MacLarens of Balmorie 05 - Once Upon A Time In Scotland Read Online Free PDF Page A

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    So why not go for it?

    But, she knew why.

    She didn't want to hurt when it came time to leave. And with Liam she sensed that her heart would get involved. And she'd been hurt enough. Whatever fun she might have with him just wasn't worth the pain of falling for him and then leaving.

    As they made their way down the dirt track to the hill that overlooked the ruins, Abbie stared out the window and let the view take her attention.

    “You like the Highlands,” Liam noted.

    She glanced at him and smiled. “I love them. And there's so much history here...” They fell into silence. Biting her lip, she tried to think of a way to clear the air and address last night. Liam seemed at ease, but she wasn't, and while she wanted to act like his opinion of her didn't matter, she still wanted to change the impression she'd given him last night. So much so that she angled in her seat, drew in a deep breath and said, “Thank you. For your help last night. I was a little drunk and . . . talking nonsense. Please don't take anything I said...um, to heart or anything, okay? I'm usually not so...direct...”

    She had to give him credit for keeping his cool even though he couldn't stop his mouth from twitching. Great. He thought it was funny. He glanced over and saw her frown. “Would it make you feel better to know something of an intimate nature about me?” he asked.

    Well, she hadn't expected that . But now that he'd offered... “Really?”

    He shrugged, totally confident. “Sure. Ask me anything.”

    Oh, that was a loaded offer. Part of her really wanted to shock him, to see if he really meant it. Her thoughts went super dirty, and she had to clear her throat to get back on track. Maybe it was better if she didn't... “I'm fine. Thanks for offering though.” Then, she quickly changed her mind. “Okay. When was the last time you had sex?” If he knew her timetable it was only fair she knew his.

    Abbie wanted to bury her head in her hands. But Liam laughed. “Well, let's see... Last winter. Wedding hook up.”

    “Ah,” she murmured. Longer than she would have guessed. “And how was it?”

    He glanced over, humor brimming in his blue eyes. “It was good. Very good.”

    Heat stung her cheeks. She'd just bet it was...

    “That's two questions,” he said. “Mind if I ask you one?”

    Crap. “Sure if you don't mind if I don't answer.”

    “Fair enough. What you said last night... Why has it been so long for you?”

    She'd half expected him to ask her if it had really been four years, but he'd dug down a little deeper. “Well, that's hard to answer. A lot of reasons. A lot of things happening in my life. Motherhood, divorce, moving, work... Motherhood,” she said again with a laugh. “It just never happened.” She pulled her gaze from the scenery and looked at him again. “Have you ever been married?” He shook his head. “Long term relationship?”

    “No.”

    “I wasn't coming on to you last night.”

    “Aye, I ken. I'd much rather you come on to me sober.”

    A pregnant pause settled in the cab before they both laughed.

    “Well, you don't have to worry about that,” she said. “I'm not looking to . . . hook up.”

    His gaze remained on the road and she felt a subtle shift in his mood. “Seems we're at opposite ends of the spectrum then.”

    Honest, she'd give him that. She got the feeling he was either trying to shock her or warn her off, like a shot fired across the bow. If she wanted to play in his sandbox, he was letting her know exactly who he was.

    “You like being single,” she said.

    His answer was an indecisive shrug, which didn't really answer the question at all.

    Abbie returned to stare out the window, thinking of her personal life—or lack thereof—in the last four years. She'd had some interest, been asked out, even went on a few dates, but her heart hadn't been in the process or the man, and eventually she stopped going altogether.

    “There it is,”