A Time & Place for Every Laird by Angeline Fortin (ebook reader TXT) 📕

younger brother lived. In an up and coming bohemian areawhere warehouses like these were being converted into art studiosand lofts, Danny had managed to find a home in the grungiestbuilding around. If there was anyone else living in the building,Claire had never seen them.

The long hallways they navigated wereflanked in walls of unrelieved, prison grey punctuated periodicallyby equally nondescript doors. For such an artsy neighborhood, therewasn’t a spec of culture or decoration in sight. Reaching the end,she jabbed the up button for the elevator and turned to find Hugheyeing the glowing circle with more than a little suspicion.

Damn but that look was becoming absolutelyadorable.

Funny, since she’d experienced more conflictwith Hugh in three days than she had with Matt in their six yearstogether.

“You’re not going to ask, are you?” sheasked with a broad grin.

Hugh shook his head. “I doubt I would bepleased wi’ the answer.”

The doors chimed and parted, leaving Hugh tostruggle to contain his astonishment. Claire stepped in and turnedto face him. “You’re probably right. Come on. Let’s go.”

“Where?” he asked, gesturing to the compactcontainer as if the lack of other doors spoke volumes.

“Up. You’ll love it,” she insisted, catchinghis hand and tugging him forward. Hugh grit his teeth and steppedin just before the doors slid closed behind him. Claire pushed thebutton for her brother’s floor and the elevator ground intomotion.

Hugh closed his eyes, a prayer on his lipsand Claire couldn’t swallow the giggle that escaped her, drawingHugh’s apprehensive stare. “Och, I see it now,” he grouched. “Forevery wrong I hae done ye, there will be a thousand opportunitiesfor retribution found for ye in moments such as these. Do ye enjoythis? My discomfort? Or do all women in this time relish a mandisplaying such appalling uncertainty?”

Claire softened at the hurt underlying hiswords. “Of course not … No, I take that back. I guess I do enjoyit, but only for the joy it brings to introduce you to new things.I like your amazement, your awe for things I consider commonplace.It’s like witnessing the face of discovery. And I personallybelieve that you are extremely brave for taking such leaps into theabyss, so to speak. I cannot think of anyone I know who would facethe unknown with such aplomb. Including myself.”

While the ancient elevator continued itslaborious ascension, Claire squeezed Hugh’s bicep before rubbingher hand up and down. The action was meant to comfort and reassurebut the feel of that muscle tensing beneath her hand remindedClaire of the tension that had ensnared them on the ferry. Shecould have sworn for a split second that Hugh had been going tokiss her, and in that moment she had wanted him to. Her earlierresolutions had even prodded at her to lean in and take it forherself, but indecision had won out and the moment had passed withthe ferry’s disembarkment.

Or had she only delayed what was starting tofeel like the inevitable? Right or wrong, guilt or not, she didfind Hugh incredibly alluring.

Claire watched Hugh now beneath loweredlashes, sure that he wasn’t contemplating the slow grind of theirascension any longer. He was watching her, his brilliant eyesraking along her length and sending her nerves into a quakingfrenzy. He wanted her. Surely it hadn’t been so long since she’dseen that look in a man’s eye that she couldn’t recognize itnow.

Hugh looked down at her hand and then intoher eyes, his blue gaze blazing with shared awareness. “Brave, amI?” he asked huskily, bending his head closer to hers. “Even afterI confessed my fear of said abyss?”

“Incredibly,” Claire whispered breathlessly,her eyes shifting to his lips. Even his lips were beautiful.Well-sculpted lips that had been firm against hers yet converselysoft. What would it hurt? One more kiss like the one on the beach,Claire thought. One more kiss that, this time, she could letherself enjoy.

She took a hesitant step closer and hestiffened beneath her touch as her hand slipped from his arm to hischest. It was as solid with muscle as Claire had imagined it wouldbe. She could feel the heat of his skin through the lightweightknit of his sweater, feel the heavy thud of his heart beatingagainst her palm. Inhaling deeply, Claire breathed in the warmth ofhim, the musk of the outdoors and the sea. “Hugh,” she whisperedhelplessly, willing him to do what she couldn’t find the courage todo for herself.

Hugh groaned, or was it the heavy doors ofthe elevator as they slid apart? Claire wasn’t sure, but Hughlooked incredibly relieved as he stepped back from Claire hastilyand turned on his heel to escape the elevator. Or escape her?

“Thank God,” she thought she heard himmutter as he walked away.

For what? That the ride was over?

Chapter 20

Stopping at an unremarkable metal door,Claire raised her hand to knock slowly three times and then twiceagain more rapidly. The pain in her knuckles was nothing comparedto the sting of disappointment she had experienced when theelevator doors had opened before that profoundly desired kiss couldbe obtained. Why hadn’t he kissed her? She couldn’t have been moreplain, could she? Hadn’t he wanted to kiss her again?

She had thought he did, but …

The door cracked open and a face appeared.Blue eyes similar to Claire’s widened. “Sis, nice to see you. Who’she?” he added suspiciously, looking Hugh up and down. Clairecouldn’t blame her brother for his caution. With his height andsize and those meaty arms crossed over his chest, Hugh demandedwariness.

“A friend,” she answered. “Can we come in? Ineed a favor.”

“Twice in one week? Unprecedented,” theyoung man drawled and opened the door wider to let them in. “Comein.”

Claire motioned to Hugh and they followedDanny inside his renovated loft. Though Hugh probably outweighedher younger brother by close to a hundred pounds, he was eyeingDanny with equal caution, as if taking her warning to heart.Studying her brother as Hugh might, Claire tried to see him from aneighteenth-century point of view. There was nothing in herbrother’s appearance to threaten or to indicate the brilliancelurking beneath that unkempt exterior. “Danny, this is my friend,Hugh Urquhart. Hugh this is my younger brother, DannyO’Bierne.”

The two men shook hands briefly. “Mypleasure,” Hugh said