Shy Innocent In The Spotlight by Melanie Milburne
CHAPTER THREE
ELSPETHWENTBACKto her room upstairs to phone Elodie without anyone listening in. It was no surprise to see another raft of text messages from her mother. She blew out a breath and quickly pinged off a text assuring her mother that she was fine and having a wonderful time. What was one more lie when she had told heaps so far? She then called her twin’s number.
‘What the hell happened between you and Fraser MacDiarmid?’ she asked as soon as Elodie answered.
‘Nothing.’
‘It can’t have been nothing. I just had him snarling in my ear downstairs, warning me to keep my mouth shut. I don’t even know what it is I’m supposed to be keeping quiet about. The least you could have done is tell me. I feel like I’m on stage in a play in the West End, playing to a full house after memorising the wrong script.’
Elodie let out a sigh heavy enough to send a helicopter into a tailspin. ‘I didn’t tell you because I’m embarrassed about it.’ She paused for a beat and continued, ‘I had a one-night stand with him. I’m not even attracted to him but I’d just run into Lincoln and his latest squeeze in the same London bar... I don’t know...it made me a little crazy. I got chatting to Fraser and then I went back to his room. End of story.’
Elspeth knew her twin was a little reckless at times but picking up strangers in a bar was completely out of character. Yes, she was flirtatious and daring and outgoing but, as far as Elspeth knew, her sister wasn’t a one-night-stand-with-a-stranger type of girl. But did she really know her twin as well as she thought? Elodie had always claimed she hadn’t been in love with Lincoln Lancaster. That their whirlwind courtship had been out of balance from the start, for he’d been the one to insist on getting married when they had only known each other a couple of months. Why, then, would running into him with his latest lover upset Elodie so much? ‘The least you could have done is tell me. I’m in over my head and I—’
‘If I’d told you, you wouldn’t have agreed to switch places,’ Elodie said.
‘Given the circumstances, why did you accept the role of bridesmaid in the first place? You said Sabine was only a passing acquaintance. You could have politely declined and—’
‘I accepted before I realised who she was engaged to. Once I found out, it was too late to come up with an excuse not to accept the invitation. Besides, I figured it was a way to pay back Fraser for being such a sleaze.’
Elspeth suppressed a cold shudder. ‘The sex between you was...consensual, wasn’t it?’
‘Yes, but he was a selfish lover and he didn’t tell me he was engaged at the time. I would never have gone back to his room if I’d known that. I wanted to teach him a lesson and his delightfully friendly fiancée gave me the perfect way to do it.’
‘But what about Sabine? Did you consider her in your plan for revenge?’
There was a weighted silence.
‘Not at the time but since, yes.’
‘Is that why you sent me instead of coming yourself? Your conscience got the better of you?’ Elspeth asked.
‘Partly, I guess, but I really did have a meeting here in London. I’ve only just finished it.’
‘How did it go?’
‘They want me to meet with them again tomorrow to discuss it further.’
A stone slab landed on the floor of Elspeth’s stomach. ‘Tomorrow? But you’re meant to be here first thing in the morning to switch places with me. In fact, shouldn’t you be getting on a flight right now as you promised?’
‘I can’t be there. You’ll have to keep up the act. It’s only for another twenty-four hours. You’ve got this far without anyone guessing. Just keep doing what you’re doing and everything will be sweet. Look—I’ve got to dash. I’m supposed to be meeting up with everyone from the meeting for drinks. Bye.’
Elspeth stared at the dead phone in her hand, her heart sinking in despair. Eek! Another twenty-four hours wearing her party-girl twin’s shoes.
But what if she fell flat on her face?
Mack wondered if he needed his head examined for organising a private meeting with Elodie Campbell in the library. But the temptation to squirrel her away from the rest of the wedding party was too irresistible. Besides wanting to hear her side of her fling with his younger brother, he had a burning desire to understand more about her character. She was warm and friendly towards Sabine, acting as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, and yet, if it was true she’d slept with Fraser, what sort of friend of the bride did that make her? Fraser had admitted Elodie hadn’t known he was engaged at the time of their brief encounter, but, still, agreeing to be Sabine’s bridesmaid seemed a little inappropriate under the circumstances. What exactly was motivating Elodie to be here? She had a busy schedule taking her all over the world—it would have been easy enough to politely decline the invitation. And Sabine, being a sweet and generous-natured young woman, would have understood.
No, there was more to Elodie Campbell than he’d first thought. She was feisty and spirited when interacting with him and yet, every now and again he caught her chewing at her lower lip, looking uncertain and way out of her depth. And what about those blushes? He hadn’t thought someone with the party-girl reputation Elodie had would blush so readily or so deeply. Or was that because she felt guilty about her fling with the groom of her friend?
But there was another reason Mack wanted time alone with her. He wanted to make sure she had no ulterior motive for being at his brother’s wedding. Sabine had been a wonderful influence on Fraser over the last year or so and Mack was determined their wedding would go ahead. It had to. Apart from the money he had spent on the young couple’s nuptials, Mack was worried that Fraser might spin out of control if Sabine called it quits. Sabine’s wealthy businessman father had promoted Fraser high up in his company and given him extra privileges that would be taken away in a heartbeat if anything went awry with his beloved only daughter. Mack didn’t want to think about Fraser losing his job, the career pathway that had been so stabilising for him.
Mack had to keep Elodie Campbell under control. He had to make sure the wedding went ahead without any dramas.
And one way to do that was to keep Elodie’s attention focussed on himself instead of his brother.
And that, he decided, would be nothing if not entertaining.
Elspeth considered ignoring Mack’s command to meet him in the library but curiosity got the better of her. And not just because the library of a centuries-old castle was to her one of the most exciting places in the world to visit. The enigmatic Mack MacDiarmid was even more exciting.
Dangerously so.
Elspeth found the library and was pleased he wasn’t yet there. It gave her time to peruse the floor-to-ceiling shelves, to drool over some of the titles housed there. It was an archivist’s dream to be surrounded by priceless editions that were hundreds of years old. There were journals and diaries from some of Mack’s ancestors and she wished she had more time so she could read through them all. The room had a velvet-covered wing chair and a sofa in front of the windows that overlooked the dense woods behind the castle. A tall standard lamp was situated beside the wing chair, providing a perfect reading place, and she pictured herself curled up in it with one of the ancient books, with Highland snow falling softly and silently outside. She placed her clutch purse on one of the shelves and began to examine some of the titles. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head at some of the treasures housed on the shelves. Did Mack know the value of these books? Had they been archived and insured? She stared at row after row of priceless titles, her breath catching in wonder, her hands itching to examine them. But books as old as these needed special care. Cotton gloves for handling and a controlled-temperature environment to preserve them for generations to come.
The sound of the door clicking shut behind her made Elspeth spin round from the bookshelves. ‘You have a lot of wonderful books. I can’t believe what a treasure trove you’ve got here. Have they ever been valued or archived? Are they adequately insured?’
Mack stepped further into the room, his expression difficult to read. ‘The most valuable were sold a few years ago.’
‘But there must be others here that are worth a mint.’ She gazed back up at the shelves and pointed. ‘That one there—the leather-bound one I’m sure is a rare edition of The Canterbury Tales. A copy of it sold for several million pounds a while back. Could you get it down for me? And do you have a pair of cotton gloves?’
Mack took so long to answer, Elspeth turned round to look at him. ‘Is something wrong?’
He stepped further into the light coming from the chandelier above. ‘You have an interest in rare books?’ His expression was still largely inscrutable but a piercing light in his gaze sent a tingling shiver skittering across her scalp.
Elspeth suddenly realised her gaffe. Her twin was a lingerie model who had chosen to leave school before she got her GCSEs in her quest to make a career out of modelling. There were numerous interviews Elodie had given about her struggle with dyslexia and how she had spent most of her childhood avoiding reading. ‘Erm...yes, it’s kind of a hobby of mine...’ She turned away and gnawed at her lip, her heart racing so hard and fast she thought she might faint. She could feel her cheeks heating...so much for the controlled-temperature environment. At this rate, her cheeks would turn the precious books into ashes within minutes.
‘What other hobbies do you have?’
Elspeth forced herself to face him again, painting a smile on her face, while her heart did somersaults in her chest. ‘I draw. I dabble in watercolours.’ At least those things were true. It was a talent she and her twin shared.
Mack came up to where she was standing, his eyes holding hers in an unwavering lock. ‘Tell me something. Why did you accept the invitation to be Sabine’s bridesmaid?’
The question blindsided her for a moment. She moistened her lips and averted her gaze, focussing it on the collar of his shirt. ‘I like Sabine. She’s a sweetheart.’ That was also true, Elspeth decided. Sabine was a warm and friendly soul who deserved better than Mack’s cheating younger brother, Fraser. She wished she could warn Sabine about the man she was marrying tomorrow but how could she do it without blowing her cover? Sabine would be hurt by not one but three betrayals—her fiancé’s cheating, Elodie being the person he cheated with and Elspeth standing in for her twin as bridesmaid.
‘Then why did you sleep with her fiancé, my younger brother?’
Elspeth swallowed. ‘I—I don’t wish to discuss—’
‘We are not leaving this room until we have discussed it.’ His tone had that determined edge that had so irritated her before.
Elspeth gave him a frosty look. ‘You can hardly hold me prisoner.’
His grey-blue eyes darkened to gunmetal-grey. ‘Don’t tempt me.’
The air crackled with tension. A throbbing tension Elspeth could feel in her body. The low and deep secret tug of desire, the heightening of her senses, the flaring of her nostrils, the lowering of her lashes, the soft parting of her lips.
Mack’s gaze became hooded and dipped to her mouth and lingered there for a heart-stopping moment. The tension in the air tightened another notch as if all the oxygen particles had been removed. Elspeth couldn’t take her eyes off his lips, the sensual contour of them totally mesmerising. Was he going to kiss her? Her heart flip-flopped and she moistened her lips with a nervous dart of her tongue. She mustn’t let herself get carried away but, oh, how amazing it would be to feel those firm lips against her own. She hadn’t been kissed in a decade. She was a virgin who was nudging thirty with only one kiss under her belt.
One almost deadly kiss that had put her in hospital and sent her mother under the care of a therapist for over a year.
It was a timely reminder that Elspeth was way out of her depth. She might pretend to be sassy and in control but she was playing a role. She was shy and inexperienced Elspeth, not street-smart and ebullient Elodie.
Elspeth raised her chin a fraction. ‘Right now, I’m tempted to slap your arrogant face.’
‘Then maybe I should give you an even better reason to do so.’ Mack took her by the upper arms in a gentle but firm hold, the erotic intent in his glittering gaze unmistakable.
‘W-wait.’ Elspeth placed her hands flat against his rock-hard chest. ‘Have you been eating nuts?’
His brows came together in a deep frown. ‘What?’
She licked her lips with another flick of her tongue. ‘I can’t allow you to kiss me if you’ve eaten nuts. I—I hate the taste. I find it nauseating.’
Mack measured her with his gaze for a long moment, his hands still on her upper arms. ‘Do you want me to kiss you?’
Gulp.Elspeth blinked and she could feel scorching heat storming into her face. ‘Erm... I—I thought you wanted to kiss me.’
His gaze dipped to her mouth for a nanosecond before reconnecting with her gaze. ‘Now, there’s a thought,’ he drawled, his lips tilting in a smile that made her legs go weak. ‘But I’m not sure it would be wise under the circumstances.’ His hands fell away from her arms but he didn’t move away.
‘Because of the...the nut thing?’
‘Are you allergic to them or just don’t like the taste?’
Elspeth found herself confessing the truth. ‘Erm...allergic. Badly. I can’t even touch the same surface where nuts have been or use products that have almond oil in them.’
‘That’s tough. It must be hard to avoid them.’
‘I’m used to it. I—I don’t like to make too big a thing of it. It’s not good for my image, you know?’
‘You haven’t thought of being the poster girl for peanut allergies? Using your profile to campaign for much-needed funding in allergy research—that sort of thing?’
Elspeth’s cheeks felt as if they were on fire. At this rate, she could solve an energy crisis for a small nation. ‘I like to use my influence in other ways. I don’t like being reminded of my faulty immune system.’
He studied her for a lengthy moment. ‘All nuts or just peanuts?’
‘All nuts but peanuts are the worst.’
‘I’m not a fan of them either.’
Her eyes widened. ‘You’re not?’
‘I once inhaled one when I was a toddler and had to be rushed to hospital. I haven’t eaten them since.’
She couldn’t stop staring at his mouth, the shape of it captivating her. ‘Oh...wow, I’ve heard that’s pretty dangerous for little kids...’
‘It is.’
He was still so close to her she could feel the warm waft of his breath against her face. Could see the flecks of grey in the blue of his eyes, reminding her of smooth stones at the bottom of a riverbed. Could feel her body responding to his proximity with soft little flickers of awareness, flutters of lust and need that bloomed inside her like an exotic flower under the searing rays of the sun. He slid a hand along the side of her face, his touch so mesmerising, so thrilling she was totally spellbound, trapped in a sensual stasis. She thought of stepping back away from his light touch but that was as far as it went—a thought. Not one muscle in her body agreed with acting on it.
‘So, given that we’ve established I haven’t consumed nuts, what harm is one little kiss going to do, hmm?’ he said in a low rumbly voice, his eyes drifting to her mouth once more.
Elspeth disguised another gulp, her own gaze drinking in every contour of his mouth. ‘So, you do want to kiss me?’ She hadn’t meant to sound quite so gobsmacked. Her twin probably kissed men all the time without a single qualm.
Mack’s hand moved further back along her face until it was embedded in her hair, sending a shivery wave of pleasure across her scalp. ‘I find myself incredibly tempted to do so.’
Elspeth stared at his mouth with her pulse skyrocketing. ‘But...but why?’ Her tone had taken gobsmacked to a whole new level.
He gave a soft breath of a laugh. ‘Because for some reason I find you irresistibly attractive.’
What he found attractive was her version of Elodie, Elspeth quickly reminded herself. It had nothing to do with her. A sharp twinge of disappointment got her under the ribs. Would someone as suave and sophisticated as Mack MacDiarmid want to kiss the real Elspeth? Not flipping likely. ‘That’s very flattering but—’
‘There’s nothing about you having a nut allergy in any of the interviews you’ve given. Why is that?’ Mack’s tone had a probing edge that sent a wave of alarm through her.
‘Yes, well, I didn’t want to make a big issue out of it...or to have someone sabotage me just before an important shoot. Believe me, it’s a jungle out there.’ Elspeth was pleased with how she was handling the situation. Who knew she could think on her feet so well? She had clearly missed her calling as an improvisation actor.
His frown deepened. ‘Another model would actually do that?’
‘Who knows? It’s very competitive out there on the runway. I decided long ago not to risk it.’ She forced another smile on her lips and added, ‘Erm...shouldn’t we be getting back to the rest of the party?’
‘What’s the hurry?’ His hand slid deeper into the cloud of her hair, sending more tingles over her scalp and a shiver skittering down her spine.
She was conscious of his strongly muscled thighs standing within inches of her own. Conscious of the citrus and wood notes of his aftershave. Conscious of how much she wanted him to kiss her. Conscious of the way his gaze kept tracking to her mouth. Her lips tingled in anticipation. Every inch of her skin tightening and twitching with awareness. ‘They might be wondering what we’re up to...’
His lazy smile did strange things to her heart rate. ‘Maybe they think I’m making mad passionate love to you in the library.’
‘Wh-why would they think that? I only met you an hour or so ago.’
‘That’s not stopped you before, or so I’m told.’
She moved out of his hold, wrapping her arms around her middle, her face hot as fire. ‘You shouldn’t believe everything you’re told.’
‘I don’t.’ Something in his tone made her turn back to look at him. His expression was inscrutable except for that enigmatic smile curving his sensual lips.
‘Why do I get the feeling you’re playing with me like a cat does a mouse?’
Mack came back to stand in front of her. ‘I’m fascinated by you.’
She disguised a nervous swallow. ‘Wh-why?’ She could safely say no one had ever been fascinated by her before.
He picked up a loose strand of her red-gold hair and wound it around his index finger. The slight tension on her scalp sent a delicious frisson through her body. The laser focus of his gaze sending her heart rate into the danger zone. But then, everything about Mack MacDiarmid spelled danger. She had never met a more potently attractive man. Never been so close to a man she could almost sense his body’s primal reaction to her. A primal reaction that triggered a firestorm in her own female flesh. ‘You’re a mystery I want to solve.’
‘I can assure you there’s nothing mysterious about me.’ Why couldn’t she get her voice above a throaty whisper? Why couldn’t she just step away from him and get the hell out of the library before she lost all control of her senses? She was hypnotised by his alluring presence, drugged by his touch, addicted to the sound of his voice, hungry for the crush of his sensual lips on hers.
‘Ah, but that’s where I disagree,’ he said, slowly unwinding her hair from his finger. ‘As soon as I saw you at the upstairs window earlier today, I sensed you were hiding something.’
Elspeth rapid-blinked and flicked her hair back behind her shoulders. ‘Of course I was hiding something. I was standing there in nothing but my wrap, for pity’s sake.’
‘You’ve been seen in much less by millions of people all over the world.’
She bit her lip for a nanosecond. ‘Look—I really think we should get back to the rest of the bridal party. The rehearsal’s about to start in a few minutes. It’ll look odd if we’re not there to play our role.’
‘You’re right.’ Mack stepped back from her with a mercurial smile. ‘We have both been assigned an important role to play this weekend, yes?’ There was a cryptic quality to his tone that made her heart rate spike once more.
‘Erm, yes...’ Elspeth gave a nervous swallow. ‘We have.’
But her job this weekend would be a whole lot easier if Mack MacDiarmid weren’t so sharply intelligent and eagle-eyed observant.
Or so deliciously, knee-wobblingly attractive.
‘What are your feelings towards my brother?’
Elspeth decided to be brutally honest. ‘I don’t think he’s good enough for Sabine.’
A knot of tension flickered in his jaw and a hard light came into his eyes. ‘So, you’d like to see the wedding called off? Is that what you’re saying?’
Elspeth forced herself to hold his diamond-hard gaze. ‘Do you think he’s truly in love with her?’
His mouth twisted in a cynical manner. ‘I’m not sure my brother understands the meaning of true love.’
‘Do you?’ The question was out before she could monitor her tongue.
Mack gave a harsh grunt of a laugh. ‘I understand it, I’ve seen it and the damage it can cause when it’s unrequited, but I haven’t experienced it myself.’
‘Nor have I.’
‘Not even with your ex-fiancé?’
Elspeth mentally kicked herself for momentarily slipping out of character. But had Elodie actually loved Lincoln Lancaster? Their relationship had been hotly passionate from the get-go and Elspeth had felt a little envious that no one had ever looked at her the smouldering way Lincoln had looked at her twin. Elodie had claimed to love him right up until the day of the wedding. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, she’d insisted it was all a mistake, that she was too young to settle down, that Lincoln wasn’t the right person for her, etc, etc. It had shocked everyone, Elspeth most of all because she had truly thought Elodie had found her soulmate only to watch her throw him aside as if he were a toy she was no longer interested in. ‘I decided I was too young to settle down. I thought it better to call off the wedding rather than go through a costly divorce further down the track.’
‘But did you love him?’ His gaze was laser-pointer direct.
Elspeth raised her chin at a combative height. ‘My feelings towards Lincoln Lancaster are none of your business.’ She spun away but before she could move a step, his hand came down on her wrist, his fingers curling around her slender bones in a gentle but firm hold.
‘What about your feelings for my brother, Fraser? You cleverly avoided answering me before.’
Elspeth knew she should be brushing off his hand but, just for a moment, she let it stay exactly where it was. The warmth and tensile strength of his fingers on her wrist sent shivers racing up and down her spine and a spurt of liquid heat to her core. How could a man’s touch be so magnetic? So intensely sensual? ‘You want the honest truth?’ she asked with a pointed look.
‘If you can manage it, yes.’ The cynical edge to his tone matched the glint in his eyes and both ramped up her ire.
Elspeth pulled her wrist out of his hold and rubbed at it as if it had been burned by his touch, which it had, come to think of it. A searing burn that travelled all the way to the core of her being, simmering there in secret. ‘I dislike him intensely.’
‘So you regret hooking up with him?’
Elspeth couldn’t meet his gaze. ‘Of course. It’s put me in such an awkward position...’ Wasn’t that the truth? She chewed at her lower lip and added, ‘I hate the thought of Sabine finding out but, again, I hate the thought of her marrying him tomorrow without knowing he cheated on her.’ She returned her gaze to his. ‘He should have told her well before this, so she could decide whether she wanted to continue their relationship or not. She thinks she’s marrying a devoted and loyal partner but instead she’s marrying a cheat and a liar.’ Elspeth knew she was hardly one to criticise someone for lying when all she had done so far this weekend was do exactly that—lie and deceive people.
‘So you believe in honesty in intimate relationships?’
Elspeth’s gaze skittered away from his. ‘As far as possible.’
‘Meaning?’
She glanced back at him but his expression was inscrutable. ‘I’d like to think if I was in a committed relationship with someone they would honour me by being truthful about their feelings. If they felt, for instance, their needs weren’t being met in some way, wouldn’t it be better to talk about it rather than have those needs met clandestinely with someone else?’
‘I couldn’t agree more.’
There was a silence that was so intense Elspeth was sure she heard a rose petal drop from the flower arrangement on the antique table in front of the window.
Then the silence was broken by the click-clacking sound of approaching footsteps and before Elspeth could put some distance between her and Mack, Sabine came in with a wide smile. ‘Oh, here you two are. What on earth are you up to in here?’ Her eyes twinkled like a fairy godmother on a matchmaking mission.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Elspeth said, moving away from Mack, conscious of the fiery heat pooling in her cheeks. ‘Are we holding up the rehearsal?’
Sabine’s blissfully happy smile was painful to witness. ‘Only a little. I’m so glad you two are getting along so well.’ She linked her arm through one of Elspeth’s and added, ‘It will make Fraser’s and my wedding day all the more special, won’t it, Mack?’
‘Indeed it will,’ Mack said with a stiff smile that didn’t reach the full distance to his eyes. Then he reached for Elspeth’s clutch purse off the bookshelf and held it out to her with an enigmatic look. ‘You might not want to leave this behind.’
Elspeth was shocked to realise how distracted she had been by him that she had completely forgotten it. Her life depended on the EpiPens in that purse. ‘Thank you.’ She took her purse from him, only just resisting the urge to snatch it out of his hold. How could she have been so caught up in the moment she had compromised her own safety?
And not just her physical safety. She was beginning to realise Mack MacDiarmid was a threat to her emotional safety.
And sadly, there was no EpiPen for that.