I wanted to hate him.
“What are you doing here?” I asked sharply.
When he didn’t answer me, I studied him more closely and only then realized how stunned he was to see me. Finally he cleared his throat and took a step toward me. I took a step back. Something like annoyance flashed in his eyes as he noted my retreat. “Andrew is a colleague. We work construction together. Real estate mostly.”
It occurred to me that meant he’d probably worked for Braden. Good thing I’d told neither Braden nor Adam of Marco’s existence. Marco D’Alessandro wasn’t really a common name in these parts.
“I meant in Scotland,” I said flatly. “Last time I checked you’d gone back to Chicago.”
Marco nodded and my heart pumped harder as the surrealism of the moment dissipated. He was really in front of me. Really there. Touching distance. “For a while. But I came back.”
My stomach flipped unpleasantly as a question came to mind and quickly spilled from between my lips. “When? When did you come back?”
He shifted uneasily. “A year after I left.”
This revelation winded me.
Five words and the betrayal he’d dealt me quadrupled in size. “You’ve been back for four years?” I asked incredulously, unable to keep the anger out of my voice. “You never thought to call?”
He took another step toward me. I took another back. Marco rubbed his hand over his head in that way he did when he didn’t know what to say. His gaze bored into mine, almost pleading with me. “Back then you were better off without me, Hannah. After what I did…”
Disgusted, I suddenly stopped retreating and took a few steps toward him. “Better off? You bet your arse, I am.” Unable to take one more second in his presence, I moved to stride past him, only to be surprised by the warm curl of his hand around my bare arm. He halted me and I stared up at him in shock, ignoring the intriguing spice of his cologne and the fact that he was the only man who had ever made me feel feminine and fragile.
I used to like that feeling.
Not so much anymore. I tugged my arm, but Marco pulled me toward him.
“Let me go,” I bit out.
“Hannah, at least talk to me.” He bent his head toward me and I felt that traitorous flutter of butterflies as I looked into his eyes. “It’s so fucking good to see you,” he whispered, his expression soft on me.
I shook myself out from under the spell he was trying to cast over me. “Pity I can’t say the same. Now let me go.”
“Hannah —”
“Is there a problem here?” Cole’s voice made me sag with relief. I looked over my shoulder to see him glowering at Marco. He was younger and he wasn’t nearly as built as Marco, but Cole’s tall, athletic body was coiled with hard muscle. Not to mention that he studied judo and kickboxing. Definitely nothing to sneeze at.
Marco reluctantly let me go. “No.”
I didn’t spare him another glance. I couldn’t. Instead I marched away from him, putting my hand on Cole’s chest in thanks. He threw Marco one last warning look before sliding his arm around my waist to lead me away.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
I nodded. Lie, lie, lie!
“He looked familiar.”
“I knew him in high school. I had a crush on him.”
“I think I rem —” Cole sucked in a breath, hardness settling over his features. “Is he the guy?”
“No,” I lied convincingly. “He just rejected me, that’s all. I’m not in the mood to be reminded of that tonight.”
“Do you want to leave now?”
I drew in a deep breath, knowing I couldn’t sit in that reception hall with Marco. “Yeah.”
Cole got me out of there, reluctantly dropping me off at my flat. I could tell he sensed there was more to my story and didn’t want to leave me alone, but I needed to be alone.
I kicked off the heels that were pinching my toes and sat down in my sitting room in the dark.
I couldn’t believe Marco had been living in Edinburgh all this time. All this time…
The pain I’d shoved deep down inside me all those years ago came back with a vengeance. Tears burned in my eyes and in my throat as I remembered that night.
The night it all changed…
Walking into the flat I knew I shouldn’t be here. It was cloudy with smoke and the thick scent of marijuana. There wasn’t much furniture, and what was there was dingy and old. Not that I could see much of any of it, since the flat was packed wall to wall with people.
It was the start of our final year at school and Sadie wanted this year to be the best. How that translated into crashing some loser’s party on India Place, I didn’t know. As I followed her through the crowds, I slapped at hands that touched my hips and patted my arse. Great.
“I see Dave!” Sadie shouted over her shoulder to me. Dave was the reason she’d dragged me to the party with her. He was a few years older and she had a crush on him. “I’ll be right back.”
Before I could say anything she’d disappeared and I was left standing in the doorway of the living room. I felt the vibrations from the music speaker thrum unpleasantly in my chest. Where were the neighbor complaints? The police?
I was shoved somewhat forcefully into the room as more people streamed in, and while I tried to squeeze back into the crowds on the outskirts, my eyes caught sight of three lines of white powder on the glass coffee table.
I stared wide-eyed as a girl I didn’t know snorted a line.
Fuck, I needed to get out of there.
I turned to flee, only to slam up against someone’s chest.
My eyes rose to meet unfamiliar dark ones. The guy’s eyes swept over me, glittering with sexual intent, and just like that I found myself pinned between the wall and him.
“I’ve never seen you before,” he said loudly into my ear, his mouth touching it.
I ducked my head, shivering in revulsion at the feel of his lips on my skin. “I’m just leaving,” I yelled, attempting to duck under his arm.
He stopped me and I closed my eyes, trying not to panic. We were in a room filled with people. It wasn’t like he could do anything. Still, I cursed myself for borrowing Sadie’s figure-hugging blue dress – this was not the kind of attention I’d wanted when I’d chosen to wear it.
“Aw, stay a bit.” He grinned, pressing in closer. “Get tae know me.”
“I don’t want to know you. I want to leave. Move.”
“That’s no very nice.” He bit his lip in a way I assumed he thought women found sexy. He assumed wrong. “You look nice. Play nice.”
I glared at him. “Get. Off. Me.”
Before he could reply, a large fist gripped his shirt and he was suddenly pushed away. He tripped over a girl’s foot and crashed to the floor. My eyes went from him to the large guy beside me and a wave of relief and giddiness moved through me.
Marco scowled down at the stranger. The stranger got up without a word, his expression fearful, and disappeared into the room beyond.
Marco quickly turned on me, and my thanks and “hello” caught in my throat as he wrapped his hand around my arm and none too gently shoved me in front of him out the doorway and down the hall.