Absent in the Spring

by Carrie Elks

  ‘Christ, I’ve missed you.’

  She opened her eyes, smiling up at him. ‘I’ve missed you, too.’ Her expression matched his – desire tinged with something deeper. Something he wasn’t sure he could name even if he wanted to. Instead, he pressed his lips against hers again, the need for her pulsing through his body.

  When they finally stopped kissing, he grabbed her case in one hand and put his other arm around her, not willing to have her pushed over again. They let themselves be carried along by the tide of people, spilling out onto the sidewalk, where the crowd finally dispersed. His car pulled up alongside them within a minute, and the driver climbed out and took her case, Lachlan opening the back door so that Lucy could sit inside.

  ‘You have a driver?’ she asked him, that cute grin on her face again. ‘I always imagined you zipping around New York in a Ferrari.’

  He laughed. ‘It’s impossible to zip around New York at all, whether you’re in a Ferrari or an old wreck. And yeah, I have a driver during the week. It means I can work on my laptop while I’m travelling.’

  The driver slowly eased the car into the middle lane, and Lucy looked around the interior of the Lincoln, taking in the cream leather upholstery, the spacious back seats, the monitor fixed to the back of the driver’s seat. She glanced back at Lachlan. ‘It’s like an office away from the office.’

  Damn if he didn’t want to kiss her again. But this wasn’t a limo, and the driver was only a breath away from them. And if he was being honest, he didn’t want to embarrass her, knowing her the way he did. She was intensely private – even the kiss in the airport was out of character. He wasn’t planning on pushing his luck.

  He’d stretched it far enough already. He couldn’t believe she was actually here with him, even less that she’d removed herself from his case. Her career was everything to her, and the fact she’d told her boss about their relationship had pretty much blown him away.

  This thing between them may have started as a fling – or even worse, an itch he’d been desperate to scratch – but now it was so much more than that. Though the thought of something serious developing between him and Lucy scared him, the thought of it not happening scared him more. Just breathing the same air as her made his life so much better.

  ‘Are you tired?’ he asked, looking at her with soft eyes. ‘Or hungry? We can stop off and get some food on the way back to the apartment if you like.’

  ‘Don’t you need to get back to work?’ she asked, checking her watch. ‘It’s only the afternoon, I assumed you’d want to go straight to the office.’

  ‘I was planning on taking you straight home,’ he told her. And his tone didn’t leave any space for guessing what he meant. Just because he could restrain himself while his driver was only a few feet away from them, didn’t mean he didn’t want to tear her clothes off and touch her all over.

  ‘Oh.’ She glanced at the driver from the corner of her eye. Lachlan mentally patted himself on the back for anticipating her response. He was getting to understand the way she thought – so different to him, and yet so very entrancing.

  ‘And then tomorrow night I want to introduce you to some friends of mine,’ he carried on. ‘Though if you’d rather do some sightseeing, we can arrange that too.’

  ‘I’ve already been to New York,’ she told him, ‘I don’t need to go sightseeing. I came to see you.’

  Christ, she knew exactly what to say to make his dried-up little heart beat faster.

  ‘You’ll definitely be seeing a lot of me,’ he said, his voice low. She smiled, then bit on the corner of her lip, glancing down at her lap. She was driving him crazy with the coyness, the same way she drove him crazy no matter what she did. Would he ever get enough of her?

  ‘That’s the plan,’ she said softly.

  Nope. He could never get enough.

  ‘You still want to take the bridge, Mr MacLeish?’ the driver asked, flipping up the indicator to take the right exit. Lucy looked out of the window at the view ahead. The evening was creeping in, an orange glow cast across the island of Manhattan. The skyline rose and fell in geometric splendour, the tall buildings dark against the sky. It was breathtaking – a perfect blend of man and nature – so different to the ancient beauty of Edinburgh.

  ‘This was my first ever view of Manhattan,’ Lachlan said, leaning across her to point out the window. ‘I was eight years old. My father was supposed to be arranging for me to be picked up from the airport, but when I walked into the arrivals hall, nobody was there.’

  Lucy turned to look at him. ‘They left you at the airport alone? In a strange city?’

  He nodded, but he didn’t look as upset as she felt. Lucy found herself taking his hand, wrapping her fingers around his palm as if she could save him.

  ‘I found a payphone and called his office. He told me to jump in a cab and he’d pay for it at the other end.’ He gave her a wry grin. ‘None of them would take me, and in the end he had to send his driver out to collect me. I still don’t know whether my father told him to take his time, or if he just felt sorry for me, but he took a slower route, just to let me see the sights. Told me the best view of Manhattan was from the Queensboro Bridge.’

  ‘This bridge?’ she asked, looking out at the old cantilevered construction. Set proudly on tall stone towers that rose out of the water, its iron trusses rose and fell in perfect symmetry.

  ‘Yeah. He pulled up for a few minutes, ignored all the cars honking their horns behind him, and told me to take a good look. Told me that once upon a time there’d been nothing here, save for fields and rivers and animals. Said that somebody had stood here – the way we were stopped then – and decided they were going to build a city.’ Lachlan smiled, his eyes misted with memories. ‘That if man could make New York, then we could achieve anything. We just had to dream big enough.’

  ‘He sounds nothing like any driver I’ve had in New York.’

  Lachlan laughed, and the sound warmed her. ‘He definitely was one of a kind. Though Frank,’ he nodded his head at the driver, ‘is pretty close.’

  ‘I’m not stopping on the bridge,’ Frank said, having clearly listened in. ‘Not even for you, sir.’

  Lachlan squeezed Lucy’s hand tightly, amusement written on his face. His moment of vulnerability was gone, replaced by the easy confidence she was used to. She filed the memory away – another glimpse into the man beneath the hard skin and the cute smile. A reminder of what pulled her to him every time they spoke. They’d both had hard childhoods – in one way or another – and they were both the products of always wanting more than they could have. The need to succeed flowed in his veins the same way it flowed through hers. A way to prove to the world they mattered.

  They were two people made from the same tough material, and it only made her want to know him more.

  25

  Good company, good wine, good welcome,

  can make good people

  – Henry VIII

  ‘You never told me you had friends,’ Lucy teased, as the bouncer lifted the rope and let them cut the line into the club. Behind them were at least a hundred people, dressed to the nines and ready to party. ‘And there was me thinking you were brooding and aloof.’

  ‘Have I spoilt my image?’ Lachlan asked, his voice light. ‘Should we go back home and pretend I’m some lonely billionaire?’

  ‘You’re not a billionaire.’

  He held the door open for her, letting her brush past him and into the building. With his free hand he ran his finger lightly across her hip, feeling the fabric of her skirt hugging her skin.

  ‘On paper I am. Or at least I have assets worth that much.’

  ‘You also have debts,’ she pointed out, grinning. ‘But don’t worry, once your empire comes tumbling down, I’ll still like you.’

  Resting his arm lightly on her shoulders, he led her over to the desk. The man standing behind it smiled broadly as they approached. ‘Good evening, Mr MacLeish. We have your usual table reserved. Elise is
working in the VIP area tonight; she’ll show you to your seats.’

  Lachlan slid his hand down Lucy’s back, resting it in the curve between her hips. ‘This way,’ he murmured.

  ‘You come here often, then,’ Lucy said, her eyes wide as they approached the stairs leading to the VIP section.

  ‘Occasionally.’

  She turned to look at him. ‘Enough for that guy to know your name.’

  ‘He’s paid to know my name,’ Lachlan pointed out. ‘He’s good at what he does.’

  A sudden realisation washed over her face. ‘You own this place, don’t you?’

  ‘What makes you think that?’ He was hedging his answer, trying to see what she was thinking. But she gave nothing away.

  ‘The way we cut the line. Then the way that guy greeted you. Come on, admit it, you own it.’

  He tipped his head to the side, his eyes crinkling. ‘On paper.’

  ‘I knew it.’

  As soon as the hostess saw them enter the VIP area, she walked straight over, a huge smile on her face. ‘Mr MacLeish, it’s a pleasure to have you here.’

  He leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek. Lucy tensed beside him, then wrapped her arm around his waist.

  ‘Good evening, Elise. Are my guests here yet?’

  ‘They just arrived,’ Elise said, still smiling. ‘I’ve put them in your usual booth. Can I bring you some drinks over while you get settled?’

  ‘What do you want to drink, baby?’ He looked down at Lucy.

  ‘I don’t know. Wine maybe?’ She shrugged. ‘Prosecco?’

  ‘Bring a bottle. And four glasses. Plus some water, please.’

  He could feel Lucy turning in his arms. ‘Water?’ she asked. ‘Can’t you take your alcohol?’

  He laughed. ‘Jenn’s pregnant.’

  ‘Jenn?’

  ‘My friend’s wife. She’s married to Grant, my PA.’

  Almost immediately her eyebrow raised up. ‘Grant’s your friend?’

  ‘Yeah.’ He wasn’t quite sure where she was going with this.

  ‘You have to pay people to be your friends.’ Her grin widened. ‘It gets better and better.’

  ‘Are you going to emasculate me all night?’ he asked her. ‘Or are we going to go and have a good time?’

  ‘I couldn’t emasculate you if I tried,’ she said. ‘You’re too damn alpha for that.’

  ‘Thank you. I think.’

  ‘You’re welcome.’

  He led her over to the booth in the corner, where the table afforded a view of the VIP area, and the floor below. As soon as they approached he saw Grant and Jenn turn their heads to look at Lucy. They stood up to greet him, Grant shaking his hand as Jenn kissed him on the cheek. ‘Look at you,’ he said, glancing down to see her small, yet obvious bump. ‘You’ve grown since I last saw you.’

  ‘Shut up.’ Jenn slapped him on the arm. ‘Introduce us to your friend.’ She smiled at Lucy, who grinned right back.

  ‘Lucy,’ he said, taking her hand in his, ‘this is Grant and Jenn. My oldest friends.’ He was still smarting at her paying comment. ‘Grant and I grew up next door to each other in Miami.’

  ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you.’ Lucy shook first Jenn’s hand, and then Grant’s, before the four of them slid into the booth. Within moments, Elise brought over their drinks, popping the cork and pouring the frothing wine into tall, slender glasses.

  ‘So, Grant tells me you’re an attorney,’ Jenn said, taking a sip of her water. ‘That must be hard work.’

  ‘Says the researcher who works all the hours God sends,’ Grant said. ‘And I didn’t say she was an attorney. I said she was Lachlan’s attorney.’

  Lucy glanced at Lachlan, looking uncomfortable at Grant’s response. Damn, he should have told him about her removing herself from his case. It just hadn’t crossed his mind.

  Lucy clearly wasn’t impressed by his forgetfulness ‘He’s only one of my clients,’ she told Jenn. ‘And a very unimportant one, too.’ She raised an eyebrow at him, as if in challenge. He couldn’t help but grin.

  Score one for the gorgeous attorney.

  Jenn laughed. ‘Oh, I like you already.’ She tipped her head to the side. ‘Where’s that accent from? You sound British.’

  ‘I’m from London originally.’

  ‘But you’re living in New York now?’

  ‘She’s based in Edinburgh.’ Grant rolled his eyes. ‘Seriously, I told you at least twice.’

  Jenn shrugged. ‘I’m pregnant. So sue me.’ She looked at Lucy. ‘Except don’t. I can’t afford it.’

  ‘I’m not sure you can be sued for being pregnant,’ Lucy said. She took a sip of her prosecco. ‘Well, I’ve never heard of it anyway.’

  ‘But you can get sued for inheriting a lordship, right?’ Jenn leaned closer to her. ‘Isn’t that what’s happening to Lachlan?’

  Lucy glanced over at him questioningly. Yep, he really was bad at communicating with his friends. He smiled at her. ‘It’s okay. They know all the gory details.’

  ‘It’s not really what’s happening. He’s not being sued, exactly. They’re contesting his claim to the title and the lands.’

  ‘So if he loses, his brother gets it all?’ Jenn asked.

  Lachlan leaned back in his seat, watching as the girls talked, their heads close together so they could hear each other above the ambient noise. He took a sip of his wine, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He hadn’t realised he cared about Jenn’s opinion so much, until she’d accepted Lucy with open arms.

  But he did, he really did.

  Lucy was laughing at something Jenn had said. Her eyes were crinkled at the edges, her pretty mouth open. Something about her expression made him want to bundle her up and sit her on his lap.

  He was about to stand up and do it when Jenn leaned forward and whispered in Lucy’s ear. She nodded in response, then the two of them stood up.

  ‘Just going to the little girls’ room,’ Jenn told them.

  ‘Together?’ Grant asked. ‘What are you, fifteen?’

  ‘It’s a club,’ Jenn pointed out. ‘There’s safety in numbers. You never know what could happen when there’s this much testosterone and alcohol.’

  ‘It’s my club,’ Lachlan said. ‘I don’t let that happen here.’

  ‘Okay, so you’ve got us. We want to talk about you. Happy?’ Jenn rolled her eyes. ‘You guys really need to learn to translate girl speak.’

  As Lucy passed him, Lachlan reached out for her hand, running his thumb in a circle around the inside of her wrist. ‘Hurry back.’

  She blinked, as though she was looking into the sun, even though the light in the club was atmospheric at best.

  As they left, Grant reached for the wine, topping up their glasses. ‘Lucy seems nice.’

  ‘Yes, she is.’ Lachlan took a mouthful of prosecco. ‘Jesus, this stuff is way too sweet. Shall we order something else?’

  ‘Like beer?’

  ‘I was thinking whisky.’

  Grant grinned. ‘Now you’re talking.’

  Lachlan motioned for Elise, who took their order with a smile. She brought their drinks back within a couple of minutes.

  ‘So come on, spill. What’s going on between you two? Is it serious?’ Grant’s voice rose up with his last question, as though he couldn’t quite believe he was asking it.

  Lachlan glanced over at the bathroom doors – no sign of the girls. ‘Yeah, it’s serious.’ And maybe there was a little gravel in his voice when he said it. Not because he was nervous, exactly. More that this was important to him.

  He wanted his best friend to see Lucy the way he did.

  ‘Wow.’ Grant shook his head, his eyes wide. ‘I never thought I’d see the day.’

  ‘What day?’

  ‘The day you finally met your match.’ Finally Grant grinned. ‘Or maybe I’m being too kind to you, because, my friend, you’re clearly hitting above your weight. What the hell does she see in you anyway?’

  ‘The s
ame thing Jenn sees in you, I expect.’ Lachlan swirled the ice around his glass, listening to the sound it made as it hit the sides.

  Grant laughed. ‘You’re comparing her to Jenn? Oh man, this is even better than I thought.’ He tipped his head to the side, listening as Lachlan swirled his ice around again. ‘Are those wedding bells I can hear?’

  Lachlan emptied his glass, motioning over to Elise to bring another. ‘Leave the bottle,’ he told Elise, as she finished filling their glasses. As soon as she left, he turned back to Grant. ‘When did you turn into a such a gossip? Shouldn’t we be talking about last night’s game?’