“Have you noticed too, MacCraig? Davidoff is fiercely protective of Sophia.”
Sophia rolled her eyes at the ridiculous banter. Both men are jealous of dear Edward. Ridiculous!
Paola, who was sitting in front of her, was accompanying the whole scene with keen eyes. Sophia looked at her apologetically and the beautiful woman just shrugged discreetly.
“My mother is looking forward to seeing you again, Sophia,” said Leonard. “She told me she’s invited an Afghan lecturer to speak in a month’s time and she would love it if you could participate too.” He stifled a sigh as he noticed that Ethan’s hand was over Sophia’s again.
“Darling,” Ethan said, “I didn’t tell you before because you cancelled our meeting on Friday, but I’m planning to host a gala ball to announce our partnership. Perhaps at The Dorchester. Their ballroom is beautiful. What do you think?”
What? A public event? Not ever, Mr. Ashford. “Ah, Ethan. I will have to think about it and talk with Mrs. Chanda and Edward-”
“My darling,” he drawled, “I must insist. We will make it very refined and small. Around two hundred guests. Seating could be charged at ten thousand pounds per person and it will help us raise a greater amount for a cause we are so passionate about.”
Dammit, Ethan! “Yes, I know. It would be great-”
“It will be great, Sophia. You and I will share our motivations and I’m sure it would be a huge success. I can’t wait,” Ethan picked up Sophia’s hand and kissed it. Lachlann, who was entertaining Leonard and Paola, stopped mid-sentence at the gesture.
Before Alistair could lunge across the table and strangle Ethan, Alice rose, “Shall we move to the game room for coffee, chocolates and a movie?” She walked over to Sophia and linking arms, said, “I bought those chocolates and macaroons you brought my father the other time. They are absolutely delicious.”
Paola and Lachlann followed them out of the room, leaving Tavish and Leonard behind to try and simmer down the animosity brewing between Ethan and Alistair.
Alistair’s blood was bubbling with anger and jealousy. “He’s still in love with you.”
But I’m not with him. “Of course not. Alistair Connor, he is just being courteous and, besides, this is just work.”
“You don’t need his money.”
“No, I don’t need his money. However, my foundation cannot waste this opportunity. It’s fifty-million pounds, per year. We don’t receive a donation like that every day.”
She caught the flicker of surprise in his eyes before he dismissed the amount with a slight gesture of his hand. “It’s no big deal.”
Indeed. “No big deal,” she repeated the words sarcastically. Don’t create reasons for a fight, Sophia. Appease him.
She put her hands on his chest and standing on her tiptoes kissed him lightly on the lips, trying to soothe his fears. “You shouldn’t worry when other men try and get my attention,” she stated. “I’m with you, Alistair Connor. I won’t look at anybody else. I don’t need anybody else.”
She felt his green gaze drift downward along her body and back to her face. “It’s unavoidable. You are too beautiful, too enticing.”
“And you’re fiercely protective and jealous, Lord Caveman of Distrustful-land,” she said, trying for a lighter mood.
“Aye, I am.” He lowered his face until their noses touched and he hissed, “Get used to it.”
Sophia rolled her eyes.
She was trying to be patient and understanding. She reminded herself that men could be the most irrational of creatures and that he had a past that didn’t help. She told herself a great many sensible things, yet she felt her temper slipping. “I’m sorry if I hurt your manly pride, but Ethan and I are friends and we have business together. There is nothing to be jealous of.”
“I don’t want you around him.” He impatiently raked his hand in his long ink-black hair. “Fifty-million pounds or not.”
Before she could respond, Tavish approached. And just in the nick of time, because Sophia was strongly tempted to pick up his mother’s antique Ming Dynasty vase and smash it on Alistair’s skull.
“Monopolizing Sophia again, I see,” said Tavish.
“She’s mine to monopolize. When I wish, as I wish,” Alistair answered darkly.
“Right, Lord Caveman.” Sophia turned and winked at Tavish. “I’m going to-”
Alistair’s eyes widened for a second and his hand shot up to her arm, keeping her in place. Frowning ominously at her, he said, “Don’t you dare go over there.”
She looked at his hand on her arm and back at his face, with a raised eyebrow, “Take back what you said.”
He gapped at her, “What did I say?”
“He is incorrigible, Sophia.” Tavish laughed. “Get used to his overbearing personality. We are going to watch a movie. Will you join us, Sophia?”
Fuck! Don’t even think of saying yes.
Sophia looked at Alistair, “Why not? Yes, Tavish Uilleam, we’d love-”
“That’s enough!” Alistair exited the game room through the glass door towing her by the arm with Tavish’s laughter following them out onto the Elm Courtyard. He stopped and whipped round to look at her. “Don’t provoke my ire, Sophia.”
She put a hand over her heart, mocking, “God forbid, my lord Marquis of Don’t-anger-me. God forbid.”
He exhaled a forceful breath and pulled her into his embrace, kissing her hard and hungrily, before saying, “I want to show you something. Come.”
Sophia licked her lips and prayed for patience as he muttered something under his breath about independent and stubborn women. She followed him to the other side of the courtyard to stop at very tall double doors flanked by two large windows.
He opened one and allowed Sophia to enter. He banged the door shut behind him and almost tripped over her standing at the entrance of the room.
She could discern tall, wild trees and tropical plants in the moonlight that came in through the huge glass panes that formed the rocky walls and part of the roof.
She looked around bewildered. The room was enormously wide and three stories high; a kind of a greenhouse. “This is magnificent.”
“My great-grandmother built it after a fire that almost collapsed this whole part of the castle. After her, all the duchesses have being adding to it, making it more and more enchanting.” He paced away from her to the far end of the greenhouse, near a small artificial rocky cascade that led into a lake in the center of the room. “It is one of my favorite places in Craigdale.”
He took off his blazer, threw it on a chair and sat in one of the beautiful and antique settees scattered around the room, patting the place beside him. He said gravely, “We need to talk.”
Alistair wasn’t a man that discussed or asked. He simply took. Without explanations. Without apologies. But in deference to Sophia and specially because of his feelings for her, he would try to explain a few things. He examined her, still standing by the door. “What’s the problem?”
“No butterflies, right?”
He smiled and shook his head, “Nae. No butterflies. Come here.”
Sophia crossed the room in awe, her hands touching the big leaves and exotic orchids like the ones that could be found in Rio de Janeiro, the Amazon forest or in some places in Africa.
“I could take some beautiful photos of Gabriela here,” she said to him as she sat on the divan, shed her high heels, and tucked her feet under her legs. “Imagine her looking for fairies here.”
He smiled as he rolled the cuffs of his shirt up. “I’ll suggest my father brings her here tomorrow night.”
“So, talk, Lord Caveman.” She turned to him expectantly, toying with the hem of her long gown as she admired his muscled forearms.