Page 129 of Forbidden Kisses

"Have fun. I'm going back to Spider-Man," he said, darting inside the house. We didn't even get to properly hug him, but that was okay.

Afterward, Riley and I strolled toward the city center. She smiled brightly, looking around.

"What is it?" I asked.

“I can't believe that we’re here. I can't wait to experience absolutely everything on this trip.” Her joy and curiosity were infectious as she looked up at me. “How was it for you, seeing your ex?”

I shrugged. “I used to feel guilty every time I dropped Jeremy off, wondering if we'd tried just a bit harder, if we could have made it work. But now I know that everything happened just the way it was meant to be, so I could meet you and then make both our lives so damn amazing.”

"Oh, you sweet talker," she said.

“I mean every word.”

Initially, I’d planned to take her to Paris and London. I figured why not try the most romantic cities in Europe? But Riley had surprised me by saying she would actually love to see Scotland.

"Imagine all those haunted castles," she said. "And besides, I’m a Potterhead, so I'd love to see Edinburgh."

"I'm here to fulfill all your wishes," I assured her.

She narrowed her eyes. "I will never tire of hearing you say that."

"You don't have to because I'm not planning on stopping."

We were spending one night in Dublin before getting on a plane to Edinburgh. Once we’d reached the city center, my phone beeped with a message.

I groaned.

“What is it?”

“Griffin is on the front page of a tabloid.” I turned the phone for her to see the headline.

“One of the Most Eligible Bachelors in Town with His Newest Conquest.”

“Any publicity is good publicity, right?” she hedged.

“Not really, no. He should be more cautious. This isn’t smart.”

“How can this possibly harm him?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. But it could come bite him back in the ass.”

She hesitated a moment, then said, “Personally, I think you should cut him some slack.”

“I am.”

“Not everyone can be as serious or have your self-restraint.”

I raised a brow. “So, those are positive traits now?”

“I didn’t say that.”

I laughed, pulling her closer. “You almost had me fooled.”

“I did, didn’t I? And I’m so proud of it.”

“As you should be.”

“But you do have a lot of qualities, so that more than makes up for it.”