Saying Goodbye, Part Two (Passports and Promises Book 1) Read Free Page A

“I honestly can’t remember. What did I call you?”
    I pretended to think about it. “I believe you said I was prickly.”
    Hana nodded, trying not to laugh. “You called her a thistle.”
    The look of relief on his face was almost comical. “That’s all?”
    “Yes. And I called you a Scottish ox, so I guess we’re even.”
    He grinned, the effect lighting up his face. “Well, that’s the truth. I am a great Scottish ox, so I deserved the insult.”
    “Okay then.”
    I turned away, pretending to be intrigued by the assortment of pastries on the table behind us. Hana went to get plates and napkins. Thomas leaned closer.
    “I have to tell you the truth. I hate to fly. I took a motion sickness tablet before we took off from Edinburgh, and accidentally doubled the dosage.”
    “Uh-oh.” I kept my eyes trained on the sweet rolls, trying to ignore his nearness. I actually felt the heat radiating from his body.
    “And it did not combine well with the drinks I had when we arrived at the hotel. I was a wee bit out of my mind. I honestly cannot remember much from last evening.”
    I finally turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “So you weren’t a drunken Scottish ox, you were a drugged Scottish ox?”
    He laughed. “Precisely.”
    Hana handed me a plate and I gave him a tight, little smile. “As I said before, it’s fine. Goodbye.”
    I grabbed the first pastry I saw, and sat down at a table as far away as possible from Thomas MacGregor. Hana sat next to me.
    “He’s pretty hot.”
    “I noticed.” I took a bite of pastry, a cheese Danish. I’d gotten lucky. Cheese Danishes were my favorite.
    “He’s pretty interested, too.”
    Thomas sat with his friends. They seemed like a fun group, and got lots of attention from the women in the room. He caught me ogling him and gave me a slow, sexy smile. I scowled and went back to eating my Danish.
    “But I’m not, and I never will be.”
    Hana knew all about Dylan, so she didn’t seem surprised. “It’s too soon right now, Sam, but never say never. Give yourself some time. Maybe later, you’ll be willing to give him a chance.”
    I shook my head. “I won’t. Even if it weren’t for the fact I’m here only to study, even if it weren’t for…the other stuff, I’m not looking for a relationship right now. I don’t want a boyfriend or a hook up. I don’t want to have someone I’m ‘talking’ with. I don’t want anything. I just want to be by myself, unhindered, for the first time in a long time. Do you know I’ve had a boyfriend constantly since the sixth grade? I’m like a serial dater. It’s pathetic.”
    “Boyfriends can be habit forming. Having that kind of attention is nice.”
    “It’s addictive. I’m an addict. And I think it’s time to check myself into rehab. Japan is my rehab, Hana. My time to be alone and figure things out.”
    “So you’re swearing off men?”
    I took a long sip of coffee. “It’s the right thing to do. I just know it.”
    “Okay, then, but can I give you some advice?” I nodded, and she continued. “Stay far away from Thomas MacGregor. That man is like crack to a boyfriend addict. He’d be awfully hard to resist.”
    At that moment, he threw back his head and laughed at something one of his friends had said, the deep, throaty sound sending shivers across my skin, and I knew Hana was right. Thomas was dangerous, and I needed to avoid him at all cost.
    The only problem turned out to be Thomas himself. He didn’t try to speak to me again, but sat near me at every workshop throughout the day. The first time he did it, he gave me a look, challenging me to get up and move. I didn’t, and he acted like he’d won a small victory. After that, I just tried to ignore him, but it was awfully hard to ignore a giant, loud Scottish shadow. When he sat at the table right next to ours at dinner, I groaned, and when we decided to go out to a bar with a group of Ritsumeikan students afterwards, he joined the group, along with