know what my own daughter is getting up to? My phone has been ringing off the hook since before five. Your poor mother is worried sick.”

“Stop right there,” I say, taking a deep breath just as Alex walks in.
Thank heavens
. He’s changed into a suit, and he looks so different from when I saw him last. He looked hot then; actually, he still looks hot. I have to turn away, as I am desperately fighting the urge to go straight into his arms. My dad turns to him.

“And as for you—” he starts to say, but I cut him off.

“No, Dad, enough.” My voice is raised. “First things first. Do you always believe what you read in the paper?” Dad shakes his head. “Do you
honestly
think I would move in with someone without telling you first?” He shakes his head again. “I went to look at a flat—for me.
Only
me. Alex, Mathew, and Kirsty all came with me because, as per your request, I’m spending time with your client. We all went out to dinner. I am not really that sure what the problem is, you wanted us to be seen together. Is it because you didn’t orchestrate it yourself?” I snap.

He still doesn’t look happy. But he can’t argue: he
was
the one who asked me to spend time with Alex. He’ll have to deal with the consequences.

“And the pictures?”

“Oh, Dad. Alex’s arm was resting on the back of my chair, not round me. And we were all laughing at Kirsty, who was moaning that her dad told her to get a job.”

Dad studies me for a moment before bursting out laughing. He knows Kirsty as well as I do. Alex looks at me and mouths,
well done
. Thank god for that.

“What about the one of you on your own?” Dad asks.

“That must have been taken when we were leaving the restaurant, but I can’t remember what we were all talking about then,” I tell him.

“Do you have any idea where they got the pictures and their information?” Alex asks.

Suddenly I remember the woman taking pictures on her phone. “There was a diner with a camera phone taking pictures of her friends…I thought,” I say. “And as for the flat, I will be phoning Eric at the office when it opens to make a complaint about Lynn. It could only be her who made up the story. Although what she hoped to gain from it, I’ll never know. And it’s not just the story. I wasn’t happy with how she acted.”

“Okay. I suppose the whole story could work in our favour. We could end up with some extra PR out of this. I’ll work on a press release straightaway.” There’s always an angle Dad can use, usually to his
advantage. I’m not at all happy that his angle now involves me. “So the flat, was it any good?”

“Yeah, Dad, I loved it, although it is much bigger than the house I just sold. Why don’t you come and see it with me…maybe tonight before I put an offer in?”

“Okay, I’ll let your mother know. We could go for dinner.”

“Sounds good,” I say. I look at Alex. “Now if we’re set here, I have plenty of work to get on with.”

“Yes, sweetheart, of course. And we need to be heading into the city. Call me later with the plans for tonight. Love you.” Dad leans in and gives me a kiss on my cheek before heading out of the office.

“Alex,” I call as he follows my dad.

He walks back towards me and leans down. I tremble in anticipation of his touch. He places a soft kiss on my lips and then turns. He walks away without saying a word. I sink into my chair, overcome with emotions.

I am still sitting there staring into space when Kieran walks into the office a good fifteen minutes later. “Right. Come on, missy, we have work to do,” he says, casually walking round the desk and taking my hands so I get up.

The rest of the morning whirls by, and before we know it, it’s one o’clock. There were a few teething problems that I’ve had to sort out. The restaurant had forgotten to put its wine order into the supplier, so I made the call and pulled a few strings with a promise of a complimentary meal for two. Then there were the flowers—the delivery driver dropped the flowers for our wedding at another hotel, an easy mistake to sort out, although it did put us behind schedule a bit.

Kieran was right that we should have stopped for breakfast. Now it’s time for a break. I go in search of him, which could be a task in itself today. Moving about the hotel is not easy today; I’m constantly getting stopped by staff and asked questions—most of which relate to today’s wedding but some of which are innocent queries about when I’ll be making a happy announcement of my own. I set them straight and focus on the wedding. The bride and her attendants are all here and getting pampered in their room. An endless supply of food and drinks has been taken up to them.