Ch. 44
In place of renting a car, we took a taxi to our hotel. James argued not having one set vehicle made our movements less predictable and harder to follow. Our taxi ride into New Town Edinburgh was chock full of new sights as it was my first visit. The isles, given their long, rich histories and lush scenery, had always held an allure. I loved how green it was and the rough, rocky terrain I had seen in pictures since I was a kid.
Our hotel, The Howard, was in New Town. From the street it didn’t even look like a hotel. It was a discreet luxury hotel in the Georgian style. Famed for its privacy, it only had eighteen rooms, each decorated in rich traditional motifs. The limestone exterior was accented by one simple jade green door. Our taxi pulled up to the address and James escorted me into the building. The driver carried our bags into the lobby, where they were taken by a butler to our room while James checked us in.
With our travel now behind us, James turned to me and asked, grinning broadly, “Are you hungry or would you like to rest? It is your first time in this great city. What is your pleasure?”
It hit me that we were really here together. It was exhilarating to be in a foreign country with him. Not having done any traveling without my parents, I couldn’t help feeling like we were doing something we shouldn’t. Stealing glances around me, I soaked in the atmosphere and smiled. No matter what happened later, I was determined to enjoy my time with James now.
“If I don’t look too gross, I would like to wander around the town. What do you think? What’s our timeline? I mean, when are we expected?”
He was surprisingly untroubled, answering lightly. “We have all day today. Tomorrow evening is our appointment. So I ask you, Milady,” he raised my hand to brush his lips along the backs of my knuckles looking up at me steadily. I couldn’t be sure if it was the touch of his lips or his dark blue eyes as they looked up at me through his dark eyelashes that sent a delighted shiver tingling up my back. “What is your pleasure?”
The thrumming in my body at his touch made my first need clear. “Let’s go see our room first.”