The Calum (13 page)

“
Shit.” He ran a hand over
his face and came over to her. “I’m sorry. Your water. Hang on.” He
started toward the kitchen, but Lovie stopped him, wrapping her
arms around his waist. He hugged her close, his body deliciously
warm against her chilled skin.

She looked up. “I can get
it.”

“
I lost track o’ time.” He
smiled down at her, but there was sadness in his eyes.

Lovie frowned. “Everything
okay?” Duff nodded, smoothing her hair back from her face. He was
so powerful and yet so gentle.

“
Yeah, I just...needed to
think.”

Oh no.
No,
no,
no.
She knew that look. Was he
really going to hit it and quit it?

“
You’re not, I mean...”
She couldn’t stop staring at the non-existent spot on his chest.
“You don’t regret-”

“
Oh, God no!” He squeezed
her to him so hard it was difficult to breathe, but who needed
air?

“
No.” He kissed her
softly, cradling her face in his hands. “No.”

Lovie smiled with relief.
“Good. Me neither.”

“
Good.” His was only a
half-smile.

Something was up, but
she’d done enough pushing in the last twenty-four hours. After
everything they’d shared, he’d tell her in his own time. He patted
her bottom as she turned for the kitchen.

Jo wasn’t in her room when
Lovie made it back upstairs, and her bed hadn’t been touched.
Apparently, she’d sealed the deal with Hamish. And good for her!
Rumpled sheets all-around.

Lovie grinned, the
highlight reel of her evening with Duff running through her head.
He seemed a little distant just now, but she felt assured that it
was nothing to do with what happened between them.

Relatively
assured.

He was probably still
thinking about his father and all the things he’d told her. They’d
talk some more about that, when he wanted to.
If
he wanted to.

It wasn’t until after
she’d showered and dressed that Jo made an appearance. If there had
been any doubt that she and Hamish had danced the horizontal mambo,
the goofy expression on her face eliminated it.

“
Good?” Lovie
grinned.

“
Ohhhh yeah.” Jo
high-fived her as they tag-teamed the bathroom. “We’ll have a
tell-all sesh when we get back to the hotel.”

“
Cool.”

Should she tell Jo about
her own evening? It almost seemed too special to share, but she was
dying to tell someone.

Citing some family
obligation, Hamish asked Duff to drive the girls back to town. He
and Jo shared a long kiss goodbye, but Lovie was more interested in
the death glare that Duff threw their way. It was positively
murderous.

Just what the hell was
that about?

****

Duff was so close to going
ballistic, he barely kept it together. Of all the selfish,
reckless, pig-headed things Hamish had done in the years he’d known
him, this was the worst. The absolute fucking worst.

The drive back to town had
been torture. Joana sat in the back of his car, smiling from ear to
ear while Lovie - sweet, beautiful Lovie – looked over at him like
he hung the moon.

He was a fucking
liar.

When they arrived at the
hotel, Joana kissed him on the cheek before she bounced away,
leaving him and Lovie alone.

“
Are you sure you’re
okay?”

“
M’fine.” He hugged her to
him, resting his chin on the top of her head. She was so
thoughtful, and he didn’t deserve it.

She gripped the sides of
his coat like she’d never let go. He hoped to God she wouldn’t,
when she learned the truth.

“
I need to take care
of
somethin’
, and then I’ll call ye. Awright?”

Lovie leaned back and
smiled up at him. “Awright.”

He had to
laugh.

“
I’ll turn ye into a Scot
yet.”

Her eyes went wide, and he
stopped breathing.

What had he just
said?

Jesus, Joseph, and
Mary...

He kissed her quickly and
let her go, before he said some other bawheeded thing. Lovie waved
from the door as he left to find - and throttle - the alleged
groom.

Duff stopped home to check
on his gran, who wanted him to stay for lunch. He knew that she
sensed something was wrong, but begged off sticking around. He
needed to straighten this mess out if he could.

He caught up with Hamish
at MacKinnon’s, where he was already three pints in with
Roger.

“
There he is!” Hamish
slurred, grinning like an idiot.

“
What the fuck do you
think yer doing?”

The redhead’s eyes popped.
“I’m
havin’
a pint with my wee mannie here, and wondering what bee’s
gotten into yer knickers.”

“
I heard you.”

“
Come again?”

“
Last night.”

Hamish had the good sense
to turn beet red, but then shrugged. “Yeah?” He grinned over his
pint glass. “Well, I hope you took lessons because I gave it her
good.”

“
You fucking
asshole.”

“
Calm yer tits, man!”
Hamish laughed, grabbing his arm. Duff shrugged him off.

“
Ye’ve got a bride, or had
you forgotten?”

“
Couldn’t damn well forget
with you
remindin’
me every other minute, now could I?” Hamish set
his glass down hard on the table.

“
What’s
goin’
on, lads?”
Poor Roger looked back and forth between the two of
them.

“
And what about Joana?”
Duff clenched his fists, astonished by Hamish’s lack of remorse.
Did he even know the man anymore?

“
None o’ yer concern,
really though.” Hamish stood slowly. “Is it?”

“
Aye.” Duff stepped into
him. “‘Tis”

Roger leapt to his feet.
“Now, boys. Let’s no’ go an’ do
somethin’
ye’ll regret.”

“
You get some cocoa on yer
cock, mannie? Is that it?” Hamish sneered. “And now you think ye’ve
got to defend her friend’s honor or
somethin’
?”

Duff introduced his fist
to the redhead’s jaw with a satisfying crunch.

****

“
I’m hungry.” After Jo
finally stopped recounting every detail of her night with Hamish,
both of them had fallen asleep. It was late afternoon before Lovie
awakened from some very vivid dreams. Or memories, really.
Dreameries?

The way Jo kept going on
about Hamish’s stamina and prowess, Lovie got the impression that
it wasn’t all that. She also felt less and less inclined to share
her own experience. What she and Duff had shared…it had rocked her
world. She fought hard to curb the urge to call him, but damn if
she didn’t really want to hear his voice. See him. Feel
him.

Wow, girl, get a
grip.

“
So. Foodage. Want to go
down the pub?”

“
Down the pub?” Jo
giggled. “Listen to you, picking up the lingo. Yeah, let’s go. The
guys can catch up to us later.” She stopped, grinning. “And listen
to me! The guys. We have guys, Lovie! Well, I mean...” She turned
to Lovie, unsure. “You and Duff...”

“
What about me and
Duff?”

“
Anything you want to
share?” She smirked.

“
Nnn-nope.” Lovie smiled
sweetly. “Let’s go eat.”

The sun was setting by the
time they got to MacKinnon’s.

Lovie was beginning to
think of it as “their” pub, hers and Duff’s, but also Jo’s and
Hamish’s. A few days ago, she felt like an outsider but, after
meeting the boys and Ginny, she was beginning to like Inverness. A
lot. Maybe they could skip Glasgow and stay there another
week.

They opened the door to
the pub and stepped into the middle of a scene straight out of
Fight Club. A wall of bodies stood between them and the action, but
it was clear by the shouting and cheering that someone was about to
get a beat down.

Lovie was ready to make a
joke about Scots and their tempers when she heard a familiar
voice.

“
...and tell her that
you’re
fuckin’
gettin’
married!”

Lovie looked down at Jo,
who apparently had caught that too.

“
Was that
Duff?”

She tried to peer over the
group of men, but it was no use. They were caught up in an
ale-infused, bloodthirsty frenzy, chanting for one of them to
pummel the other. All she caught was a shock of coppery, red hair.
Hamish.

“
What the fuck is your
problem? So what if I took the girl tae bed? What’s it to ye? Just
because I’m
gettin’
marrit, doesna mean that I’m dead.”

There was laughter in the
crowd.

“
Besides, you got yours,
ya ned. And dinna
say
you didn’t. I know that moony look on yer
face.”

“
Shut up.” Duff’s voice
was clipped and cold. “Shut yer gingin mouth, you twally
fuck.”

Lovie didn’t need to speak
like a local to get the gist of what was said.

From the look on Jo’s
face, neither did she.

The crowd surged as
someone threw a punch. They whooped and cheered, and the noise was
deafening.

Lovie felt sick to her
stomach. She stumbled back.

Hamish? Engaged? Couldn’t
be. Poor Jo! Duff wouldn’t lie about something like that, would he?
Then again, she didn’t know him at all. Not really. Had it only
been three days since they met? And she’d already fallen into bed
with him. And poor Jo!

Oh God.

She tried to take a
breath. It smelled of stale beer and greasy food.

There wasn’t enough
air.

It was too
loud.

Too many
people.

Too much
commotion.

Too much.

“
Lovie?”

The sickening sound of
crunching bone sent her reeling. Lovie spun around, feeling for the
door while bodies buffered her on either side. Over the din, she
heard the grunts and groans of the two men.

Jo grabbed her arm.
“Lovie, come on. Let’s get out of here.”

There was a great roar
from behind them, and they both turned around. Lovie found herself
staring right into Duff’s eyes as he stood over Hamish, who was on
his knees, his face contorted with pain. He had the redhead’s arm
twisted at an odd angle. Duff had a bruise blossoming on his left
cheek. A spot of blood spread from the corner of his
mouth.

“
Lovie.” She saw her name
on his lips. Then Jo pulled her out the door.

The cool air rushed in
around her as she stumbled after Jo, down to the river’s
edge.

Jo grabbed her arms and
pushed her down onto
a
bench.
“Sit.”

“
What just...what were
they...”

“
Don’t worry about it,
Lovie. Just breathe, okay? You’re scaring me.”

Lovie looked up, confused,
and saw the terror in Jo’s eyes. “I’m okay.”

“
You were practically
hyperventilating in there, babe.”

“
Oh...Jo...I’m so sorry,
Hamish-”

“
Forget
Hamish.”

What?
“What? But I thought-”

“
Yeah, about that. I may
have exaggerated just a bit.” Jo displayed about two inches between
her thumb and index finger, and Lovie sob-laughed with relief.
“Look, fuck him. I’m more worried about you! I’ve never seen you
this upset. What happened? Is it Duff?”

“
Lovie!”

She turned to see Duff
running toward them.

Jo sprang to her feet and
intercepted.

“
What the fuck did
you
do
?”
She grabbed his collar and jerked him around to face
her.

Lovie had never seen her
so angry. He tried to talk over her head.

“
I’m sorry, Lovie. I-” Jo
slapped him. The crack of it startled a few birds from the
trees.

Duff froze, squinting out
of one eye while his hand shielded the other.

Lovie found her feet and
her voice. She stood and looked him in the eye.

“
So you and your mate both
got fucked, huh? Had a good laugh?”

“
God, no! It wasna
like-”

“
Is Hamish
engaged?”

“
Lovie,
please.”

“
She asked you a question.
Is. Hamish. Engaged?” Jo’s voice was icy.

Duff jerked away from her
with a groan. “Lovie.”