“Such a charming thing, ye are.” She’s not appreciating the interruption, either. Looking down at her wrinkled dress, she says, “A shower would be grand, though, and a change of clothes.”
As if we dinnae shower together in the opulent shower in our suite of rooms at Marabout Badis’ home.
Twice.
Taking the bag from Duncan, she gives me a warm smile. “I’ll be right back.”
“Save the dress,” I murmur, nodding toward the pretty violet and green gown. She winks before making her way to the back.
By the time she returns, the pilot announces that we’re about to land. It takes some swift moves to cut off her brothers on the way to the Mercedes, though this time, I notice Duncan stepping back with a grin. There’s one on my side.
Cat keeps her hands folded in her lap, but she’s pushing her thigh against mine, her shoulder pressed against me and I can catch the slightest scent of her arousal. Feck. I canna show up at the MacTavish mansion with a stonner. Shifting slightly, I think about turnips. Granny knickers. Oozing wounds. It’s not helping me much.
As we draw up to the gates, Cat’s hand instinctively grabs mine and I squeeze her fingers gently. “You’re safe. You’re home,” I say softly. “All good things start from here, aye?”
“Aye,” she whispers back.
I was prepared for the avalanche of MacTavishes that would descend upon my lass the moment she was out of the car, but they’re packed so tight around her that it looks like they’ve lifted her and carried her into the house like tuna in a can.
The enormous two-story front hall sends up a rousing echo from the marble floors to the chandelier as everyone calls out at once. This is the part where I wait.
While she’s hugging her sobbing mother, the Chieftain comes up to me, holding out his hand like Michael did. An apology. Gratitude. “Ye brought my girl home.” I can hear the emotion in his voice. “Thank ye. For everything, thank ye. Ye will always have a position in this family, whatever ye like.”
“That won’t be necessary,” I take more satisfaction in saying this than I should. “I have a plan in the works, a company of my own.”
“Really now?” He’s eyeing me with a mix of curiosity and respect. Turning down the Chieftain of the MacTavish clan is not often done. “You’ll have to tell me about it sometimesoon.”
I smile, and say nothing. Let him wait. I waited three years to come back for my Cat.
The crowd of cousins is pulling her down the hallway to the great room, portraits of long-dead ancestors glowering down at them. She looks over her shoulder, searching for me, and I give her a reassuring smile.
The Chieftain misses nothing, of course. “It appears she’s forgiven ye for leaving, which is grand, because she hasn’t yet forgiven me for sending ye away. This is a good time for a fresh start, dinnae ye think?” He slaps me on the back. “Come on, then. I’m breaking out the sixty-year-old Scotch for this moment.”
While Cat’s getting her reunion, the MacTavish men are giving me mine.
“Damn good work, brother.” Ethan hands me another drink. He’s known in mafia circles as the Scottish Demon, renowned for being able to find anything or anyone. “I could not have done a faster, cleaner job myself. I only wish ye could have taken out that bastard Dubois, I’m thinking he was nestled all snug in a panic room?”
“Most likely,” I agree, still watching Cat be passed around the relatives. “I’m looking forward to finishing him off in the bloodiest possible fashion.”
Ethan’s eyes light up. “You’d better be including me on that mission.”
“It would be an honor.”
“Shut it,” he says.“You’rethe one being honored tonight and it’ll likely take more than one or two parties and dinners.” I school my expression quickly but he must have caught the “Hell, no!” I had to choke back, because he laughs heartlessly.
The MacTavishes are a grand family who fight fiercely and love each other just as hard. But right now, I’d like to put them all in an eighteen-wheeler truck, send them off to the dingiest parts of London and leave them there. I keep moving through the crowd and I’m one step closer, one step back getting next to my girl, then someone else stops me to share their gratitude.
Kenna, Cat’s closest cousin, nudges my shoulder. “All the love getting a bit much, then?”
I hold up my thumb and forefinger two centimeters apart.
“Aye, a full-on, frontal assault of our family is a bit much. Sloan, Ethan’s wife, calls us the MacTavi, since we’re always in a clump. A clump of MacTavi, not as threatening, aye?” She grins, “Ah, got ye to laugh. Well, your chest moved like ye might be laughing.”
Kenna eyes me, her shrewd blue eyes searching my face. “I have not yet confirmed this withCatriona, but I’m thinking ye two have moved past the whole three years of nothing to feelin’ fond of each other again.”
Raising my brow at her statement, I take a drink.
“Ah, reticent one, I remember.” We stand together in companionable silence, watching the river of family flow around Cat, keeping her in their current. “Ye need to know this,” she blurts out. “She’ll likely tell ye but I’m beating her to it tonight. There was no one for Catriona when ye left. No one. I was truly feart that you’d broken her heart for good.”
