5. Alex
Rooted in place on the platform, I watched Ciara go, wishing with every fiber of my being that I’d kissed her.
She’d been interested. No question of that. She’d been looking at my mouth. The warm weight of her had felt so damned good in my arms, and I’d had to fight not to haul her closer and bury my nose in her hair. It had smelled of coconut and lime, like some sort of tropical drink. I’d taken a brief mental vacation to the South Pacific, imagining her tanned and toned, with sun streaks in her hair, wearing a teeny bikini and a sarong, drinking something tropical from a coconut with a paper umbrella, as she challenged me to… well… anything.
Then she’d been pulling away and saying she had to go. Reminding me I had a train to catch. I had to let her go. Didn’t I? Ewan had already been forced to change his plans once to come get me. And Ciara needed to get back to her life. She didn’t have room for a detour. That was all I could be. I didn’t have a damned clue what came next in my life. I didn’t have anything to offer someone like her.
The devil on my shoulder purred in my ear. She doesn’t know where she’s going next, either. Who says you can’t take a detour together?
The idea of that was beyond appealing. Maybe it was because she was the first clear thing in this new phase of my life, and maybe it wasn’t meant to last. But there’d been a genuine connection with her, damn it. More than simply physical attraction.
When was the last time I’d felt that?
Maybe never.
“Attention, please. The train to Inverness is now ready to depart from Platform 7. All aboard, please. Ensure you have your tickets ready for inspection. We remind passengers to mind the gap between the train and the platform as you board. This service will be calling at Haymarket, Stirling, Perth, Pitlochry, Aviemore, and finally, Inverness. We wish you a comfortable and pleasant journey. Thank you for choosing to travel with us today.”
Dutifully, I turned in the direction Ciara had pointed, annoyed to find myself jostled by the herd of other passengers heading in the same direction. With every step, a vibration of wrongness pulsed through me, until finally I stopped.
I hadn’t gotten this far in my life by ignoring my instincts. Why the hell was I walking away from her? I didn’t have to do this. I could let Ewan know I wouldn’t make it until tomorrow. Wasn’t it worth the chance of following up with her, in case this wasn’t just a connection of convenience? In case it was the start of something real?
I bolted back the way I’d come, dodging and weaving around other passengers as I desperately scanned the crowd for that dark head. There. Across the station at the coffee kiosk. I dashed toward her, only to pull up short as the woman turned, cup in hand, and I saw it wasn’t Ciara. Turning again, I followed the crowd toward the exit. She’d been leaving. Another brunette with a rolling suitcase caught my eye near the doors. Closing the distance, I laid an arm on her shoulder.
The woman whirled with a little shriek, eyes going wide.
Not Ciara.
I immediately let her go, lifting my hands in a non-threatening gesture. “Sorry. I thought you were someone else.”
When she backed away in a hurry, I wondered exactly how crazed I looked. Twice more I thought I caught sight of her. Twice more I was wrong.
“This is the final boarding call for service to Inverness.”
As the announcement echoed through the station, I shoved a hand through my hair. This was my last chance to catch that train. If I sprinted, I could make it. Get to Inverness in time for Ewan to pick me up and drive me back to the village where he ran a pub now.
Or I could stay here and try to find Ciara.
With a population around half a million, Edinburgh wasn’t a small city. The likelihood of just running into her again was slim. That would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
But I was a man with a certain set of skills. I might as well use them for something other than work. Tracking down the woman who’d captured my imagination seemed like a more than worthy task.
Decided, I stopped to text my friend.
Me: Not going to make it tonight. Will be in touch tomorrow with updated travel plans.
Man on a mission, I made my way out of the station. I had a woman to find.