The Wedding Engagement

Chapter Seventeen

The restaurant looked out over the hill onto the opposite shoreline of Loch Portree, toward a row of pastel-colored terraced houses lining the bank on the other side—soft pink, baby blue, mint green, and lemon yellow. Like pieces of candy lined up along the edge of a mirror.

The food was delicious and Liv took the opportunity to gorge herself. At the beginning of the meal, Elise had leaned in to ask her whether she was going to go for a starter or a dessert with her main course and Liv had given her a look of disbelief. “Elise. There is no or . There is only and .”

She’d gotten the feeling that Arran’s previous avoidance of her was no longer deliberate but that he’d been angling to sit near her at the meal; however, he’d been thwarted by Maya, Elise, and Sam, who’d all gotten there first. Arran wasn’t in the seat farthest from her, but he was at enough of a distance that they’d hardly shared any conversation by the time the meal ended. But every time their eyes met, fireworks erupted in her chest.

On the way home, they decided to stop by a pub that they’d passed on the way to the restaurant and have some more drinks before returning to the house.

The pub was cozy and the rest of the clientele were dressed casually, mostly in walking gear. A couple of them seemed to raise an eyebrow at their formal attire. Though on second thought, Liv realized it was a couple of men raising their eyebrows at the women’s attire. Space pants strike again.

Maya clinked her glass with Liv’s, then Elise’s. “Thank you, my wonderful besties, for an awesome weekend.”

Liv sipped the champagne that Nico had treated them all to, savoring the fizz of the bubbles on her tongue. “It’s not over yet. Don’t forget that Arran and I have a trip to Neist Point planned for tomorrow morning before we head home.” Even saying his name did things to her now. Each syllable on her tongue was like tasting him. At least, what she imagined he might taste like—and she was desperate to know for real. She chanced a glance over at where he was chatting to Ben and Nico. He appeared relaxed and she wondered if he was having thoughts similar to hers.

Maya smiled. “I love Neist Point; it’s so romantic. Thank you.”

Liv lifted her glass toward her. “No problem, Miss M.”

“And thanks for organizing a lovely dinner,” Maya told Elise.

Elise leaned in to kiss Maya’s cheek, simultaneously sliding an arm around Liv’s waist. Maya lifted her arms around them both too, creating a three-way hug. Liv cuddled in and both of them gave her a squeeze. She could tell it was their way of silently conveying to her that they were there for her after the trauma of Douchebag Dave’s showing up the week before, without their breaking either rule one or rule two of the sten weekend.

She smiled to herself, the affection of her friends creating a fuzzy warmth in her chest.

Glancing up from the cocoon of her best-friend snuggle, she thought she caught one of the raised-eyebrow men from their entrance looking away. They mustn’t have been expecting dressed-up people. It was a casual pub, after all.

Once the champagne was drained, there were noises about going back to the house, started mainly by Sam and Maya. Liv had the sneaking suspicion that they wanted some alone time, which was fair enough.

Everyone gathered their coats, and as they got to the door, Liv’s bladder complained loudly. She decided that she’d need to visit the ladies’ room prior to departure. “You guys start walking; I’ll only be a sec,” she told Elise.

“I’ll wait for you,” Elise replied, pausing at the exit.

“It’s fine, I’ll catch up. I just don’t think I can hold it until we get back,” Liv said, holding her belly and doing a little full-bladder dance.

Elise laughed. “No worries. We’ll walk slowly.”

Liv nipped past the bar to use the restroom. She washed up quickly and headed to the front door, opening it and stepping out.

Something grasped her wrist out of the darkness, nearly yanking her shoulder out and making her wobble on her heels. She snapped her head around and took in the raised-eyebrow man from inside the pub, lurking next to the doorway and holding on to her wrist tightly.

Steadying herself, she glanced down at his hand on her wrist, then back at his sneering face. Anger spiked her chest. “Let go.”

“Where are you off to?” he asked, not loosening his grip.

She stiffened. “None of your business.”

His grip tightened. “Why don’t you come with me instead, darling?”

She gritted her teeth. “No, thanks.”

He shifted closer, his fingers pressing painfully into the soft underside of her wrist. “I’m staying just around the corner.”

Liv took a deep breath. “This is your final warning. Let go of me.”

He let out a snigger and gave her a leery smirk, which set off a hot burst of anger in her gut. He didn’t loosen his grasp.

In a fluid movement, she stepped back with her right foot and yanked her wrist down and out of his grip, simultaneously smashing her other hand onto his forearm in an open-hand strike. As the twat let out a yelp and went to grab his arm, she crashed the heel of her hand into his face, causing him to recoil and stumble back as he lifted his hands to his nose.

He took his hands away briefly, glancing at the blood streaking them. “You fucking bitch.”

In the split second that it took her to slip out of her heels, ready to grab them and run, something whooshed past her and slammed into the man.

Liv grasped her shoes and was about to begin her sprint when she realized the whooshing thing was a person. Someone whose honey-colored eyes appeared black and menacing in the moonlight.

“Stay the hell away from her, or I will fucking end you,” Arran said to the twat through gritted teeth. “Do you understand me?”

The twat let out a whimper and held his hands up, and Arran dragged him away from the wall, practically throwing him along the street, at which point he started to run in the opposite direction, holding his nose.

Arran turned back to Liv and took her shoes from her, the dark look in his eyes melting away to soft concern. “Are you all right?”

She nodded, trying to catch her breath.

He crouched to place her shoes back on her feet. “You can’t walk without shoes on. There’s some broken glass farther down the street.”

She lifted each foot in silence, the warm sensation of his grasp on her calf in order to place each shoe rapidly evaporating the adrenaline of the fight.

Arran stood to meet her gaze, holding out his hand. She took it, sliding her fingers between his. He held her firmly with just the right amount of pressure, instilling a sense of safety and protection while simultaneously stoking the ever-burning desire deep in her belly. They began to walk and he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand in a slow, soothing circle. His touch was comforting yet sensual, making her recall her instinctual thoughts that he would be amazing in bed. She ached to have him touch her in a sexual way.

He gave her hand a squeeze. “I would say sorry that I didn’t get here sooner, but you clearly had the whole thing under control.” He glanced down. “So, instead, sorry for adding in my twopence worth. I know you didn’t need it. It was for my own benefit.”

She gave him a quizzical look. “Your own benefit?”

He swallowed. “Yeah. My own basic need to smash the guy in the face. I saw the way he was looking at you in the pub and I didn’t like it. So I hung back to wait for you down the street. When it took a little longer than anticipated for you to appear, I walked back a bit and saw the two of you.” He took a breath. “Nice moves. You’re awesome, Aggie.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

The tension in his face dissipated, replaced with a smile. “Remind me never to get on the wrong side of you. You’re a total badass.”

Liv laughed. “I reserve my moves for douchebags. Hence, you’re safe.”

“Good to know.” His smile faded, and his jaw tightened. “I so wanted to flatten that guy, by the way.”

Her breath seemed to get stuck in her chest. “I know. But best to leave it at that and report him to the police.”

He gave her a look of concern. “Do you want to call them when we get home?”

“Yeah. Just in case he gets any ideas in the meantime about trying the same thing with a woman who doesn’t happen to be a black belt in karate.”

He nodded. “I’ll stay up with you until it’s sorted. At least he won’t be in any fit state to try anything else tonight, what with the bloody nose you gave him.”

She laughed. “Yep. Also, it makes him easier for the police to recognize. Probably not too many others going around town with a flattened nose.”

Arran shook his head, grinning. “You’re a mastermind as well as a badass.”

Liv bit her lip, studying him as they walked. The need to have him closer, to extend their touch, was too great. She let go of his hand, sliding her arm around his waist. He immediately responded by circling her shoulders. And it felt so good .

“Thanks, though,” she said, absorbing the warmth of having him pressed against her side. “For noticing the twat and hanging around.”

Arran squeezed her shoulders in response.

She cleared her throat, trying to keep her mind on their conversation because his proximity was short-circuiting her brain. “How come you clocked him, by the way? I don’t think anyone else did. And I misinterpreted his attention as being due to us appearing overdressed for the pub.”

A dark expression slid over his features, and his jaw clenched. “He noticed the way you were dressed all right. He kept staring at you when you were chatting to the girls. And not in a surreptitious, admiring kind of way, but in a predatory, sleazy way. It fucked me off.”

Liv snuggled further into his side and felt the tension leave his body in response.

He took a deep breath, his tone becoming a little unsteady. “And to answer your question, the reason I clocked it is that I’ve not been able to take my eyes off you all night.”

Her heart flipped, her breath getting caught in her throat.

His voice thrummed into her body as she pressed into his side. “I’ve not been able to take my eyes off you for a long time, if I’m honest. And I don’t just mean this weekend.”

Her head began to spin. This felt dangerously close to him admitting what she wanted to hear. Would he take things further than he had the evening he’d stopped by after their blind date and told her she was beautiful? Anticipation made her heart beat so hard that blood whooshed in her ears.

“And I’ve been feeling more than a little jealous about you and Brodie.” He sighed. “I know that makes me a dick.”

She swallowed in an attempt to halt her palpitations, and stopped walking, placing her other arm around his waist to bring him in to face her. With her heels on, she could look him in the eye with a tip of her head. “You’re not a dick.”

Keeping his arm around her shoulders, he lifted his other hand to graze his fingers against her cheek. Her skin ached under his touch, filling her with an intense craving to feel it all over her body.

“I am,” he said gruffly. “It’s none of my business who you date.”

“True,” she said, eliciting a smile from him. “But Brodie and I aren’t dating. We both decided on our first date that there was no chemistry.”

He hesitated, searching her eyes. “But you guys seem…close.”

“Yeah, he’s become a friend. But that’s all we are. He likes someone else.” And so do I.

Arran nodded, some weight seeming to drift from his posture. “I just thought…because he was so tactile with you…”

She recalled how Brodie had whispered in her ear at dinner on Friday night and admitted he was testing to see if it got a rise out of Arran. Then her eyes widened as she connected the dots regarding his invitation to join him on the love seat. Had it been a little more than his being considerate? Had he purposely done it to make Arran jealous for her benefit? The sneaky sneak. “He’s a tactile person. But I’m afraid to say I think he was overdoing it for your benefit.”

He raised his eyebrows. “ My benefit?”

Well. This was embarrassing. As much as she loved Brodie, she’d be giving him a swift kick up the arse when she next saw him. “He…told me he thought that you, er, liked me and were jealous. So he was playing up to it.”

She was worried that might make him cross, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “He was, was he?”

Arran was so close that she was enveloped in his intoxicating scent. Each breath of it drove up her heart rate, making her head soft and fuzzy. “He didn’t mean anything by it. He’s a good guy.”

“I know he is. I like him.” He traced his fingers along her cheekbone, his voice turning husky. “I just don’t like him touching you.”

A sweet thrill coursed through her veins. This is new. And I think I like it.

“Last weekend. After you and Sam…spoke to Dave.” He paused, swallowing hard. “I wanted to hold you. Comfort you. But Brodie had his arm around you and I thought…”

She went onto her tiptoes to touch her forehead to his, to comfort him, and he dipped his head to meet her. “You thought it was because we were a couple,” she said softly, feeling terrible that she’d inadvertently given him the wrong idea and caused him pain.

He nodded, taking a shaky breath. “And not being able to hug you felt like shit.”

Her voice came out in some sort of scratchy state. “I wanted you to hug me.”

Arran lifted his chin, bringing his lips softly to her forehead and making her skin come alive. “I could tell you weren’t okay. You might’ve fooled everyone else, but not me.”

The heat was burning through every nerve ending, making her pulse throb. Making her want him closer still.

“I tried,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I really did. To keep away from you. Give you and him some space. But I couldn’t do it, Liv. Not when you needed me last week. And not when I saw that twat grabbing hold of you”—a hard edge coated his words—“and calling you a fucking bitch.”

She pulled him closer, wanting to comfort him fully. She kissed his cheek and let her lips graze his stubble. “That’s why you’ve been avoiding me?”

He nodded, his breath hitching as she pressed her lips to his jaw. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“It’s okay,” she breathed against his skin, resting her face against his cheek.

They both stayed perfectly still, the cool night air stretching out in silence around them, with only the sound of their breathing audible. He lifted her chin to mesh her gaze with his, tracing her jaw with his fingers. She wanted his fingers all over her. “Your eyes are amazing.” He drifted his gaze down. “I love that dress. You look beautiful.” He looked back into her eyes. “I’ve been wanting to tell you that all night.”

Her mouth was too dry to answer him, so she ended up nodding and uttering some kind of squeaky sound.

“And I love your red heels, and your red coat.” He lifted the soft, spacious hood to cover her head, holding on to the sides to pull her impossibly closer. “Little Red Riding Hood,” he whispered, making her pulse spike.

Her voice trembled. “That’s how I think of it too. Little Red Riding Hood.”

He smiled softly, and she became caught in it, like a small animal dazzled in the headlights. “I love your smile,” she said, before she could stop herself.

He gently brushed the tip of his nose against hers. “Thank you.”

Her brain fused. “You have nice teeth.” What?

Arran didn’t miss a beat. “All the better to eat you with.”

Liquid fire flooded her veins and she grasped the back of his jacket tightly, unable to hold back any longer. “Arran.”

He searched her eyes. “Yes?”

“I want…” She swallowed, her palpitations returning with a fierce intensity.

“What do you want, Aggie?” he whispered.

“I want you to kiss me.”

The words were finally out there after years of thinking them. Her heart raced so hard she thought she might pass out.

He rubbed a thumb across her cheek, drawing a shaky breath as he glanced down at her mouth. “Thank fuck. Because I’ve wanted to kiss you for months.”

Fireworks erupted in her chest.

He fixed her with those honey eyes and gently brought her face to his, closing the minuscule gap that remained between them. Somehow those two seconds seemed to last for hours. But when he brushed his lips against hers, an intense starburst of desire exploded inside her, sending a trail of fire down into her belly.

Arran moved his mouth over hers, the gentle grazing sensation of his stubble contrasting with the softness of his lips and intensifying the fire, pooling it lower and lower until her core clenched and her legs felt like jelly.

She held on to him tightly, breathing him in as he kissed her, the terror that she was forevermore spoiling their beautiful, tender friendship being scorched away by the intense desire rushing through her veins. Arran teased the seam of her lips with his tongue and she opened for him, reaching her arms up and around his neck, pressing her breasts against his chest. He swept his tongue into her mouth and she met him with hers, lifting herself onto her tiptoes to gain deeper contact and dragging her taut nipples against the fabric between them. The silk of his tongue slid against hers with an achingly intimate give-and-take that stirred up intense sensations she’d only ever experienced before during sex. When Arran looked at her it felt as if he were kissing and caressing her. When he kissed her it felt as if he were already inside her. So the idea of having sex with him blew her mind. He broke off for a split second to breathe her name and she gripped him more tightly, pressing her fingers into his scalp to bring his mouth down hard onto hers.

Footsteps sounded around the corner and they sprang apart, both breathing significantly more heavily than they had been a few moments before.

“Liv?” Elise’s worried tone rang out as she rounded the corner, Nico in tow. “Oh, thank goodness,” she said, stopping in her tracks and placing a hand over her heart. “I was worried when you didn’t catch up, but I see Arran found you.” She smiled at them both and Liv straightened a little, trying desperately to stop giving off the “we were totally just making out” vibe as she brought her hood back down.

“I’m fine, thanks,” she said breathlessly, meeting Arran’s blown-out pupils with a thunderbolt of lust. “I had a slight altercation with a pub patron on my way out, but then I broke his nose and Arran found me, so all good.”

Rattled, she started walking toward the house before she gave anything away.

Elise shot her a panicked expression as she walked next to her. “ What? Oh my God, Liv. Are you okay?”

The others fell into step as they went around the corner toward the house’s sweeping driveway. Liv tried to drive down the intense feelings and sensations swarming inside her, hoping that the others wouldn’t notice.

“Course she is,” Nico said from behind. “Liv is the baddest ass among us. I’ve seen her in action at the gym.”

Liv managed to throw him a smile over her shoulder, accidentally (or maybe not so accidentally) meeting the intense heat of Arran’s eyes as she turned back again. He was looking at her like he wanted to devour her. Yes please, Mr. Wolf.

Elise flashed Nico a frown. “That’s not the point, Nico. I know she can handle herself. But she shouldn’t have to, especially when innocently enjoying a night out with friends.” She took Liv’s hand as they approached the front door. “Are you anxious about it? We can call the police with you.”

She squeezed her friend’s hand. “Thank you. That’d be great.” She’d pretty much forgotten about the broken-nosed twat, such was the strength of the distraction Arran caused. However, as they crossed the threshold into the house, a sense of unease gathered at the back of her mind, making her stomach start to churn. Gently at first, but then harder as they took off their shoes and jackets and convened in the living area.

Liv took a seat, hoping that taking the weight off would help. “Maya and Sam aren’t still up, are they? I’d rather not tell them until the morning.” That would definitely be a selfish, third-wheel move.

“Nope,” Nico replied with a smile. “They headed upstairs for some shut-eye as soon as we got home. Brodie and Ben have retired too.”

Liv managed a smile, hoping they’d retired in the same manner as Sam and Maya. Score to Brodie, if so. Although he’d still be getting an ass whupping from her in the morning regarding his little stunts.

“I stayed up because I could tell the good Dr. Kowalski was worried,” Nico continued.

“You needn’t have,” Elise informed him. “I told you I could go and search for her alone.”

“And I told you that Arran had stayed back to walk with her. Therefore, you would’ve been the only one out there alone, and that’s why I insisted on coming with you.” Nico gave Elise a patient look, which only served to heighten her annoyance, judging by the thin-lipped expression she gave him in return. She clearly hated it when he was right.

“Anyway,” Arran said, slicing through the tension. “We’d better call the police and get it reported.” He took her hand and gave it a squeeze, making her shiver in response. “Shall I make some tea while you talk to them?”

Ah, a man after my own heart. She closed her eyes briefly as said heart began spasming in hefty palpitations, a panicky feeling infusing her gut. “Yes, please.”

What is wrong with me? She took a deep breath. Perhaps her altercation had rattled her more than she thought. She tried to assess her emotions, remembering the sneer on the twat’s face and then the crunch as she’d slammed her hand into his face.

“Watch your temper, Liv.”

She took another breath.

“You’re just like your father, Liv.”

She shuddered. Had she been wrong to defend herself? Was guilt driving her unease?

Arran made them all tea and Liv watched him, taking deep breaths to stem her rapidly firing pulse and mounting nausea.

—

Arran took hold of Liv’s hand as they sat across the dining table from the two policewomen, studying her face as she spoke. She answered their questions calmly and eloquently and he was so proud of her.

He’d pushed the memory of that kiss down in order to concentrate on the task at hand. But it had taken some willpower. It kept threatening to burst into the fore every time he looked at her.

When it was his turn to speak, he told the policewomen his part, albeit through gritted teeth because he was still so enraged at the twat.

He’d been waiting farther down the hill from the pub, just out of sight, when he’d heard Liv’s voice. He’d doubled back to take a look and spotted the guy gripping her arm, then Liv karate chopping the sleazebag. So he’d started to run the few yards back to the pub, arriving right as Liv flattened the guy’s nose.

Arran might’ve managed to control his temper and merely shout and lead Liv away, had he not heard him call her a fucking bitch. His temper had exploded and he’d slammed the dickhead into the wall.

He tried hard to sound as calm as Liv when he spoke, to keep the anger out of his voice, though he wasn’t sure he’d succeeded. The policewomen gave them both sympathetic looks and noises as they took down the information.

When they finished, he and Liv saw the police out, past where Elise and Nico were sitting in the living area. They said that the guy shouldn’t be hard to find and that they’d keep in touch. Luckily, there would also be CCTV footage from the area outside the pub.

Arran closed the door behind them, turning to gently take Liv’s shoulders. “Okay?”

She nodded quickly, giving him a look that set his blood on fire, but then blinking with a worried expression and looking away.

“I’m fine,” she said, not looking at him. “Just tired. Think I need to go to bed.”

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you upstairs.” He put his arm around her to go back into the living room. She collapsed against him like she had when they’d walked home, before they had kissed. But this time he sensed a new tension in her.

Elise stood as they entered the room. “How’re you doing, Liv?”

Liv gave her a weak smile. “Just knackered.”

“I’ll come up to bed with you,” Elise said, crossing over to take Liv’s hand.

Arran’s heart sank. He’d wanted to be the one to accompany her upstairs. Not because he wanted anything further to happen between them. Well, he did. But not tonight. He just had this inexplicable need to see her safely tucked up in bed. Ideally, he wanted to lie there with her and hold her all night.

But she was sharing a room with Elise, and suggesting otherwise felt inappropriate. Reluctantly, he let his arm slide off her shoulders as Liv took Elise’s hand. She glanced back as the two of them neared the stairs, and he met her gaze with a spike in his pulse.

“Night, Arran,” she said.

His voice was hoarse. “Night.”

Liv dragged her eyes off him onto where Nico was coming to stand next to him. “Night, Nico.”

“See you in the morning,” Nico said. Arran could feel Nico’s eyes on him as he continued to watch Liv and Elise climb the stairs, until they disappeared onto the upstairs landing.

Nico nudged his shoulder. “Are you okay? You seem pretty rattled too.”

Arran swallowed, trying to decide whether witnessing Liv being harassed by that twat or the heat of their kiss was the thing rattling him the most. “Yeah. It’s been an eventful night.”

Nico put his arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze. “You get off to bed too. I’ll tidy down here and lock up.”

Arran nodded, giving him a grateful smile. “Thanks, man.”

Nico ruffled his hair, then departed toward the table to clear away the mugs.

Arran climbed the stairs, his gait slowing as he passed Liv and Elise’s door, before he continued to his and Nico’s room.

Tomorrow, at Neist Point. It was time to speak to Liv about this thing between them.