He's Captured My Trust (Captured Series Book 2) (20 page)

We both lift our heads at the same time.

“Grace said you would be back in the office then, so can I presume Libby goes home on Tuesday?”

“Yes, you presume correctly.” Alex turns back to me and smiles. “Home for the time being.”

I try to contain my emotions, or at least I contain them better than Katherine, who splutters her drink everywhere. Sophie and Michael both laugh. Everyone else at the table turns their attention to Katherine.

“Shit.”

James hands her a napkin so she can clean up, but she is still muttering under her breath.

“Sorry, baby, I couldn’t resist,” Alex whispers. “Don’t be mad at me?” he pleads with his eyelashes fluttering. Really! That is not getting him off the hook tonight. Mad? I am
furious.

“Alex,
baby,
you really don’t want to see me mad. We are not discussing this again tonight.” My voice is low and steady, and I hold eye contact with him. He will not intimidate me into making a rash
decision.
Exasperating
is definitely the right word for him tonight.

“So things are looking serious between you two then?” It’s a question from James.

“Yes,” is the swift, short reply from Alex, without turning to face James. His eyes are still focused on me.

Even without looking at him, I feel his gaze burning through me. Me, I’m trying to focus on the food in front of me, anything other than Alex’s words about
home.
The soup that has been placed in front of me is alright. No, it’s probably lovely, but I have been put off it altogether.

“Libby.” Sophie’s whispered voice distracts me.

I turn, and she is stretched behind Alex’s back.

“As soon as the main course is finished, excuse yourself from the table. We need to talk.”

I nod.

Alex is talking to Connor and doesn’t notice our brief conversation.

The conversation is in full flow at the table. Sarah and Richard are speaking with Emma and her parents about wedding arrangements. I hear parts of it, but truth be told, my thoughts have wandered to my earlier conversation with Alex. Connor, Michael, and Alex are discussing his trip back to the UK, and Michael seems to be winding Alex up, saying I’ll get fed up with some of his bad habits. His bad habits are the least of my worries right now as I close myself off from the rest of the table.

The waiting staff clear the soup bowls and refill the wineglasses on the table. James joins in his parents’ conversation every now and again, but I notice that Katherine is as quiet as I am, although she is definitely drinking more than I am. But her gaze never wanders far from Alex and I. She seems deep in thought. Plotting, maybe planning her next move.

“Are you alright?” Alex’s voice is low.

Instantly, I turn my head to him, and I see the creases around his eyes and concern etched all over his face.

He takes my hand in his and strokes it gently.

I smile and nod.

“Libby, are you sure? You’re miles away.”

“Yeah. Sorry. A few things on my mind.”

“Baby, I take it this is my fault?” His hand moves from mine and reaches toward my face, cupping my chin and tilting it upward so that I have no option but to look into those eyes again.

“Yeah, but don’t worry about it.”

“I always worry about you,” he says, leaning forward and kissing the bridge of my nose. My eyes flutter shut and I inwardly smile at this all-too-brief but intimate touch. “Libby?”

I open my eyes to see the waiting staff back at the table with the next course. Alex keeps a tight hold of me, and this time, as the conversation flows, I don’t shut myself out. Sophie and I have a good giggle about my shopping trip at her boutique, and Sarah joins in during breaks in her conversation with Emma’s parents. I feel a lot more relaxed. Maybe that’s because Katherine has avoided looking at Alex or me and has spent much of her time talking to James. Emma also looks a little—and I will stress the
little
—more relaxed. She certainly isn’t knocking back the alcohol the way she did last night. No, I think Katherine is doing well enough for all of us in that department, all on her own.

“So, Libby, I presume you’re coming up to your busy time in the hotel with Christmas and New Year’s fast approaching?” James asks, distracting me from the other conversations around the table.

Alex squeezes my hand in acknowledgment, but carries on with the conversation he is having with Michael.

“Yes.” My eyes shift across the table to James.

“Will you get much time off at such a busy time? You know, to spend time with family?”

“No, I’ll be working right through.”

Alex turns at my words.

I don’t need to look at him. I feel his movements rather than see them. “The hotel is fully booked until the first week in January, and, with the restaurant and all the party nights, there aren’t many who get time off, although I do try to accommodate all the staff working around their family lives by giving them flexible shifts.”

As I’m speaking to James, I get the feeling he is trying to stir up trouble, although I’m not sure why. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he was looking to stir up trouble on my arrival on Thursday.

I can feel Alex’s eyes burrowing through me as I continue speaking to James.

“So you two haven’t made plans for the festive period yet? Such a shame,” Katherine hisses through her gritted teeth.

“Of course we have,” Alex barks back at her.

This is news to me. I turn at his words and am met with his stunning smile. Everyone at the table falls silent, obviously waiting with bated breath as I am to hear what he is going to say next. All eyes are focused on Alex,
waiting.

“I was going to surprise you,” he says, raising his hand and placing it on my cheek. His hand is warm and soft as it touches my skin. “When I come to Scotland in two weeks, you already know I’ll be staying for a few weeks.” I nod, unable to say anything else. “I’m staying for Christmas and New Year’s, if you’ll have me.”

“Of course I’ll have you,” I shriek in excitement as I throw myself the short distance between us into his arms, much to his amusement. He pulls me onto his lap and laughs. The look of sheer delight must be written all over my face, and for once I don’t care who sees it. “I love you,” I whisper as I lean forward to kiss him.

“So, you’re happy, baby?”

“Of course I am.”

“See, my dear brother? I told you that you had nothing to worry about,” Sophie pipes up.

No, he had nothing to worry about at all. Now I’ll have to look at my own shifts when I get home and see what days I can maybe finish early.

“So,
Katherine,
I think that wiped the smug look off your face,” Sophie says matter-of-factly.

Katherine doesn’t say a word. They say actions speak louder than words. And Katherine’s do just that as she excuses herself from the table.

“My friend, you always manage to get everyone’s attention.” Michael laughs as we turn back and look at him. Standing just over his shoulder, a photographer is snapping away on his camera, which is aimed at Alex and me.

I shrug before kissing him again.

“Have you two quite finished?” Michael’s voice carries across the table. “You will put us all off the main course.”

I flush at his words, slowly peel myself away from Alex, and sit back in my chair. I can’t hide the smile on my face.

“So, Libby, looks like you’ll have to arrange some time off,” James says sarcastically.
Seriously,
what is it with certain people at this table? Do they not have their own lives to contend with? Or maybe their lives are so boring they have to involve themselves in other people’s.

I don’t look at James. My eyes are still firmly set on the man sitting beside me as I answer him. “It looks like it.”

Alex smiles, that dazzling smile that reaches all the way up to his eyes. I sigh inwardly as I take in the man who looks overjoyed at this moment.

“So, I am going to miss both my boys for Christmas Day this year, with Connor at Emma’s and Alex now planning to stay in Scotland.” Sarah sounds a little deflated as she says it, but she has a mask firmly in place so others don’t see how upsetting the thought is to her.

“Sarah . . .” Richard places his hand in his wife’s, giving her some reassurance. Even after God knows how many years of marriage, the love between the two of them is still there for all to see.

“I’m fine. Just being a bit silly. And anyway, maybe we should enjoy the peace, sweetheart, because I’m sure in a few years we’ll have grandchildren to keep us entertained.” Sarah smiles warmly at her children.

Sophie shakes her head as if to say, “Not me.” Connor and Emma smile lovingly at each other, and as for Alex, his eyes are firmly set on me.

“So, Libby, with it being Lucy’s first Christmas, will you get the chance to see her?” Sarah asks.

“Yeah, I was planning on staying at Ethan’s Christmas Eve so I could see them both in the morning before work. But given Alex’s surprise, I’ll have to rethink that.”

The main course is served as Katherine comes back to the table, and she takes her seat without speaking. James whispers in her ear, to which she only nods in response. The conversation continues to flow around the table as everyone tucks into the main course. The glasses have all been refilled with wine, and a waiter has brought some beers over. Katherine is still quiet and sombre looking.

The quiet side to her is perfect, but I get the feeling it won’t stay like that for long. It would be nice to see the side of her that Alex sees as his friend, but I think he has his own questions regarding their friendship. If I’m honest, I’ll admit I don’t think I’ll ever see that side of her, given the confession that she loves him. Not only does she love him, but she made it perfectly clear she’ll do anything to get him. I shake those thoughts straight back to where they came from—the back of my mind.

“Excuse me,” I say, pushing my chair back.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“Just going to the ladies’ room.”

“Do you need me to show you the way?” Alex asks with a glint in his eye.

“It’s fine. I’m heading that way as well,” Sophie tells him, getting up from the chair.

I can feel Alex’s eyes watching me as we leave the room. Neither of us speak.

“The ladies’ is down the hall,” Sophie mutters as we exit the great room. I nod. “Libby, I can guess what’s wrong with you and Alex, but I think you should tell me.”

“He wants me to stay,” I blurt out.

Sophie stops walking and frowns. There is a seating area to our left, and she signals for us to go and sit down on the couches. We sit and face each other. “Right. I had a feeling he would. Libby, you have to understand. My brother is used to getting his own way. Usually it’s only in business. A relationship is a whole new ball game to him. He’ll fuck up, probably more than once. But I do know he loves you. That’s something alien to him. Yes, he loves his family—we don’t doubt that—but that’s different. I know you love him. If you two are to have any chance of happiness, you’ll have to talk, and that won’t be easy for him either.” She laughs, and I smile, because I know what she means.

“Yes, I love him. You know that, just as anyone who looks at me when I’m with him would know it. But I think things are moving too fast.”

“Only you can decide the pace, slow it down,” Sophie says. “He’ll follow your lead. He’ll push to get what he wants, and right now the only thing he wants is you. You both have separate lives and family commitments as well. Those are all things you’ll have to consider. I don’t doubt that if you do work things out, one of you will have to give up a lot.”

“That’s just it, Sophie. I know it will be me giving up, because of his business.”

“Not necessarily. I love my brother dearly, and of course we would miss him, but with his work, he travels a great deal. Most of our contact is texting, e-mails, and the odd phone call. I shouldn’t say it, but Alex could be based anywhere in the world.” She pauses and smiles. “I know he’s given you a tour of this place in the hopes it might help with your decision. But you have to do what’s right for you. If you did, for argument’s sake, move here, there would be times he wouldn’t be here. You’d have to decide if you want to be seen as the dutiful other half or if you want to continue with a career I know you love. If it’s the career, here would be perfect for you, but you would get lonely and homesick. I think you and I will become great friends, and my parents will always be here to support you as well, but it won’t be the same. I’m not trying to upset you. You’re right. Things are moving quickly, so slow the pace down. As for my dear brother, he’ll have to learn to be patient where you are concerned.”

“You are wise beyond your years, Sophie,” I say as we hug each other.

“Come on. We’d better get to the ladies’ room and head back before he sends out a search party looking for you,” she says with an infectious smile.

When we enter the ballroom, I stop at the doorway. Even this far away, I can see that Katherine has taken up residence in my seat yet again and is sitting facing Alex, talking with her hand on his arm.
Oh yes,
my eyesight is bloody good.

“Libby, why have we stopped?” Sophie asks with a little concern in her voice.

I nod toward our table.

She screws up her face. “Seriously, I wouldn’t have noticed until we were right at the table.”

“I know Alex is her friend, but she would try the patience of a saint. I don’t think I have ever taken a dislike to someone so quickly.”

“I still struggle to understand why he is still friends with her. Come on. Let’s not give her any more time to sink her teeth in.” She pulls my hand, urging me to start walking.

The walk toward the table is long. Different people stop Sophie and she introduces me to them all as Alex’s girlfriend. I suppose that’s what I am now. The whole time, I keep my eyes firmly on him. He must feel my gaze upon him because he stops talking and lifts his head in our direction, and a slow, sexy smile spreads across his face. I sigh and smile back. I have goose bumps all over my skin. Even a look from him has me longing for his touch and a whole lot more.