They had been a little wild last night, that’s for sure. The thought reminded Cassie of something else she was forgetting, and she headed back to the bedroom one more time to grab the condom box. She crammed the whole crumpled mess into her other robe pocket and was making her way to the door for real this time when it opened.
Bonnie entered the room, jumping as she almost ran smack into Cassie. “Oh! I didn’t think you would still be in here.”
“I was just leaving,” Cassie said.
Bonnie looked Cassie up and down. “You going for a swim or something?”
“Huh?” Cassie wasn’t even sure the hotel had a pool. It probably did, but what did that have to do with anything?
Bonnie pointed to Cassie’s flip-flops.
“Ah.” Cassie shook her head. “No, these were just the first things I found to put on.”
“In a hurry, are we?” Bonnie smirked. “I need to hurry too. I told Delaney I’d meet her downstairs, and I better not be late. She’s already mad at me.”
“Why?”
“I ate her entire stash of shortbread.” A knock sounded at the door, and Bonnie yelped, rushing for the bedroom. “That’s probably Delaney.”
The knocking increased, and Cassie tightened the belt on her robe. “She’ll be ready in a minute,” she called as she opened the door. “Oh! It’s you.”
“A pleasant morning to you as well,” Theo shot back.
“Sorry. Good morning.” Cassie fiddled with the door handle. “Are you looking for Logan?”
“No. I’m here for Bonnie.”
“You are?” She opened the door wider and stepped back.
“Logan sent me over.” Theo entered the suite. “Something about the two of you having made other plans? He suggested I take your place and escort your friend on her Shakespeare expedition today.” Theo blithely ignored the fact Cassie was standing there in a robe and flip-flops, crumpled box of condoms spilling out of one terry cloth pocket.
“Um, okay.” Cassie gestured to a chair. “Have a seat. I’ll let Bon know you’re here.”
Cassie crossed the room as quickly as her flip-flops would carry her. “So…,” Cassie said as she slipped into the bedroom and slid the door closed. “Do you want to guess who’s out there?”
Bonnie was standing in front of the wardrobe, where her own clothes had been neatly hung. Unlike Cassie, who preferred to live directly out of her suitcase, Bonnie enjoyed the ritual of unpacking and organizing her clothes at each stop on their trip. She turned and glanced over her shoulder at Cassie. “Delaney?”
“Ah, no. Not Delaney.” Cassie cleared her throat. “It’s Theo. He said he’s planning to accompany you today.”
Bonnie paused, dropping the ends of the plaid scarf she’d been draping across her sleeveless turtleneck. “What?”
Unable to meet her friend’s stare, Cassie began to gather the multiple hills of her clothing into one giant mountain. “Apparently, he heard I would be staying at the hotel today … and apparently he is under the impression you could use some company.”
At her friend’s silence, Cassie looked up and met Bonnie’s eyes. “Apparently, you are not happy about this,” she finished lamely.
Bonnie’s cheeks flushed, and she turned away, fussing with her scarf. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t care if Theo comes with. Why should I care if Theo comes with?” Flustered, she gave up trying to tie the scarf and flounced onto her bed. “Did you know Theo was planning to come with?”
“No, I didn’t.” Cassie maneuvered around the remaining piles of clothes and sat next to her friend. “Look, I know I teased you about Theo earlier, but honestly, Bon, I didn’t know. If it’s going to bother you, I can ask him not to come.”
Bonnie waved toward the front room of the suite. “He’s already here. What would you say?”
“I’ll tell him the truth. I’ll tell him I decided to go with you and he’s off the hook.” Cassie stood and slid her suitcase closer to Mount Clothing.
“But weren’t you planning to spend the day … you know?” Bonnie wiggled her eyebrows.
Cassie tossed a flip-flop at Bonnie’s head. “Not anymore.” She kicked off the other flip-flop, making up her mind in an instant. Logan must have talked to Theo after he left here. He knew Cassie was ditching her friend to spend the day with him, and he’d taken the time to make sure Bonnie wouldn’t be all alone. The action had been kind. And certainly more thoughtful than she’d been. She grabbed Bonnie’s hands and squeezed. “This is our last full day in England, the last full day of our once-in-a-lifetime-vacation. We should be spending it together.”
“Are you sure, Cass?”
“Absolutely.” Cassie nodded, working at the knot on her robe. She smiled, knowing she had made the right decision. Besides, this may be their last full day of vacation, but a full night still lay ahead as well. The thought made her giddy with possibility.
“Okay,” Bonnie agreed, her tone dry, “but I just have one question.”
“What’s that?” Cassie tugged the robe off.
“What, exactly, are you wearing?”
Cassie glanced down at the skimpy array of frothy lavender silk. “Two months of groceries,” she grumbled.
“I see.” Bonnie stood, biting the inside of her cheek as she gave Cassie a once-over. “Well. Hurry up and get ready then.”
Cassie put on a pair of jeans and riffled through the mess of clothes left in her suitcase, looking for a shirt that would work over the flowy-chignon-bra-thing she was wearing. She pulled a peasant top over her head and smoothed the brocade fabric down her sides, surprised at how good it looked. The fancy lingerie top worked really well under the Boho cut of the blouse, which was tight at the bosom but flowed loose around the torso. She checked her reflection for any stray bits of lavender poking out. Nope. The long top covered everything, and the smooth layer of satin beneath made the shirt swish jauntily around her hips.
Satisfied, Cassie stopped primping and turned around. “You wanna go tell Theo he’s free to go?”
Bonnie heaved a sigh, sending the curls at her temples fluttering. “No, it’s fine. If he wants to come, he can come.” She grabbed her purse and slid the door open, stopping to deliver a parting shot. “But your sexy Scot better be coming too.”
* * *
If Theo was surprised at the change in plans, he hid it well. With Austen-worthy manners, he escorted Cassie and Bonnie to the lobby and left them to wait with Delaney while he “fetched Logan and had the car pulled ’round.”
“Prince Eric is coming with us today?” Delaney smacked her lips suggestively. “Sweet.”
“Stop calling him that.” Bonnie scowled.
“What’s got your fin in a knot, Ariel?”
Bonnie ignored the jab.
Delaney cast a knowing look at Cassie. “I bet she’s crabby as old Sebastian because she has indigestion. She ate all my shortbread.”
“I heard.” Cassie suppressed a grin. It felt good to be in the thick of her friends’ typical good-natured teasing. And though it might not be as exciting as spending the day in bed exploring a sexy Scot, she was looking forward to spending the day exploring Shakespeare’s England.
As if conjured by her thoughts, her sexy Scot appeared. She wondered if he was upset about the change in plans, but like his friend, Logan was the perfect gentleman, all manners and grace as he took her arm and kissed her cheek. He gestured toward the front of the lobby where Theo stood waiting by the rental car. Big enough to seat five, they’d only be taking the one car today. It would be snug, but comfortable. “Ladies, shall we?”
“We shall.” Delaney pretended to pick up the skirts of an imaginary ballgown and sashayed forward. She patted Theo on the cheek as he held the door of the sedan open. Cassie climbed in and was about to scoot over so Logan could sit next to her, but Bonnie popped open the back door on the other side and hopped in.
“Guess you’re taking the front seat,” Cassie told Logan with a note of apol
ogy, as Delaney squeezed closer, making room for Bonnie.
“So it seems.” The twinkle in his green-gold eyes let her know he understood. He closed her door with a wink and got in front next to Theo.
Cassie glanced across the back seat at Bonnie, but her friend refused to make eye contact. After a moment, Cassie shrugged and put on her seatbelt. Message received. Bonnie had agreed to let Theo come along, but that didn’t mean she was happy about it.
It seemed that Theo, too, had gotten the message. He was studying Bonnie in the rearview mirror, brow furrowed.
“What’s the matter?” Bonnie leaned forward. “Is something wrong? Do you want me to drive?”
“Bloody hell, woman.” Theo straightened in the driver’s seat. “Absolutely not.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You think I can’t?” Bonnie poked the back of Theo’s headrest. “I am completely capable of driving this car. I have family in Ireland, you know. I’ve driven on the wrong side of the road plenty of times.”
“The wrong side, she says,” Theo muttered, shaking his head. “American and Irish—heaven help us.”
“So.” Logan stepped into the fray, his voice braced with cheerful politeness. “Where to first?”
Bonnie thrust a list between the seats. Logan glanced over it and punched the coordinates into the car’s GPS.
Once the route loaded, Theo put the sedan into drive. “Anne Hathaway’s house it is. Next stop, Warwickshire, followed by Stratford-Upon-Avon.”
Delaney leaned forward and patted Theo on the shoulder. “Where were you on the rest of our vacation?”
Theo chuckled and eased into London traffic. “Doing something far less interesting, I assure you.”
“Oh?” Delaney settled back into her seat. “What do you do for a living?”
Cassie studied Theo’s profile. Logan had told her that Theo was a duke, an actual member of the British aristocracy. Had he been telling the truth? If so, would Theo admit it now?
“I suppose you could say I’m in finance.” Theo glanced at the GPS and switched lanes.
“Do you work in a bank?” Delaney asked.
“Not exactly.”
“Secretive, aren’t we?” Delany nudged Bonnie’s knee. “What do you think, Bon? Does he look more like a banker or an accountant?”
Bonnie swatted Delaney’s hand away. “I couldn’t say.” She slumped down in her seat and stared out her window, where the city buildings had begun to give way to townhomes. It was still raining steadily, but the fog had all but abated.
“Hmm,” Delaney mused, “I say he’s dressed like a banker, or maybe one of those stockbroker guys. Hey, what’s the equivalent of Wall Street in London?”
“I believe that would be Lombard Street,” Theo replied.
“Do you work on Lombard Street?” Delaney asked.
“Not directly.”
“My goodness, such shady answers, Mister … what was your last name again?”
“Wharton.” Theo’s response was clipped.
Was it her imagination, or did Theo sound guarded? Cassie made a note to remember Theo’s last name and look it up later.
The sound of crinkling paper interrupted her thoughts, and she glanced over to see Delaney unwrapping a giant Kit Kat. Unlike the Kit Kats she was used to back home, the UK version was a single monster size bar that had to be at least two inches thick. And America was supposed to be the one guilty of supersizing everything.
Delaney caught Cassie’s eye and smiled. “Want some?”
“Sure.” She held out her hand, and Delaney broke off a healthy chunk and passed it to her. Cassie bit into the candy, letting the buttery-rich cocoa melt on her tongue. If she wasn’t going to spend the day indulging in hedonistic sex, the least she deserved was some chocolate.
As if reading her mind, Logan glanced over his shoulder, one brow raised in question. Rather than answer him, she leaned forward and offered him the rest of her piece. “Chocolate?”
He took it and popped it in his mouth.
“Not how you were expecting to spend the day, I bet,” she said quietly near his ear.
He shook his head and swallowed. “I’ve learned to expect the unexpected.” He laughed, but Cassie thought she caught a note of bitterness tainting the sound.
Theo must have heard it too, for he looked over at Logan, eyes thoughtful. “Life is rarely what we expect, right, mate?”
“Aye, isn’t that the bloody truth,” Logan agreed, turning on the radio.
From her spot behind Logan, Cassie couldn’t see his face or read his expression. While he flipped through the stations, Cassie contemplated the exchange between the two men. Something had piqued her journalistic instincts … There was more to the story here, she’d bet on it.
The notes of a familiar song pumped through the car’s speakers, a British boy band that was popular in the States. When Delaney started to sing along, Logan turned the volume up another notch, and Delaney sang louder. Cassie shrugged off the urge to dig deeper into the vibe she’d picked up between the men and joined her friend in the chorus. When the song ended, Delaney put on the accent of a snooty British matriarch and tapped Theo on the shoulder. “I say, how much longer, Jeeves?”
Theo checked the GPS. “We’re halfway there, madame.”
“That did not answer my question, Jeeves.”
“It’s a two-hour drive from London to Stratford. Do the math,” Bonnie snapped.
“My goodness, aren’t we testy?” Delaney dropped the accent and shoved the remainder of her chocolate bar into Bonnie’s lap. “Here, you need it.” Then she tapped Theo on the shoulder again, back to playing the British matriarch. “Jeeves, is the cranky redhead correct?”
“Yes, madame,” Theo confirmed, playing along. “One hour ’til we arrive at our destination.”
“Thank you, Jeeves, I believe I shall retire for a nap. Carry on.” She scooted back and let her head lull, her long strawberry-blond ponytail trailing over the headrest.
“Naps and candy.” Cassie shook her head and leaned forward to whisper to the front seat, sotto voce, “Have I mentioned Delaney is a preschool teacher?”
“I say she gives Mary Poppins a run for her money.” Theo glanced over his shoulder for a second, smiling wide, and those killer dimples of his made an appearance. Engaged or not, Cassie could see how her best friend had found herself dreaming about this gorgeous piece of blue-eyed Brit.
Poor Bonnie. Cassie looked across the already snoring Delaney and offered her friend a grin. Bonnie rolled her eyes but after a moment returned the smile. The chocolate must have helped. And the sunshine. The clouds were breaking up, and the sun had decided to make an appearance. Bonnie opened her window and a summer breeze rushed in.
Cassie opened her window too. The air was still tinged with the scent of rain, overlaid by the smell of fresh-cut grass from the meadows beyond the road, where fat rolls of hay sat drying in the late morning sun. Her last day of vacation was showing promise to turn out perfect after all.
CHAPTER 15
THAT EVENING, LOGAN paced around the lobby of the Globe Theatre, waiting for Cassie and her friends to return from their post-show expedition to the loo. “Why must lasses piss in packs?” he asked Theo.
Theo glanced up from the program bill he was reading and smirked. “Bloody hell if I know.”
“You have three sisters, aye?”
“Yes, but I don’t believe I’ve ever broached this particular topic of conversation.”
Logan snorted. Theo had a point. He could imagine Nettie’s reaction if he tried to ask her about the mysteries of peculiar female behavior. Whatever the reason, he hoped the girls would hurry up. He was starving. After spending the day touring all the famous Shakespeare landmarks, they had met up with Cassie’s other two friends at the Globe to catch a performance of Othello. In Logan’s opinion, the play was not one of the bard’s more cheerful endeavors. Personally, he’d thought the final scene a bit overdone, too much weeping, but the lasses se
emed to enjoy it well enough.
When the girls finally appeared, Logan crossed the lobby and guided them toward the exit. Cassie fell into step with him and smiled. “What’s next?”
“A late night dinner on the Thames.” He held the door open.
She stood waiting next to him while the others filed out. “Again?”
“Well, not on the Thames, off the Thames would be more accurate.” He planned to take them to one of his favorite spots in London—an old hole-in-the-wall that looked like something out of another century, with thick-paned windows that opened onto an incredible view of the river and thick-cut steaks that tasted like heaven. Logan offered his hand to her. “Do you trust me?”
Ana brushed past them and headed down the steps. “Aw, he sounds like Aladdin.”
He shot Cassie a quizzical look, but she only giggled and took his hand.
Sadie glanced over her shoulder with a sly smile. “I wonder if she’ll get to ride his magic carpet.”
Catching the obvious innuendo of that comment, Logan grinned. “No magic carpet, just the Tube,” he said, directing them to a station at the corner. As they took their seats on the next train, Logan felt Cassie’s gaze on him. “What?”
She shook her head. “I was just thinking, you are a bit like Aladdin.” She leaned toward him, her mouth curving in a sweet grin. “My very own diamond in the rough.”
He’d no idea what Cassie was nattering on about, but the way she was looking at him made his chest swell with a bubble of happiness. Logan leaned back in his seat and draped an arm around Cassie’s shoulders. The move came naturally, as though they were a couple—a real couple out on a regular Friday night date—not two people who had met less than a week ago and would probably never see each other again after tonight. Before that thought could burst his bubble, he pushed it away and cuddled Cassie closer, taking her hands in his.
“Oh God, if the two of you are going to break into song, warn me so I can prepare my gag reflex,” Delaney said, flipping her ponytail.
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