"Yes, and never mention the small hints of insanity." I put the top back on the bottle of polish. I glanced at my cell. "You don't believe me."
She didn't. I wouldn't believe me either.
Tracy paused. "I believe that you believe. But murder? Seriously, Lex, I could understand the monkey sex, but murder. I want to believe because my birthday's coming up and I want to meet my eternal mate—not be stabbed by a vindictive bitch. Like you said, it's hard to even comprehend."
"Yeah, I didn't believe at first either." I thought back to our lunch. "Weren't you the one who fantasized about a space pirate?"
Tracy groaned. "God, that was not me." She was quiet for a minute. "I lied. About the fantasy man."
I picked up the phone and settled back into the couch, my feet still up on the side of the coffee table. "Are you going to tell me?"
"No way. I've got three months until my birthday. We're going to that jewelry store and I'm going to meet him, preferably on some deserted island without anyone else around. Then I'll tell you."
"Okay." I wasn't going to push her. I understood more than anyone that this wasn't just play.
"Look, I have to go. The taxi just pulled up to the hotel. Lexy, if he's as hot as you say and that good in the sack, then I can't wait to meet him."
I ended the call and sat there thinking of Ian. I couldn't wait to meet him either.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lexy
Two weeks later, I still hadn't met him. Eating wasn't overly important. The memories of the one night of passion lingered, burned in my brain. My pussy clenched when I thought about Ian's touch, his large cock satisfying my sexual hunger. I'd touched myself, bringing myself to climax thinking of him. I'd even used my vibrator in more unusual ways. I'd liked everything we'd done together and I wanted to stay prepared.
Having a job that filled all of my time helped. I had briefs to write, clients to meet, court appearances to prepare for. I'd never noticed how flat my life was until after my night in Scotland. I couldn't say it was a dream, nor could I say it was a trip. I didn't know what it was, how to classify it. I couldn't tell anyone and only Tracy saw the ring and said she was waiting for Ian to appear. It was possible the only way for her to truly believe was to go to the jewelry store on her birthday.
The anguish of what happened didn't fade though, and I searched the Internet for details on them to find some closure. My high school teachers would have been proud of what I learned about Scottish history. The clan MacInnes had records and Ian had been relatively easy to discover, however the content was minimal. He'd been laird for a short time and had died at Culloden in 1746. He'd gone to fight the English after all and lost.
One of my co-workers had found me crying at my desk. I lied and said a relative had passed away and they'd let me take the afternoon off. Sitting in my apartment and moping was not going to make Ian survive that horrific battle. It had happened hundreds of years ago. Instead, I'd written out a list of errands and remained busy. I'd just dropped a bag of clothes at the dry cleaners and stepped onto the sidewalk, stopping to check my bag for my car keys. Turning, I rammed headlong into someone's side, knocking me to the ground.
"I'm sorry. Are you all right?" he asked, leaning down toward me, concerned.
After clearing my wits, I finally looked up and my breath stalled in my lungs. My heart lurched into my throat. I couldn't do anything but take in the man looming over me. Ian.
His hair was a little longer than I remembered, but his eyes, those whiskey colored eyes, were the same.
His dark eyebrows went up. "How do you know my name?" I hadn't realized I'd said his name out loud.
He held out a hand to help me up. One I recognized all too well. One that had done things to me, touched me in ways I'd never known existed. Those fingers had fucked my pussy, that thumb had stretched my ass wide. Heat flared. I felt it in my cheeks and other, more private places.
My heart leapt into my throat. A wave of exhilaration swept over me, my heart pumped with the surge of adrenaline. Ian!
I gladly took his proffered hand, and he pulled me easily to my feet. The touch, the contact of palm on palm was electrifying. Not just for me but for him, too. I could see the surprising flicker in his eyes. A recognition. Awareness. He didn't understand it, but he sensed it all the same.
The white shirt and plaid were replaced with jeans and a black tee shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders and hard muscles. He was just as tall and virile and powerful and… perfect as I remembered.
The ruby ring, pressed between our palms, singed my skin as if I'd grabbed hold of a burning pan. His too, since he released his grip, looking down at his palm.
His surprised gaze slowly lifted again to mine. We stood, staring at each other, for long moments. I held my breath, waiting nervously. Had the old woman been right? Would he just make sure I didn't hurt myself and be on his way?
He narrowed his eyes, studied me. "I… I know you… from somewhere."
I nodded, hope flaring. I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face.
How did this work? Would he remember our time together? I shook the thought away just as quickly as it had formed. How could he? This was a different Ian. The Ian I'd spent the night with in Scotland was an Ian from a different time. A different life. But, the old Ian and this one were kindred spirits, alike. Identical in everything but the centuries between them. The ring, my presence and hopefully a flash from a past life experience combined together might trigger a flicker of recognition. On what level Ian knew me was something else entirely.
"Somewhere," I said absently. I couldn't say, Yeah, we met in a past life, and we had this one amazing night. And you were a Highland laird. He'd never believe me and would consider me a nutcase, for just the same reason I didn't tell my mother. I had him in front of me and it would be best if I didn't scare him off right away. We were eternal mates. We had the rest of our lives to… do whatever we wanted. The thought of forever with him was amazing. Happiness filled my very soul.