Bound by Blood (Cauld Ane Series) (5 page)

“Do you even like wine?” she asked.

“Sometimes.”

“I’ll just plan on ordering a glass of something with the meal then,” she said.

“Are you a wine connoisseur?”

She smiled. “Kind of.”

“In that case perhaps a bottle might be better.” Cole leaned his arms on the table. “Can I trust you
not
to order the four-thousand-dollar 1865 merlot?”

Sam gasped. “There’s an 1865 Merlot? Do you know how rare that is?”

“I guessed…based on the price tag.”

“Right.” Sam felt her cheeks heat and she stared back down at the wine list, fighting the urge to run.

Cole laid his hand over hers and she glanced up at him. “I’d appreciate it if you’d order a bottle. If I don’t like it, you can drink it all.”

Sam pulled her hand from his and slipped it into her lap. “Plying me with wine so soon?”

He chuckled. “Am I that transparent?”

Sam had never been good at flirting, but she’d promised herself she’d try to make some changes. She supposed this was as good a time as any.

The waiter arrived and took their drink orders. Cole decided on a local ale and Sam went with water in order to save herself for the wine. After discussing options, she decided on a relatively new Pinot Noir their server suggested, hoping she wouldn’t be disappointed. She hated bad wine even more than bad food.

When the server arrived with Cole’s pint, Sam wished she’d ordered one. Cole pointed to the glass and smiled. “Want to try?”

Sam shook her head. “I have a rule never to mix alcohol. I’d have a wicked headache tomorrow, and that’s just not a good idea, especially starting a new job.”

“Better to be safe than sorry.” He grinned as he took a sip. “It is good, though.”

Sam groaned. “Thanks for rubbing it in.”

“Next time, we’ll stick to beer.”

“Next time, huh?”

He smiled. “Well, I suppose it depends.”

“On?”

“The answer to my next question.”

Sam grinned. “Ask away.”

“We’ve determined you know your early ’80s television, but do you like football?”

“I
love
football.”

“Good answer. If tonight goes well, football and beer’s on me.”

Sam wrinkled her nose. “What if it doesn’t go well?”

“You’re on your own, sister.”

“Great. Now I’ll be dreaming about pizza, beer, and the 49ers,” she grumbled.

Cole choked on his drink. “49ers? I was not expecting that! How did a southern girl become a fan of a California team?”

“My best friend. She’s a football fanatic…and from California. She kind of rubbed off on me. Of course, she threatened me with bodily harm if I continued to root for the Cowboys.”

“Why were you rooting for the Cowboys?” he asked.

“Don’t laugh.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I’ll try not to.”

“My second favorite color is blue, and I thought red and gold was a weird color combo.”

“What’s your first favorite color?”

“Green.”

“So why not root for the Packers?”

Sam snorted. “Ew. Ugly Green and puke yellow is way worse together.”

Cole laughed, albeit quietly.

She jabbed a finger toward him. “Hey, I was twelve and making an attempt to like something she liked. In the end, I didn’t really care, so I switched to the ’niners. Now, they’re a habit.”

“Well, that’s a great reason to root for a team.”

“Okay, mister expert, are you going to tell me you like the Patriots or Steelers, or something even more impressive?”

Cole tapped his fingers on the table. “I’m a diehard Lions fan.”

“
Detroit
Lions?”

“Hell, yeah.”

“What are you? The patron saint of lost causes?”

Cole grinned. “You’re funny.”

The server arrived with their meal and, once Sam approved of the wine, poured them each a glass. He left them and Sam felt compelled to find out more about Cole Drake.

“So, tell me, why the Lions?”

“Born and raised in Detroit,” he said.

“Detroit, Detroit, or the outskirts?”

Cole chuckled. “Detroit, Detroit.”

“Wow. I can honestly say I’ve never actually met anyone from Detroit. I thought once the car factories dried up, everyone got out.”

“That’s true to an extent. But my lineage isn’t an auto one…it’s law enforcement. We were lucky.”

“It can’t have been easy to watch friends suffer, though.” A shadow crossed Cole’s face and Sam figured she’d probably pushed a button with that comment. She was also a little surprised she’d made such a personal observation. “How do you like the wine?” she asked, in an effort to change the subject.

“It’s very good. I’ll be sure to defer to you in the future for all my wine choices.”

“You can tell your friends you have your very own sommelier on speed dial.”

“In my crew, that’ll make me somewhat unpopular. But it can be our secret.”

Sam smiled. “So, does the university typically fly their guest lecturers first class?”

Cole’s eyes widened and then he smiled. “No. They waited too long to book my flight and only had first class available.”

Sam hummed. “Lucky you.”

The rest of dinner was much the same. Easy and comfortable conversation. Sam was pleasantly surprised by how much she connected with Cole. When the check arrived, he insisted on paying, even after her strenuous argument. He was gallant to the end, walking her to the elevator and kissing her cheek again. She’d felt comfortable enough to exchange phone numbers with him, but was glad he didn’t ask to walk her to her room. She wanted to keep a few boundaries with him and honor her father’s request to keep her wits about her, which he’d followed with several instructions on staying safe.

She headed back to her room and checked to see if Pepper was online. She wasn’t, so Samantha got ready for bed and proceeded to not sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Samantha’s new cell phone rang and she answered it to Payton McFadden, Duncan’s assistant, letting her know she awaited her in the lobby.

“I’ll be right down,” Sam said.

After checking her appearance in the mirror, Sam grabbed her satchel and purse and headed to the elevators. Stepping into the lobby, she was surprised by how busy it was.

“Dr. Moore?”

Sam turned to the pretty, young woman and smiled. “Yes, I’m Samantha Moore.”

“I’m Payton.”

“Hello. It’s nice to meet you.”

Sam shook Payton’s hand and took in her appearance. She had dark red hair that she’d pulled into a tight bun at the base of her neck and she wore thick-rimmed glasses. She didn’t wear a stitch of make-up, and looked a bit like a stern teacher, but her light blue eyes crinkled at the corners, softening her appearance. When she smiled, Sam felt like she was with an old friend.

“It’s nice to meet you as well. I have a car waiting for us out front. Dr. Gunnach is expecting us, so we should go. Have you had breakfast?”

“No. I don’t usually eat until lunchtime.”

Payton tsked. “That will never do. Dr. Gunnach is quite the stickler on eating at regular hours. We’ll grab something on the way to the office.”

“Okay.”

Sam tried to keep the irritation from her voice. She’d become an expert at hiding her opinion about overbearing men; however, she’d been subject to many of Pepper’s tirades on the subject.

They found the car waiting for them. Gobber the Belch nodded as Sam slid into the backseat.

“Dr. Moore needs to eat, Alasdair, so if we could stop somewhere quick, that would be great.”

“We better,” Alasdair said. “The boss doesn’t like people skipping meals.”

Sam had a vision of Genghis Khan sitting at a large desk, waving pastries in the air as he ran Gunnach Pharmaceutical.

“There’s a Starbucks close by,” Payton said.

“Please don’t go to any trouble,” she argued.

“In that case, Alasdair, we’ll just stop at the café in the building,” Payton instructed. “Will that work, Dr. Moore?”

“Sounds great,” Sam said.

Alasdair pulled away from the curb. Before Sam could get her bearings, he brought the car to a stop.

“We’re here?” Sam asked.

“Close, eh?” Payton said.

Sam nodded. “We could have walked.”

Payton groaned. “Not me. I don’t walk anywhere I don’t have to. I prefer to be driven.”

Sam couldn’t stop a laugh. “You sound like my best friend.”

Payton slid out of the car and Sam followed. “Dr. Gunnach will meet with you for a few minutes, and then his assistant, Anna, will show you to your office and give you a tour of the lab.”

Payton led Sam to the café on the bottom floor of the building, and she chose a small muffin and a large coffee. Her heart started to race again as she took the last bite, and she took a minute to attempt to calm herself. She’d been having these minor panic attacks since she’d arrived. Friday night’s had been the worst, but this one had the potential to be just as bad.

What the heck is going on?

CHAPTER FOUR

“ANGUS, YOU CAN’T push her like that,” Kade warned.

Angus had stopped in at Kade’s office before heading to the lab, in an attempt to force Fiona’s obedience on the library issue.

“She needs to yield, Kade.”

“Using words like ‘yield’ is going to get you nowhere with my sister. You’ve known her long enough to know that. And you saw her Friday night, she was overwrought. If I can’t get her to ‘yield,’ I don’t know how you’ll be able to. She obviously needs a distraction. And she’s right. You’re not bound, so you can’t actually force her into doing anything she’s not willing to do.”

“Which is something you could fix,” Angus pointed out.

“Don’t start.”

“The bottom line is that you’re chieftain, Kade. You have to stop this.”

“I may be chieftain, Angus, but I’ll not force her.” Kade tried to stamp down his rising irritation. “What would you do if this were Payton?”

“My sister would bloody well do as she’s told.”

“Well, Fiona’s not Payton. Besides, she’s your mate. You have more sway over her than I do. Weren’t you the one going on and on about the importance of being able to control your woman?”

“You’re a bloody bastard, Kade.”

“You’ll watch your tongue, Angus.” Kade fisted his hands on his desk and leaned forward. “The new researcher is arriving in ten minutes. I don’t have time to spar with you this morning. Anna will introduce her to you later.”

Angus bowed his head, his reluctant indication of submission, and stormed out of Kade’s office.

* * *

Sam cleared away her breakfast and threw away her trash. Her emotions were calm again, so she shook off her confusion and followed Payton through the lobby and to the bank of elevators, popping a mint in her mouth as they stepped inside.

“The executive offices are on the top floor, but the lab is below us, so you’re going for a bit of a ride, I’m afraid.”

“I don’t mind,” Sam said.

So long as it’s not a plane.

“How were the accommodations, Dr. Moore?” Payton pressed the top button. “Do you like the Balmoral?”

“Oh, please call me Samantha. ‘Doctor’ makes me feel much more important than I am.”

Payton nodded. “Samantha. Thank you.”

“In answer to your question, the accommodations are incredible. I feel very spoiled.”

“Only the best for our researchers.”

Sam grinned. “In that case, will there be caviar and champagne later? It’s my lunch of choice.”

Payton chuckled. “Most certainly.”

The elevator doors opened and Payton led Sam to a large, ornate marble desk.

“Mornin’ Anna,” Payton said.

“Well, hullo, Payton.” Dr. Gunnach’s assistant, a portly woman in her fifties, smiled at Sam and rose to her feet. “You must be Dr. Moore.”

Sam couldn’t help but feel at ease. Anna’s warmth seemed to pour out of her as she stepped from behind her desk to shake her hand. “He’s expectin’ ye, but I’ll just give him a ring and let him know you’re here.”

“Thanks,” Payton said.

“You go on back and he’ll bring ye to me when it’s time for your tour.”

“Thank you,” Sam said.

A slim hallway led to a large mahogany door that Sam likened to something from a medieval castle.

Payton knocked and the door opened seconds later. Sam thought her heart might stop…her breathing certainly did. Standing before her was the best-looking man she’d ever seen. Not a hint of Genghis Khan anywhere to be seen. Dark blond hair, longer than the norm, framed a chiseled jaw and potentially perfectly symmetrical face. He had a day’s growth of beard, a little heavier than a five-o-clock shadow. His deep blue eyes sparkled and full lips smiled, revealing even, white teeth. She had to stop herself from placing her hand over her stomach.