“Already tried,” I admitted ruefully.
“Aye, ‘tried,’ is it? Finally met a lass who dinnae just fall in yer lap, I see.”
He was half-joking, but he wasn’t wrong. I’d never had a difficult time finding women to be on my arm or in my bed. I supposed that was probably why I’d gotten tired of the game. I didn’t want someone who played hard-to-get, but I didn’t want someone who threw themselves at me either. I’d barely said anything to Song, and she’d been ready to peel her dress off in the middle of the restaurant.
I wanted a woman who, as Duncan would have said, ken her own mind and ken what she wanted, and didn’t compromise any of that for a few more zeroes to her bank account.
My gut told me Lumen was that kind of woman.
I wanted to get to know her better. Simply asking her out and expecting her to be impressed wouldn’t cut it with her. I needed a different approach. If she still wasn’t interested, I’d have to get over it, but at least I’d have put in the effort.
“Taste that before ye do anything daft. It’s the whole reason I brought ya here.”
I took a mouthful and savored it. It was as smoky as a campfire, burning in the best way. Smooth and no cloying aftertaste. Perfect.
“Aye, that’s fine.”
He nodded, the expression on his face carefully pleased. I knew him well enough to know he was thrilled. It wouldn’t do to show it though.
I knocked back the rest of my drink and set the glass back on the counter. “Wish me luck.”
“Aw, ye don’t need it,” Duncan scoffed. “You’re a right jammy bastard, and ye know it. Go get her.”
I appreciated his compliment, but I had a feeling that luck would have to come into play for this to work. I headed for the dance floor, my eyes still on Lumen. She was chatting with the Asian girl and the hipster guy, both of whom seemed to be laughing at her as they wrapped their arms around each other and swayed to the music, leaving Lumen without a dance partner. The Asian girl gestured in my direction, and when Lumen looked over, I gave her a friendly smile. She didn’t look angry or afraid, which I took to be a positive sign.
As I got closer, however, her expression turned into a combination of amusement and irritation. She didn’t walk away though. In fact, she didn’t even turn her back to me. Instead, she continued dancing on her own, waiting for me to be in hearing range before she spoke.
“Shouldn’t you be out, begging for happy endings?” she asked, an impish twinkle in her eyes.
“Very funny,” I replied. I wasn’t quite dancing, but I was shuffling my feet to the beat enough that I didn’t look completely out of place. “Nice choice of bar for the evening. I see you have a fondness for all things Scotland.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t think Ed Sheeran is Scottish.”
“Who?”
She jerked her chin up, making me realized that she meant the singer of the current song playing. She smirked as she danced, swinging her hips and taking small sips of what appeared to be a Tom Collins. To my right, the hipster and the Asian girl were plastered together almost pornographically, which I took to mean they were a couple. And since Lumen was dancing alone, all signs pointed to her being single.
“His loss. We’re a braw lot, as I’m sure you remember,” I said, earning a laugh. Maybe it was the light coming off the red brick walls, but I was pretty sure she was turning red. “Dance with me, and I’ll make it more Scottish for you.”
“And how are you going to do that?” she asked, arching a golden eyebrow.
That wasn’t a no.
“Scottish magic,” I said, beginning to move more with the music. I wasn’t a fan of this sort of dancing, but Duncan’s scotch packed a wallop, and I hadn’t eaten since lunch. One drink was enough to smooth the rough edges.
Lumen sighed as if disappointed, but the light in her eyes told me she was teasing…or flirting.
I liked the idea of flirtatious Lumen.
“I expected Riverdance,” she said.
I feigned offense. “That’s Irish!”
“Irish, Scottish, what’s the difference, laddie?” she asked in what I could only assume was supposed to be either an Irish or a Scottish accent.
I burst out laughing, the sound surprising me as much as it clearly did her. How long had it been since I’d laughed with a woman? I honestly couldn’t remember. Polite chuckles, maybe. The closest would have to be laughing with Keli over something Evanne had said or done, but that humor came out of our daughter, not anything sparking between us. And sparks were certainly flying between Lumen and myself right now.
“Keep that up, and I’ll revoke my dance offer,” I warned.
