Scotland For Christmas Part 14

"You had feelings for me when you kissed me," she said. "I felt it, too."

"It's a mistake to even go there," he insisted.

Maybe, but it hurt to hear him say so aloud. She needed to understand clearly. "Are you saying you want to give up on it entirely? For us to walk away and drop everything?"

There was a long silence. "That's the way I'm leaning, yes," he said.

Leaning. That meant he wasn't entirely convinced. She was glad, because she'd be crushed if she believed he really wanted to cut her off now.

The problem was, she had enjoyed his company as much as she knew he'd enjoyed hers.

"Well, consider my input, for what it's worth," she said. "My proposal is that I would like to see you for the next few weeks, while I'm still in New York. Then, if we both decide, why not take my uncle up on his offer? You could visit Scotland for once. See the land of your ancestors."

Jacob just looked at her, desolate. "You've got this all figured out, don't you?"

Actually, she had just decided-influenced, no doubt, by being in his SUV with him on the long trip home. "I think it's a livable plan."

He glanced at her, not saying a word.

"If we still decide at the end of the month that it's a good idea," she said, "then my uncle said he'll send his private jet for us.

"So, yes, I would very much like to see you in Edinburgh for Christmas dinner, Jacob. That is my invitation. Think about it, and we'll be in touch."

CHAPTER SEVEN.

BACK IN THE CITY, Isabel bided her time. That first week, she had an economics project to present, a paper on social responsibility in investing due and two case studies for her business law elective to read. All this work just made her that much more motivated to buckle down and concentrate on achieving her goals for the future.

The Christmas meeting at her uncle's house was key to her plans, no question, and she would never have a better opportunity to make it happen. To do so, she needed Jacob's cooperation.

Of course, she knew that too much prevented them from ever being together as a long-term couple, and she accepted that.

Ironically, though, she also needed to heed her uncle's advice. She needed to investigate Jacob. Was he, in fact, trustworthy enough to bring into her uncle's home?

Yes, the invitation was for the two of them, but if she found reason not to trust Jacob and presented those facts to her uncle, her uncle would think more highly of her than if she brought him to Christmas dinner without thought.

She was sure she would find no reason not to trust Jacob. He was a Secret Service agent, wasn't he?

She waited until her school coursework was successfully completed before she initiated her first "tail Jacob Ross" a.s.signment-scope out where he lived.

The driver's license he'd shown her had included his address. So, four days after they'd returned from Vermont, and without hearing a single word from him, she set out on a rainy Thursday under her brolly-umbrella here, she reminded herself-to his apartment twenty blocks away.

She enjoyed the walk in the light breeze. Being Scottish, she was used to the drizzly weather. Fallen leaves from the trees lining the avenue skittered past her feet. She'd chosen early morning, just before the commuter rush. She still had an hour before her first cla.s.s of the day, and the walk was also serving to clear her head.

She'd been having trouble sleeping of late. She'd been waking up after dreaming of Jacob. It was just a fantasy that made no sense. A stage for her to pa.s.s over quickly.

She fell into the rhythm of the walk. Each short block took about a minute to hike, so that meant twenty minutes total until she reached Jacob's building. She pa.s.sed over a subway grate, the warm air from the trains a welcome blast on this cool day. She tightened the belt on her short raincoat. Pulled the hood over her hair, which was held back in a ponytail. In her coat pocket were just the keys to her room and her ID. She wore flats and jeans so she could run if she needed to.

All this time she'd been living in New York, she'd been mostly confined to her campus area. This was new, this walk. Different. Even a bit exciting. She hummed to herself.

Jacob's neighborhood wasn't what she expected. Down a shaded street, he lived in a small brick walk-up with ivy winding around it. Rather like the pretty Georgian home where she owned her flat back in Edinburgh, which was currently undecorated and rented out to a marketing contractor in their cosmetics division.

She tapped her umbrella on the pavement. As she was deciding what to do, Jacob came striding out of his building, still putting on his suit jacket as he trotted down the steps. He bounded over to lean into the driver's-side window of a black SUV-a familiar-looking black SUV-idling, double-parked at the curb.

There appeared to be a man inside, to whom Jacob was talking. Curious, she crossed the street and edged closer. Jacob straightened, then headed into a nearby coffee shop.

Pulling open the shop's heavy gla.s.s door, she went inside, too. In the foyer, she closed her umbrella, shaking off the raindrops. Inhaling the enticing scent of freshly brewed coffee, she took off her hood.

"Isabel!" She should have known Jacob would spot her before she spotted him.

She turned. The shock in his eyes was almost palpable as he bounded out of the queue at the register and marched over to her. "You followed me here, didn't you?"

She sighed. Should she play coy or just banter with him to throw him off?

"I did," she finally said, deciding to take the direct route. It suited her best, anyway. She smiled at him. "Did you miss me?"

His gaze flitted up and down her body. She felt her nipples tighten as his attention brushed over her. After everything they'd been through, this man just...did something to her.

She felt a hunger, a physical attraction for him that floored her.

He touched her arm, gently guiding her behind a section of wire racks holding mugs and other merchandise-a more private alcove for them to talk. Her toes curled inside her flats.

He put his hands on his hips and opened his mouth but then said nothing. He shook his head as if he didn't know what to say. She'd shocked him that much.

"Jake, what are you doing? I've been waiting for you outside and-" The man who'd been sitting in the SUV stopped when he saw her. "Whoa."

"h.e.l.lo," she said, smiling. "I'm Isabel Sage."

The man nodded, wiping his hand on his trousers. He was shorter than Jacob, with black hair and deep brown eyes, warm like chocolate. "You're the woman from the Vermont weekend," he said.

"Jacob talked about me?"

A broad grin answered her. "As much as Jake ever talks about anything."

"Jake?" She turned to Jacob, pulled a face and then turned back to his friend.

"d.a.m.n, I love your English accent," Jacob's friend said.

In situations like this, before she'd met Jacob, she always would have let the mistake go, in favor of remaining low-key. It was a relief to be honest. "It's Scottish," she said.

"Right." He nodded.

"Did Jake tell you he wore a kilt last weekend?" she asked.

A laugh split his face. "Seriously? I wish I'd seen that."

"And he danced at a wedding, too."

"Enough," Jacob said, growling.

"We're friends and we work together, even though sometimes you might not know it," the man said to Isabel. He stuck out his hand. "Hi. I'm Eddie Walsh."

"Pleased to meet you, Eddie." She shook his hand. His other hand had a wedding ring on it, she noticed.

"You know," Eddie said, "a bunch of us are going out tomorrow night."

"No," Jacob said automatically. He motioned Isabel to the coffee aisle, away from Eddie. Isabel thought for a moment, and then followed Jacob behind a row of racks.

"What are you doing?" Jacob asked her when they were out of earshot from Eddie.

"Nothing, Jacob," she said in all innocence.

"This isn't your neighborhood."

"I know. But it occurred to me that you were right-I'm leaving New York in a few weeks, and I really haven't stepped out of my comfort zone. So, I decided to see what I'm missing." She picked up a bag of coffee beans from the shelf and sniffed them.

"I really wish you hadn't come here," Jacob said, groaning as Eddie came wandering toward them.

Eddie held out a business card to her. "This is for you, Isabel. Anytime you want to go out with us, give me a call."

She accepted Eddie's card. Jacob knocked his forehead against the metal rack, a purposeful reaction to show his displeasure. "Thank you, I just might do that," she said to Eddie.

Eddie grinned. "That's it-it's a definite. Call me tonight. I'll work on him." He shot a glance at Jacob.

"No," Jacob said flatly.

"Intensity," Eddie murmured to him. Jacob glowered.

That word was obviously a code between them, which showed Isabel that she wasn't the only recipient of Jacob's sometimes-bad att.i.tude. She didn't see what the fuss was about, but it was making her more determined not to give up, especially now that Eddie was on her side.

Why shouldn't they all be friendly? It was only for another five weeks until she left New York. She obviously wasn't looking for a relationship.

Many people felt romantic feelings during a wedding ceremony. She and Jacob had been no different. But the weekend was over.

"Goodbye, Jacob," she said cheerfully. "I have to be getting back. Nice to meet you, Eddie. I'll talk with you later."

"You can't leave now," Jacob said to her. "Come over and get in the SUV. We'll give you a ride home."

"You're not my bodyguard anymore, Jacob."

"Jacob." Eddie snickered.

But in the end, they all climbed into the big black SUV. Once inside, she saw that it was a different vehicle from the one she had ridden in with Jacob earlier. It either belonged to Eddie or was a work vehicle. This time, Jacob sat in the backseat beside her.

To Eddie, he said, "Head uptown, I'll tell you when to stop."

Jacob didn't speak to her during the short ride. But when the SUV stopped, he stepped outside with her and escorted her the few paces to her building.

At the door, he asked, "Is this all just to get me to go to Scotland with you?"

"Maybe," she said.

"So that's the reason why you came by my neighborhood?"

She sighed. "No."

"What's the reason?"

"To see you."

He scowled at her. "Why can't you just say what you mean?"

She winked playfully, enjoying seeing him again. "Don't be so intense, Jake."

"Isabel, don't toy with me."

"Then give me your phone number so I don't have to call your partner for it."

"He isn't my partner anymore. We were partners in the NYPD. In the Secret Service we work on teams."

"Well, he said he's your friend. And he's driving the SUV like a partner."

"Because we're currently a.s.signed to investigating a credit-card-fraud case together," he said between his teeth. "It's short-term."

"I suppose he sees you every day."

"Fine. You win." Glowering, Jacob took out a card. Put the pen cap in his mouth and wrote his phone number using his knee as a support.

He was so intense and tortured. "It's not about winning, Jacob," she said gently.

"What do you want with me?" he asked, shoving the card forward.

"To get to know you better."

"That's not a good idea," he said flatly.

"You wrote your phone number," she said, glancing at the card but not taking it from him. "That means you're partic.i.p.ating, too. Whatever it is that we're doing, you want it, too."

"Actually, I don't." He lowered the hand holding the card.

"You haven't had any kind of relationship with a woman in a long time, have you?" she asked softly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" he growled. "Because other than...that other guy...you haven't, either."