Page 26 of Breaking Rules

“Lumen hasn’t told me,” I said, reaching for my wine glass. “How did the two of you meet?”

Sixteen

Lumen

Something had beenoff with Alec since we’d gotten to the restaurant. He wasn’t being rude or anything, but he seemed annoyed for some reason. Not so much that Mai or Hob noticed, but either he was getting worse at hiding what he felt, or I was getting better at reading him. Maybe a little of both.

The food and service were excellent. I only had a single glass of wine, but that had more to do with my lack of fondness for wine than it did about the quality. At least, I assumed it did. The others didn’t complain about it, anyway.

Mai was brilliant, and once I admitted that to her, I was going to owe her big time. She asked questions, told stories, basically filled the silence when it threatened to become awkward. Instead of focusing on things she wanted to know about Alec, she talked about her own life, posed questions to Hob and me, tried to keep the conversation all inclusive. It seemed to be working too.

“I told them to be careful, but no one listens to the resident,” Hob continued his story. “So they pick this kid up and, just like I warned, he vomits all over them.”

“Really, Hob?That’sthe story you decide to tell at dinner?” Mai smacked his arm. “You couldn’t talk about the boy who got the pencil eraser stuck in his nose?”

“His vomit had glitter in it!” Hob said with a laugh. “Come on, that’s hilarious!”

“You and I have very different ideas of what’s funny,” I said, shaking my head.

“Like your stories are any better,” Hob countered. “I still cringe when you two bring up that guy who refused to use a towel.”

“Not as much as we cringed,” Mai said. “Trust me, that was not a pretty sight to be walking in on.”

“Thanks for sharing that experience with me,” I said dryly. “It was once in a lifetime.”

“What about you, Alec?” Mai asked. “Or is the business world not as entertaining?”

He gave Mai a half-smile. “I’m afraid I don’t have many fun days at work. Mostly spreadsheets and talking to the board.”

“I’ll bet your daughter’s a trip, right?” Mai said. “Lumen says she’s a precocious one.”

And just like that, he really smiled, one of those big smiles that made my insides go all warm and gooey. I loved seeing that expression on his face. That was a special one, just for Evanne. No matter how closed-off he could be with his emotions, he never closed himself off from her. He was a good man, but a great father, even if he didn’t always think so.

“She is a canty one,” he said, his accent thickening. “Full of laughter and a wee bit of mischief.”

“Lumen, will you loan him to me,” Mai said suddenly. “I just want him to read things in that accent. I promise I’ll give him back.”

We laughed, Alec included, but something in his eyes made me doubt that his heart was really in that humor. I needed to get him back to talking about Evanne. Maybe then he’d be comfortable again.

Or more comfortable, anyway.

By the time we left the restaurant, he seemed at ease, relaxed either by the passage of time or the couple glasses of wine he’d had. Judging by the much-stronger alcohol I’d seen him consume before, I was betting on the former. That was good. I didn’t want him to feel ill at ease with my friends. At least Hob hadn’t drunk too much to drive himself and Mai back to the apartment, so Alec and I were alone for the ride home.

“Do you still want to come back to my place?” he asked as we settled in the back of the car.

“If you want me there.” I probably could have told him that, yes, I wanted to go home with him. I wanted to spend the night, have him make love to me. But I didn’t want to be the one making that call considering how unsettled I’d felt most of the night. Maybe it was cowardly of me, but I needed to be sure he wanted me there. I didn’t want to force myself in where I wasn’t wanted.

He leaned closer and pressed his lips against my ear. “I always want you, lass.”

The hand on my knee slid higher up my leg, taking my dress with it. His fingers sent a wave of fire licking up my skin, and I caught my breath. Teeth fastened onto my earlobe, and I grabbed the front of his jacket. My eyes closed, attention focused on the heat of his breath against my skin, the soft pads of his fingers creeping up the inside of my thigh.

“I cannae wait to get you properly alone.” He kissed the side of my neck. “Slide my tongue deep inside you, taste you until you scream.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said breathlessly.

He laughed, and the sound vibrated on my skin, sending a shiver through me. “You ken what would sound good to me? You begging me to let you come.”

“That doesn’t sound like something I would do,” I teased.