Chapter 389

The announcement woke them both from sleep. They had arrived in Ayr, which was a 20 minute taxi drive to the house he had rented.

"Nora." He whispered. He liked the sound of his voice saying her name.

She woke up, her head still on his shoulder. Realizing this, she moved away quickly and apologized.

"For what? Falling asleep? How dreadful of you, wretched woman." Christian teased.

"No!" She swatted him. "For drooling on your expensive leather jacket." She said. But he knew what she meant. She was sorry for the intimacy so soon.

They gathered their things and exited the train. Christian, feeling confident with taxis now, hailed one and gave him the address to Barwheys. The driver nodded. "I am familiar with it." He said. The headed out to the country and eventually pulled into to the drive to the house, which sat in the middle of an open field, no other homes around as far as the eye could see.

The look on Nora's face told him everything he wanted to know. She was surprised and hopefully excited to stay at the large and beautiful house.

"This is largest bed and breakfast I have ever seen. It's so amazing." She said. "There are three houses here?"

"It's not a exactly bed and breakfast." He said.

"It isn't?" She asked.

"It's an estate. And we have the entire place through Sunday." Christian said.

She looked over at him. You're joking, right?" She asked.

"No. Certainly not." He said. The driver chuckled.

"Ah bet that wis pricey." The driver said. Nora nodded and looked at Christian.

"A friend on mine knows the owners. I got a great deal." He said. The car pulled up to the front entrance and Christian grabbed their bags.

They walked inside and the smell of delicious food filled the air.

"Are you hungry?" Christian asked.

"Famished." She said.

"Let's find our rooms and get ready for dinner then, shall we?" He asked. She nodded, still in a bit of shock. They walked around to find two bedrooms downstairs and two upstairs, opting to use the two upstairs.

"This room is great. I'll take this one." Nora said. Christian smiled.

"I'll be right across the hall then." He said. He watched her until she closed her door and then he closed his, unpacking his things and taking a shower, a much needed cold shower. He put on a pair of nice jeans and a button up, rolled up the sleeves and walked downstairs to see how dinner was going. There were four staff members and Derek there with them. He found Derek in the kitchen, hitting on the cooks assistant, a young red head that seemed to want nothing to do with his advances.

"Dinner is almost ready, sir." The cook said.

"Lovely. We will wait in the dining room then. Champagne in the bucket?" He asked.

"Yes sir. On ice." She said

"Wonderful. Thank you." Christian said. He smiled and walked to the dining room. He picked up the bottle of champagne and saw her walking in. She had on a long, floral dress that was off the shoulders. When she walked, he noticed a long slit up the side of one leg, high enough to not be considered church appropriate.

"My god." Christian said, gulping.

"Nope. Just me." She said with a gorgeous smile. She had a slight dimple on one side and her mouth was perfectly placed when she smiled. Delicate and feminine with a slight upturn on each side that had a hint of mischief.

"Nora, you look like a goddess." He said.

"That's exactly what I was going for." She said.

"Mission accomplished." He said, still staring at her.

"May I sit." She finally asked.

"Yes, sorry. Please." He said, motioning to the chairs. She smiled and sat down.

"Champagne?" She asked.

"Yes. Why not?" He asked with a smile.

The cook brought out the food and it looked amazing. A broiled seafood feast. He watched Nora look at it with a big smile. They ate and talked about their lives a little. Christian spoke about his favorite childhood stories and books he read in college. He talked about his mother's love for literature and how he was raised on the classics. She talked about the books she loved as well, poetry, fiction.

After they stuffed themselves, he poured her a glass of scotch and handed it to her in front of the fireplace. She took a drink and then looked down, seeming a little off.

"Everything alright?" Christian asked.

"No." She said. He took a step back and looked at her.

"This whole thing. This trip and this house. The train. The food. The champagne." She began.

"You didn't like the champagne?" He asked, trying to read her thoughts.

"No, silly. This whole entire seduction thing. The money it must have cost you. The extent of it. Why? You barely knew me. I am a stranger to you. You could have just taken me around London, showed me Piccadilly Circus, took me to a few bars and ended up at my hotel room after. This… this wasn't necessary just to get into my pants. That's all I'm saying. I feel a bit odd about it all." She said, looking up at him. He walked over to her and took her chin into his hand and tilted her face to meet his gaze.

"Because I don't just want to get into your pants." He said. She looked into his eyes. A moment of silence passed.

"And Piccadilly is absolutely dreadful." He said with a smile. She laughed and nodded.

"Ok, so, it's your thing. I get it." She said.

"My thing?" He asked.

"The full seduction thing. How often do you bring women here?" She asked.

"I've never brought a woman here." He said. "Look, I don't get to take many holidays. I work, a lot." He said.

"I understand." She said.

"No, I don't think you do. I have never taken a holiday since starting my… job… three years ago. This isn't my thing. Random seduction trips aren't either. I wanted to show you an amazing time because I was able to. That's it." He said.

She smiled. "Okay." She said. She walked over to him and kissed his cheek.

"We better get some rest, then. Tomorrow awaits." She said, smiling and walking up to her room. He clenched his jaw and stood by the fire, finishing his drink and pouring another. He needed to escape the thoughts he was having about her.