Chapter One

Kirsty

When a lass gets dumped by the only man she’s ever loved, and he calls her insane when he ends things, she has a right to expect never to see that scunner again. For years, that’s what I have believed. I will never see Luke Turner again, not even when I die and go to heaven. He must be going to someplace hotter and much further south.

But I won’t think about him anymore.

Today, my cousin Jack is getting married. My entire family, including cousins and honorary members, have gathered on the green behind my cousin Rory’s castle, where the wedding of Jack and Autumn will take place. The ceremony is beautiful. I cry, of course. Weddings always do that to me. But when Jack throws an arm around Autumn and drags her into him for a passionate kiss, I get a strange pang in my chest. Luke used to kiss me that way.

Not that I still think about him. That’s only happened once—today.

Well, maybe I’ve thought of him on occasion. That means nothing. I think of him only so I can do a blessing to ward off any sentimental rubbish I might feel otherwise.

After the ceremony, guests don’t have to walk far to get to the reception. It’s happening on the green too. I chat to my sisters for a while, but Isla and Elspeth decide to introduce themselves to Jack’s in-laws while I want to talk to Autumn. We’ve had lovely chats since I met her a few weeks ago, and we’ve become friends.

I wander over to the table where Jack and Autumn are sitting. “May I sit with you?”

“Absolutely,” Autumn says.

I still think it’s odd that most of my cousins and my brother have all married Americans. Logan fell in love with Serena, an older woman, last year. I’d been a bridesmaid at their wedding. Jack met Autumn in Las Vegas two years ago, though they got married and divorced so quickly no one even met her. They couldn’t get along back then, or when they were reunited recently, but they soon realized they still love each other. Jack suggested the other day that maybe Luke and I might not hate each other as much as we think. I assured him that’s nonsense.

Luke is a horrible man. Very sexy, but still an erse. He can be charming too, but aye, he is always an erse. An enormous one.

Autumn and I chat to each other for a few minutes, and she wants to know more about the metaphysical shop I own in Loch Fairbairn, the village where we both live.

“Come by the shop anytime,” I say. “I’ll be happy to teach you about Wicca.”

Jack still thinks Wicca is bollocks, but Autumn is more open-minded. My brother, Logan, agrees with Jack. But then, he used to be an MI6 agent and got used to relying on facts instead of things he can’t see or touch.

“Thanks,” Autumn says. “That’s so sweet of you, Kirsty.”

I smile, but then movement across the green catches my attention, and I can’t help glancing at the figure approaching us. My mouth falls open. I think my eyes go wide too, since they suddenly feel dry. What in the world is going on? Am I hallucinating? I must have gone off my head, because I cannot be seeing who I think I’m seeing.

No, it can’t be Luke Turner.

“Hey there, Kirsty,” he says, as he stops near our table.

But aye, it is the American ersehole.

I leap up so quickly my chair topples over backward. “Luke? What are you doing here?”

He’s wearing a charcoal suit with no tie, but I’ve never seen him in that sort of clothes before. Luke always used to wear jeans and T-shirts, not posh suits. Why is he dressed like that? Why is he here?

Luke aims his grey eyes straight at me, hooking a thumb in his waistband and cocking one hip. “Nice to see you too, Kirsty. What, no hello kiss?”

A kiss? Is he cracked?

I shake my head, and I’m fair certain my mouth is gaping. “You cannae be here. Crashing a wedding is…rude.”

“Crashing?” Luke says with a chuckle. “One of your pals invited me. He called yesterday. His British accent confused me for a minute, but then he said he’s married to one of your cousins, and it suddenly made sense. Kind of.”

“But I—You—” I stumble backward a few steps. “You hate me. Why would ye want to be at my cousin’s wedding?”

“Alex Thorne told me you’re in trouble and you need me. I should come right away, he said.” Luke walks up to me, halting an arm’s length away. “I might think you’re insane, but I never turn my back on a woman in need. So, what’s the problem?”

“Whuh—” I blink several times quickly but cannae make sense of any of this. “You flew here all the way from America because a stranger told you to?”

“Nah.” He shrugs. “I’ve been living in the UK for three years. Joined a private research institute down in England.”

Logan stalks over to us and stops beside me. My brother levels his deadly calm glare at Luke. “Who the bloody hell are you and what have you done to upset my sister?”

“I’m so sorry,” Luke says. “I’ve been disrespectful, haven’t I?”

“Aye, and you’re one second away from being dead on the grass.”

The American erse chuckles again. “I guess that’s a Scottish saying? Well, anyway, I’m Luke Turner. Kirsty’s ex-boyfriend.”

Alex Thorne ambles up to us. “What’s going on over here? Looks like quite the rammy.”

I slowly rotate my gaze toward Alex. “You did this, didn’t you?”

“What if I did? You lot meddled in my life, so I’m returning the favor. You’ll thank me later.”

Luke glances at the crowd of MacTaggarts gathering around us, then he looks at me. “Could we go somewhere more private to talk?”

“Aye.”

Where can I take him? Someplace private? Maybe I should hit him over the head with a dinner plate and walk away.

I seize his arm and drag him through the doorway into the garden, out of sight of the rest of my family and friends. And I shut the garden door to keep my nosy relatives from peeking in here.

Facing Luke, I demand, “What are you doing here? And donnae give me that rubbish about Alex saying I need you.”

Luke runs a hand through his dark-blond hair. “It’s not ‘rubbish,’ Kirsty. He said that.”

“Maybe he did, but that doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

He tips his head to the side, almost smirking. “How about that hello kiss?”

“You really are off your head if you think I want to kiss you.” I fold my arms over my chest. “You called me insane, and I know you’re a bleeding ersehole.”

“I probably am.” He leans closer and speaks in a softer voice. “But I have a valid reason for coming here, and it has nothing to do with the fact you’re still in love with me.”

“What? I am not in love with you.” I stab a finger into his chest. “You are the devil.”

He chuckles. “That’s not what you said when we were making love. As I recall, you told me I’m an angel with a dirty mind, a god in bed, and—”

“Haud yer wheesht!” I might have shouted that. Honestly, how much can a lass take? Maybe I did call him those things ages ago, but I don’t want him anymore. Even if he does look even sexier now. Still, it’s impolite for him to point out I said those things. “Well, now I understand the truth. You are the devil, and I know incantations to make you disappear.”

“And you wonder why I think you’re bonkers.” He slings an arm around my waist and hauls me into his body. “But I’d still love to get naked with you. For old times’ sake.”

I knee him in the groin, which makes him gasp and stagger backward. “You are evil.”

“Don’t you want to know what my valid reason is?”

“No. I want you to bugger off.”

“Can’t do that.”

I wriggle, trying to get away from him. “Let me go.”

He shoves a hand into my hair and kisses me.

Chapter Two

Luke

Kirsty’s lips feel as soft as I remembered during all the fantasies I’ve had of her over the years since I walked away from her. Yeah, okay, I admit I’ve thought about her a lot. Hard to forget the first girl I ever loved. I don’t regret leaving her. No self-respecting scientist could get involved with a woman who seriously believes she has supernatural powers. I’m not thinking about that right now, though. Not thinking, period. Her lips have parted just enough that I could slip my tongue between them if I wanted, and though I shouldn’t do it, I can’t resist pushing inside her mouth so I can answer a question that has plagued me for years. Does she taste as good as I remember?

Oh yeah, she does.

I wrap my other arm around her too, pulling her body even closer while I thrust my tongue deeper, loving the way a soft moan whispers out of her and she relaxes against me. Kirsty wouldn’t do that if she didn’t have at least residual feelings for me. Maybe I have those too.

But it doesn’t matter. I can’t get too close to her.

When I peel my lips away from hers, she gazes at me with a dreamy expression.

No, I’m not looking at her that way. Only women get dreamy-eyed when an old flame kisses them. And that’s all Kirsty is to me now—a girl I once dated more than a decade ago. Any stirrings of old feelings I might experience don’t mean anything. I got over Kirsty a long time ago.

“Why did you do that?” she asks.

“Because I felt like it. Besides, you never gave me that hello kiss, and I think it’s only right that we should greet each other that way. I mean, we dated for thirteen months.”

“Aye, and thirteen is an unlucky number.”

“I thought Wiccans believed it wasn’t unlucky.”

She puckers her lips, the dreamy expression disintegrating. “Maybe we do, but anything that involves you is cursed from the start.”

“That’s cute, Kirsty. You’re so desperate to deny you’re still in love with me that—”

“Haud yer wheesht, ye demon.” She wriggles out of my arms and stumbles backward a few steps, blowing a lock of her brown hair away from her pale-blue eyes. “Now, tell me what your valid reason is for being here.”

“In a minute. First, I’d like to know why Alex Thorne thought you needed my help.”

“Because he’s an interfering erse, that’s why.”

“Come on, kitten, that’s not an answer.”

“Donnae be calling me pet names.” She straightens her blouse, which got a little askew when we were kissing. “And I have no idea why Alex contacted you. I don’t need help. All I need is for you to go away. Right now. Bugger off.”

She waves her hands at me in a shooing gesture.

I chuckle. “Are you casting a spell on me? Damn, that makes me want to kiss you again.”

“Well, I don’t want to kiss you.”

“Sure you do.” I amble up to her and hook a finger under her chin. “You still want me, Kirsty. Wouldn’t have kissed me the way you did a minute ago unless you’ve still got the hots for me big time.”

“There is no heat. I’m feeling quite cool at the moment.”

“Liar.” I skim my thumb over her mouth. “Your lips are pinker, your cheeks too. Your body betrays your lie, kitten.”

Her gaze flicks to the closed door that accesses the lawn outside the castle compound.

We’re standing right beside that door, and I can hear the faint sounds of music and revelry going on out there. A heavy bass beat thumps, audible even through the stone wall. The wedding reception is in full swing.

I rub my thumb across her lips again. “One more kiss. For old times’ sake.”

Her pupils have dilated, and her breathing has grown labored.

She does want me. And I want her, one last time before I tell her why I really came here. Kirsty will never let me touch her again once she knows the truth.

I back her up to the wall and press my body into hers, our mouths almost touching. “We want the same thing. There’s nothing wrong with scratching that itch.”

“Are you suggesting we shag?” She says that in a surprised, almost breathless tone. Then she licks her lips, her gaze fixated on my mouth.

“Yes, I’m suggesting that.”