Page 85 of One Little Kiss
“Stay away from her, Loch. She’s family. You know what that means.”
“Yeah, yeah. You take care of your own. I just … Never mind. Doesn’t matter.” His phone dings in his hand and the oddest expression crosses his face as he pockets it. “Now, who do we have here?” he asks, dropping his gaze to Weston before turning to my girl. “And you must be Winnie. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Y-You have?”
“Oh, yes. I’ve been hearing about you since Miami.”
“Loch,” I say in warning. “That’s enough. It’s good to see you, man.” Leaning in, I give him an awkward chest bump instead of a hug because one hand holds Winnie’s and the other holds Wes.
He laughs, and everyone in a twenty-foot radius takes notice. That’s what I’ve always loved about this guy. He can be an ass for sure, but he loves hard, laughs loud, and is as loyal as they come.
“You too. It’s about time we were in the same city.” Turning to Winnie, he extends a hand. “I’m Lochlan. Welcome to The Beacon Bryer Hotel.”
Winnie graciously accepts his handshake with a practiced confidence I’ve grown to love about her. “It’s nice to meet you, Lochlan. This place is …” She glances around in awe. “It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you, Winnie. It’s been in my family for about seventy-five years. We just completed a renovation to bring it into this century, though,” he says with a million-dollar grin.
“This is Weston.”
Lochlan holds out a fist, and I beam with pride when Wes fist bumps him.
“Nice to meet you, mate.”
Wes holds up his little helicopter, and Loch smiles. “I have a real one of those on the roof. Maybe you’ll get to see it sometime.”
Unsure of how Winnie would feel about that, I change the subject. “Is everything all set?”
“Everything arrived about an hour ago. It’s all set up in your suite. Come on, I’ll walk you there. The front desk knows to bring your bags up.”
In the elevator, curiosity gets the best of me. “When you say you’ve run into Tilly, what does that mean exactly? You didn’t … you know. Did you?”
“Tilly.” He shakes his head with a faraway look in his eyes. “No wonder.”
The doors slide open, and Loch gestures for us to exit.
“No wonder what?” I push.
“I was told her name was Abby at every wedding we’ve attended.” He chuckles.
This is news to me and confusing as hell. “Surely, you’re mistaken.”
“Oh no. Not this time, mate. I’ll never forget our last introduction.”
Fuck. He slept with her. I can tell by his tone. “If you were an asshole, Loch, seriously?”
“I wasn’t,” he mutters. “She didn’t give me a chance. But I’m sure I’ll be seeing Miss Tilly again sooner than she’d like.”
“Loch,” I growl as he pushes open a door at the end of the hall.
Winnie gasps beside me as she enters the suite, and I pause to look around. The place is truly stunning. Loch outdid himself with the renovations.
“I promise you there’s nothing to worry about.”
I glare at him, but see nothing other than sincerity in his eyes. “Fine. Please don’t make me kick your ass.”
“Ass. Ass. Ass,” Wes repeats merrily, and I cringe.
Lochlan’s silky laughter fills the room. “You’ve got your hands full. Don’t worry, I have nothing sinister planned. I’ll get out of your hair, though. I left everything exactly as you requested.”
