Love in Her Dreams (3 page)

Damn it what was happening to
her?

“Stop it,
Tamsyn
!
You've got Edinburgh to explore!” she scolded herself. Taking her things out of
her suitcase, she started putting them in the closet and in the bathroom just
to take her mind off the man who haunted her dreams.

Tamsyn
checked her watch. It was just
close to noon, but she wasn't feeling hungry. She grabbed her purse and the map
the B&B owner kindly gave her and made her way out.

She was so glad the sun was
shining as its heat gently warmed her back. Placing her sunglasses on the
bridge of her nose,
Tamsyn
made her way to the center
of Edinburgh. She walked across the road and turned left on Elm Row then
Leith
Walk. The roads reminded her a little of San
Francisco. Hilly but not as steep as the streets in the Bay Area by any stretch
of the imagination. It was more like gentle, rolling streets that looked like
they undulated from afar.

Unlike the red brick houses that
dominated Manchester, Edinburgh's houses had whitewashed façades that had
turned gray due to the exhaust fumes from the cars and buses traversing the
busy streets. Many people passed her by, walking fast over the city's
undulating roads while she had to stop occasionally. The streets of Manchester
were long but flat. Here she felt like being on a perpetually inclined
treadmill. By the time she reached St. Mary's Catholic Church, which looked as
though it was on a hill from her starting point,
Tamsyn
was puffing out air and could feel beads of sweat in her temples and down her
back. She stopped and inhaled deeply as she lifted her shoulder-length hair
away from her neck, relishing the air that cooled her nape. Her thighs
protested, not used to being taken out of their comfort zone for some strenuous
walking. But
Tamsyn
kept walking. She wasn't going to
be denied her sightseeing, thunder thighs or not. Fifteen minutes later she
reached the Royal Mile, relieved and happy. She wasn't exactly good at
following map directions, but she did it here. In Edinburgh. She could have
danced the jig.

I'm such a pathetic creature,
Tamsyn
muttered and chuckled as she shook her head.

The Royal Mile was filled with
cafes, pubs, restaurants, and store upon store selling the famous lamb’s wool
or cashmere scarves, hats, stoles, or shawls. The plaid designs were so
beautiful that it was getting difficult for
Tamsyn
to
control herself and stick to her budget or else she'd be spending her entire
budget in just one shopping spree. She continued up the Mile and traversed
Parliament Square taking pictures of the High Kirk of St. Giles, of the statues
of David Hume and Adam Smith. There was a store that sold
Heathergems
,
beautiful
jewelery
made from real heather. Another
had
Ortac
silver. And yet another had a display of
Celtic symbols that was so much a part of a land steeped in mysticism and
legend. The Royal Mile wouldn't be what it was without the smattering of
whiskey stores whose shelves were filled with an array of blended and single
malt whiskeys from the four regions of the Lowlands, Highlands,
Speyside
, and Islay.

It was part of who the Scots
were.

Tamsyn
swallowed and realized her
throat was dry and she was thirsty. Her gaze searched the various cafes, a
slight frown marring her forehead before it cleared. Retracing her steps,
Tamsyn
entered Starbucks on Hunter Square. A familiar place
in an unfamiliar land. She perched her sunglasses on her head as she entered
the coffee shop opposite the
Tron
Kirk and looked at
her map while waiting for her turn at the till.

Suddenly, she felt the tingle
that started in the middle of her shoulder blades and down her spine. It was
similar to the tingling she experienced when she was in the train. She felt
herself heating up. She could feel her breasts tingle and become heavy. Her
nipples budded on their own accord inside her bra and her sex clenched several
times.

He was here.

In Edinburgh.

Tamsyn's
gasp stuck to her throat. She
quickly looked around the coffee shop. Many of the tables were filled with
tourists, none of whom were looking at her.

“Hi! What would
ye
like?” the male barista said, as he gave the official
Starbucks smile.
Tamsyn
liked the sound of his burr.

“Oh, just a tall iced
decaff
latte to go, please,” she said, a little flustered
at the sensations she was experiencing before she belatedly gave a small smile
in return.

He took out a transparent
plastic cup with the Starbucks logo from the stack.

“Any cream?”

“No, thanks.” She shook her
head, still unnerved and looking around.

“Name?”

“
Tamsyn
,”
she said, fishing out some coins from her wallet before giving it to him.

Saying her thanks,
Tamsyn
walked to the end of the bar to wait for her name to
be called. The tingle hadn't left, and she felt someone's eyes on her but she
couldn't see who it was. Her heart beat erratically. Was it him? Could he be
here in Edinburgh? Could it be possible he had just been a train ride away the
whole time? That was impossible! But if she had Peter Parker's
spidey
sense, she'd believe he was here.

Her dream man was here. After
all this time
Tamsyn
could hardly believe the
possibility of finally seeing him in the flesh. To feel him completely.

Holding her.

Inside her.

She felt the pulse at the base
of her neck jump as her face heated up. Thank God it was a bit warm inside
Starbucks. She looked around again, pretending to look bored while she waited
for her coffee even while her heart raced. But everyone was busy talking to
each other.
Tamsyn
shook her head to clear it at the
same time her name was called.

“Tall iced
decaff
latte for
Tamsyn
,” the female barista said in a
hurry, giving her a short smile before she made the next order.

Tamsyn
murmured her thanks and left
the shop. Maybe some fresh air would clear her head.

Because it would defy all
explanation as to how and why she could feel him so close.

Chapter Four

Alec was explaining something to
his client when he stopped mid-sentence.

He felt her. God, he could feel
her near!

His stirring cock was a
testament to that.

“Alec?”

“Sorry.” He cleared his throat.
“I was just calculating some figures in my head.”

Alec knew Laird
Dougall
did not like those kinds of interruptions. Alec
continued with his spiel, unmindful of the slightly disapproving stare of the
septuagenarian with a razor sharp brain in front of him. He launched back to
his report in barely a heartbeat and his client's face became more relaxed when
he heard the profit figures in Alec's report. Then the meeting was over. Alec's
client was satisfied.

“That was excellent, Alec,” his
client said. Beside him, his quiet assistant reached into his portfolio,
fishing out two envelopes.

“Thank you.” Alec gave him a
short smile. He mentally begged his client to hurry up. He needed to find her.

“As agreed this is half of your
fee,” his client said, pushing the first envelope towards Alec. “And these are
the papers that you need to sign so the rest of your fee will be stocks in the
company.”

Alec fished out a Mont Blanc pen
from his coat pocket, signing the documents in the lines where there was an “X”
beside it.

The transaction completed, Alec
recapped his pen.

“I must beg your leave, Laird
Dougall
,” he said.

The laird cocked a thick gray
brow. “A lass no doubt preoccupies your mind.”

“What makes you say that?”
Alec's eyes narrowed slightly but his face was devoid of the impatience he
felt.

The laird arched an eyebrow but
remained silent.

“Not quite so sure yet,” Alec
finally admitted as he gathered the papers together before putting them inside
his leather portfolio.

Laird
Dougall
chuckled with amusement.

“
Ahh
,
Alec, if only I was young again. Go. I
willna
keep
you.”

Smiling his thanks, Alec stood
before he shook the laird's hand and barely suppressed his desire to sprint out
of the Radisson
Blu
Hotel's doors that opened into
the Royal Mile.

He loosened his tie as he looked
up and down the street. The tingling sensation was still there but not as
strong as it was before. Somewhere in the area, particularly close to where he
stood, was the woman he had waited for all his life. Or so he thought. How
could he feel her so close? An electric charge had ignited inside him the
moment he knew she was nearby. It could only be her. No other woman had made
him feel this magnetic pull the way she did. That same magnetic pull that
signaled to him as he closed his eyes at night to be beside her once again.
Desire began to swirl in his gut, first as a spark then an ember that glowed
with molten heat making his rod stand in attention. Damn it, he couldn't walk
around with a hard on!

Alec swore underneath his breath
in frustration before he entered the hackney waiting in the taxi bay. A huge
part of him wanted to look for her and he didn't care how long he had to be in
the area. But he had another important meeting with another client that would
take him to the other side of the city. Away from the Royal Mile. He wouldn't
be able to look for his woman.

His woman.

Alec paused, his mouth curved
into a soft smile. Yes, she was his even if she didn't know that yet. He would
make her know she belonged to him. If the incredible sex they had in his
sleeping moments was anything to go by, he doubted he'd have any trouble
convincing her.

With a reluctant sigh, he gave
the address to the cab driver, much to the silent protest of his hard shaft. He
settled on the back seat, discreetly putting his hand on his crotch to adjust
his erection so that it didn't graze against his trousers' zipper. He continued
to look out of the window. The further the hackney went from the Mile, the
fainter the tingling sensation became.

It didn't matter. He would
return to the Royal Mile tomorrow.

And when he found her, Alec
would never let her go.

* * * *

Tamsyn
inserted the key into the lock
and let herself into the B&B. It was already eight in the evening, but the
sun was still a little over the horizon. It had been a long afternoon, but it
felt good walking without having to hurry to get to work on time. She allowed
her feet to take her where they wanted to go. She decided to join one of the
ghost tours starting from the Auld
Reekie
. The
underground caverns were cold and gloomy and yes, a bit scary. Goosebumps
became a permanent fixture on her skin. Her skin tingled as though someone had
brushed against her even though no one was there. But then again,
Tamsyn
could blame that tingling sensation she felt
underground as what was left over from the delicious shivers she felt while
inside Starbucks.

She had walked on towards
Castlehill
and
Lawnmarket
and the
further she was from Starbucks, the fainter the shivers became. At one point
when she was close to The Hub at the top of the Royal Mile and closer to
Edinburgh Castle, she even turned around, hoping to get a glimpse of someone
who might be standing in the middle of the Mile staring at her. The only person
she saw in the middle of High Street was a street sweeper.

Tamsyn
wondered if that was him, but
when the sweeper moved into one of the alleyways, the tingling still remained.
Resigned and suddenly losing her desire to explore, she did a walkabout of the
Edinburgh Castle's parking lot before deciding to return to the Bed and
Breakfast. She'd return the next day to visit the castle. Not that there was
anything to see except loads of tourists like her having their pictures taken
with an honest to goodness Scot wearing a kilt.

Entering her room,
Tamsyn
dumped her purse and sunglasses on the bedside
table. She switched on the
telly
before peeling off
her clothes and entering the shower. She exhaled contentedly as the soft
needles of warm water relaxed her aching muscles and cooled her sweat-dried
skin. The steam from the enclosed cubicle escaped into the bathroom, misting
the mirror as she got out.
Tamsyn
wiped the mist with
her wet hand. She gazed at the empty space behind her in the mirror. She
imagined him standing behind her again, his eyes darkening as he looked at her
naked form. His hands caressing her shoulders and her upper arms before cupping
her breasts to rub his thumbs against her hardening peaks until she sighed. His
gaze promising another night of passion that would leave her sated.

And yet wanting more.

Satisfied when he was with her.

Yearning when he was not.

Tamsyn
returned to the bedroom and
after drying her hair, donned a pair of undies and a tank top before getting
into the comfortable, downy bed. She uttered a grateful sigh. The travel and
the walk pretty much tired her out. In no time at all her eyelids drooped. She
switched off the
telly
, leaving the small lamp on the
vanity table as the only light. She hadn't even formed a coherent thought about
the man in her dreams before she went under.