I laughed again, and I watched her demolish the dessert in seconds.
“Sorry, I guess I was hungry. I'll get ready now.”
I wore what felt like a permanent smile, shaking my head in amusement, as she hustled to the bathroom, her pink bottom wiggling from side to side. Her luggage was sitting where I'd left it last night, clothes spilling from the closed lid. Under normal circumstances, this would be considered messy in my world, but considering the lack of time I'd given her both last night and today, it was more than acceptable.
I opened her bag and folded her clothes into piles at the end of the bed, noting three pairs of jeans and three pairs of leggings, a dozen shirts, a sweater, hiking boots, walking shoes, and then in the other room was her outfit from last night, which seemed to be the only somewhat dressy item she'd packed. I'd make sure to take her shopping today and purchase not just textiles appropriate for Scottish weather, but also sexy things she'd wear underneath.
I heard the shower turn off and left to give her space to get ready. She entered the living area ten minutes later, looking fresh and happy. “Ready!” she proclaimed enthusiastically.
I called downstairs to make sure my driver was ready and then escorted Luna out to the car.
“Where are we going first?”
I wanted to say my bed, as her ass looked glorious in her figure-hugging jeans. Ravishing Luna would have to wait, though. Something she'd said at dinner alerted me to maybe this trip being more than a vacation. She had a purpose; I just didn't know what it was yet.
“I thought I'd take you to Doune for a quaint breakfast and a bit of shopping, and then to the castle, if it's on your to-do list?”
Her eyes were wide. It was her stunned look, the one where she was unsure of what to say, so I continued, “After, we can go directly into Stirling and see the castle, as well as the Wallace Monument if you like, and have dinner atThe Orangery.”
She gulped and tried to speak but just gulped again.
“Lass, are you all right?”
“Uh, yeah, I'm just... Well, I'm suffering from surprise, to be honest. I thought my first day would be trying to figure out how to get around and find these important monuments and sites, and here you are serving me up Scotland on a China platter, and it's a little much. But I trust you, and you seem to have a great plan. I... uh, just forget I said anything and leave it at overwhelmed.”
I tugged her to my chest and held her until the tension drained from her body. “I'm sorry, I tend to be bossy. Correction, Iambossy. What would you like to do?”
“Honestly?”
“Yes,” I said in my strictest tone. “Only honesty is acceptable.”
“Could we go on the tour bus thing? You know, those double-decker buses, and just hop on and off wherever we want?”
She peeped up at me, craning her neck as if to read my reaction. I became very aware of two things at that moment: She was asking me for permission, which made me happy and hardat the same time, and also, she wasn't a gold digger, and I needed to wife her up right now.
“Of course, we can. I'll just let Graeme know that we won't be needing him.”
“He's here? Why not invite him?”
I wanted to laugh hysterically. Graeme on a bus tour? It was hard to picture. “Sure, let me ask him.”
An hour later, the three of us were on the tour bus, and Graeme was shamelessly flirting with our tour guide. It was a surreal experience, seeing sites I'd taken for granted for years from Luna's perspective. I felt as if I was seeing my homeland for the first time and found myself as in love with it as she was.
She oohed and awed at everything she saw and took hundreds of pictures. What I found particularly stunning was the rainbow that seemed to follow us, almost like Glasgow was welcoming her. Even I had to admit that she seemed a little magical, with all the bright sunshine she bestowed on those in her proximity.
We jumped off in the West End, leaving Graeme to get Donna, our tour guide's, phone number. Luna, it turned out, was anOutlanderfan and pointed outStravithie Pubas being frequented and endorsed by the actor who played Jamie Fraser. I quickly escorted her inside and sat us at a window seat overlooking the streets bustling with students and tourists.
“You know what I love?”
I didn't, but intended to store anything she loved in my memory banks.
“Everything here is different. Like back where I'm from, corporations own everything, and nothing is Mom-and-Pop original anymore. Here, nothing is duplicated, and I truly hope it stays that way.”
She seemed sad by the prospect of change. Interesting. Old soul, perhaps, or maybe something in her own past had turned for the worst.
“Tell me more about your home. I had pegged you for an American, but surprise, you're Canadian. What was it like growing up in B.C.?”
She dipped her eyes down to her plate and took a bite. Luna was stalling, and I wished to be a fly on the wall inside that brain of hers. She took a drag of her beer and put her fork down.
