Chapter 25
Niall
In Edinburgh, the sun was shining like a new beginning. As much as Niall had enjoyed being back in the safety of Kintyre and more specifically, Kinshore, he was used to big city life, so it was refreshing to visit Scotland’s capital city, which by other world capital standards was more like a town.
Niall’s older brother Cal, lived with his fiancée, romance author, Bea, in a cottage in the village of Belhaven outside Edinburgh.
Belhaven Bay was a great surfing spot and Cal lived there so he had access to the waves all the Butler siblings had grown up with.
He ran a series of bars in Edinburgh itself but lived here to ‘keep the heid’. Niall understood that sentiment.
They arrived in the evening and were ushered into the warmth and cosiness of the cottage by Bea, a vibrant redheaded American who had met Cal a few years previous whilst on a short trip to Edinburgh to write her romance novel.
Cal had employed her in his bar and things had gone from there.
They were now completely loved up. Of course, all of this had happened when Niall was in Sydney so this was his first encounter with Bea, and he could see why his brother was smitten.
‘I’m taking this opportunity to showcase – or maybe that should be practise – my Scottish cuisine skills,’ Bea said. ‘Cal has disowned me on this one in case it goes badly.’
‘I promise I’ve not disowned you.’ Cal leaned over Bea’s shoulder to check what she was cooking.
‘Because that looks and smells incredible. She’s a fantastic cook, guys.
’ He kissed Bea on the cheek in a way that suggested he wanted to hunker in for more.
Niall was pleased his eldest brother had found someone like Bea.
Cal had always vacillated between being completely discerning with women or making unwise, passion-fuelled choices.
Fortunately, the pendulum had swung towards passion and stability with Bea.
‘You okay?’ Niall asked Carli as they settled their luggage into the bedroom upstairs.
‘Of course.’ She tucked herself under his arm. ‘It’s lovely here. This view!’ She gaped out the window towards the sea where surf rolled gustily into shore. ‘I remember Cal as the strong silent type when we were younger, but he seems to have burst open a bit more in Bea’s presence.’
‘Aye, he’s never been as grumpy as folk think, but she’s definitely broken him. In a good way. Like you’ve broken me.’
‘You were never grumpy, mister.’
‘Aye. When I say broken, I mean destroyed…ruined…for any other women.’ He rubbed her nose with his and dusted her with featherlight kisses. ‘The most pleasurable ruining I’ve ever had.’
‘I should hope so.’ She meandered her fingers down his jawline. ‘For someone who’s ruined, you appear pretty perfect to me.’
Bea had almost certainly underplayed her cooking skills and served up mouthwatering course after course as they chatted, drank and laughed around the dining table.
‘So, how are you enjoying living in Scotland,’ Carli asked her.
‘Well, I have to say I love it, don’t I?’ Bea winked.
‘You don’t have to,’ Cal pointed out. ‘You can be honest. We’re all family here.’
Niall snuck a glance at Carli, hoping she was okay with this observation. He would love for her to be a member of his family. It had always seemed like she was, and he guessed that was how Cal saw it. She sent a warm smile his way, making his insides flip.
‘That’s true and that’s why I do love it,’ Bea sipped her wine. ‘Because I’ve always been completely at home here. My dad was Scottish.’
‘Oh, my mum was Scottish,’ Carli added. ‘So you’re half Scottish too, then?’
‘Yes, I guess I am. Honestly, I feel more than half Scottish now. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll always be American, but this place is woven into me.
I mean, look at that view.’ She gestured out the window where visibility was dimming, but then ran her hand right back to Cal.
‘And this face.’ Bea tilted her head and smiled at her fiancé.
‘How could you not fall in love with Scotland?’
‘Aw, you guys are beautiful.’ Carli raised her glass. ‘I’d like to toast to you both. To Cal and Bea. To an exceptional meal and first-class hospitality.’
‘Aw, thanks, Carli.’ Cal raised his wine glass. ‘You’ll be pleased to learn that the hospitality doesn’t end here. We’ve a wee bit of fun lined up tomorrow if you guys are up for it.’
Niall was curious. His brother’s idea of fun could sometimes be more like hard work.
Oh, I’ve lined up for you to do a shift in my bar; it’ll be so much fun.
Oh, we’re picking up litter for charity, you’ll have a blast. I’ve arranged to help Old Mrs Macduff who lives next door move ten wardrobes out of her house.
There’s nothing like it on a Saturday morning.
Niall smiled at some of these memories, all of which had, more or less, happened at one point or another.
Cal was so like their father it was hilarious.
‘It’s an escape room,’ Cal declared, and Niall nearly burst out laughing in surprise at Cal’s idea being proper fun. ‘There’s this new one in town and it’s based on a whisky distillery, so I figured we have to give it a shot. Me and Niall against Carli and Bea.’
‘Sounds awesome!’ Niall and Carli both agreed.
‘Brilliant.’ Cal swiped his palms across one another. ‘I’ve booked us in for the 8.00 a.m. slot.’
‘You what?’ Niall gaped at his brother. He was used to early rises but this was meant to be a holiday, plus he was still jet-lagged, and also planned to be up until the wee hours doing things with Carli that he’d need to recover from.
‘Kidding.’ Cal laughed. ‘It’s an eleven o’clock booking, so you’ve got an extra couple of hours there. But ’cause I said eight before, you’ll feel like you’re getting a lie-in.’
‘Very cunning,’ said Niall. ‘You have to get up early to get one over on you.’
‘Aye, well we’ll be up at seven for a surf, so if you do happen to be awake then come join us. There are spare boards and wetsuits about the place.’
‘Sounds good.’ Niall squeezed Carli’s knee under the table and hoped she was as much at home with his family as he was. It was almost like the blood was coming back into his body after being missing for so long.
The early rise wasn’t as painful as Niall had anticipated.
It turned out that a night between the sheets with Carli – some spent actively, and around six hours sleeping more soundly than he had in years – was the perfect rejuvenation package, and he practically jumped out of bed and ran to the shower, ready to start the day.
After Carli had showered and wrapped herself in a towel, he went to her, streaking a finger across her breastbone, gleaming with some kind of body oil.
‘Mmm, you look well oiled.’
‘Ha. I am well oiled after last night.’
Niall dipped his head into her neck and inhaled. ‘How do you always smell like violets?’
‘You like?’
‘I do. I love.’ There it was again, the temptation to say those three words.
But it was too soon. Sure, everything had come back in torrents, like a river bursting its banks, as soon as he was in Carli’s company again.
It was simply how things had been between them since day one: an immediate connection, an instant spark, a tidal wave of chemistry.
But he couldn’t go wading in. He had to make sure the time was right.
He decorated her neck, shoulders and décolletage with kisses before reaching for the knot on her towel.
The towel fell to the floor.
‘Oops!’ he said, admiring what he’d revealed.
‘You’re so clumsy.’ She grinned. ‘You’d better bend down there and pick it up.’
‘I think you should bend down and pick it up.’ Niall drifted up from her breasts to her twinkling eyes. ‘I don’t trust you not to violate me while I’m down there.’
‘It’s you that’s been doing the violating so far, Butler. Anyway, I’ve a look to put together so I’ve no time for your sexual shenanigans. Plus, I’m sure Cal and Bea had enough of us last night.’
‘Oh, I’m sure we were very quiet.’
‘I might have been. You on the other hand...’
‘I can’t help it if you turn me into a grunting caveman. I’m making up for all those years without you.’
‘Oh, I like the grunting caveman. Don’t worry about that.’
‘Good, because I promise you he only needs five minutes. Come on.’ Niall grasped Carli’s hips and guided her backwards to the bed, then with his palm steadying her lower back, pulled his t-shirt over his head in one swift movement, climbed out of his boxers and let them both fall slowly onto the mattress.
‘You’ll end up smelling of violets.’
‘I’m going to end up smelling of a lot more than violets and I will love every second of it. Open your legs, Cass. I need to be in you and have your scent on me, because if there’s a moment when you’re not with me today, I’ll have something to remember you by.’
She squealed and he gently pressed his hand over her mouth.
‘Shh, we’re in Butler family company so be on your best behaviour.’
Carli laughed. ‘Oh, like you are?’
‘Aye, like me. This is my best behaviour, but it only gets better.’
Cal drove them all into the centre of Edinburgh to the escape room and managed to find a parking space relatively easily.
‘Wow! I thought parking would be harder than the escape room,’ he said. ‘Maybe this is a good omen for the day.’
The escape room, part of a whisky experience building near Cal’s bar in the Old Town, offered five different whisky-themed experiences: one for each of the whisky regions in Scotland: Highland, Islay, Lowland, Speyside and Campbeltown.
They split into two groups: Cal and Niall in the Islay room, Bea and Carli in the Campbeltown one.
Apparently, the brothers getting Campbeltown was close to cheating seeing as they’d grown up in the region.
The room was set up like a distillery with exposed brickwork, red copper pot stills, pipes and barrels. The purpose was to find out who had poisoned the whisky supply.