Down London Road

mouth tilted up at the corner. ‘Malcolm, I just love your tie. It does magnificent things for your eyes.’
    Malcolm grinned at his drollness and pointed at Cam’s tattoos. ‘I like the art. What does the black script say?’
    I leaned forward. I’d wanted to know this from the moment I’d met him.
    ‘ “Be Caledonia”,’ Becca answered, eyeing Cam’s arm in irritation. ‘And don’t bother asking him what the hell that means, because he won’t tell you.’
    I wasn’t even surprised any more at the warm shock of tingles between my legs at the way Cam’s lips curled in amusement. Apparently, anything he did turned me on. Our eyes met for a second and I lowered mine quickly, flushing.
    ‘Well, what about the dragon?’ Malcolm continued. ‘Does that have significance?’
    Cam nodded. ‘I was
significantly
drunk when I got it.’
    ‘Oh, no.’ Malcolm laughed. ‘One of those.’
    ‘One of those. I was twenty-two, dating an older woman who happened to be a tattoo artist. We got drunk, I ended up in her chair, she asked me what tattoo I wanted, I said surprise me …’ He shrugged.
    I laughed at the thought of him coming out of the chair to find he had a fierce dragon on his arm. ‘So she gave you a black and purple dragon?’
    Cam flashed his knickers-dropping smile at me. ‘She was big into fantasy. I should have remembered that before I agreed to sit in her chair.’
    ‘It’s an amazing piece of artwork.’
    ‘Well, Anna was an amazing artist.’
    ‘Stop, or I might get jealous,’ Becca interrupted, laughing, but her laugh sounded fake. There was no ‘might’ about it. She took a sip of her wine and turned her directgaze from her boyfriend to me. ‘So, Cam told me about the happy coincidence.’
    Malcolm glanced at me. ‘What happy coincidence?’
    ‘Oh, Cam’s new flat … It’s in Jo’s building. The flat below hers, in fact.’
    ‘Really?’ Malcolm shot me a teasing look before smirking at Cam. ‘You’ll have to tell me what it’s like. Jo refuses to let me near it.’
    I squirmed under Cam’s curious look, his eyes asking,
What in the hell kind of relationship do you two have?
‘It’s just like anywhere in Edinburgh.’
    ‘Very informative, Cam, thank you. You’re as bad as Jo.’
    ‘Did it take you long to move your things in?’ Becca asked just as the second course arrived.
    Cam waited until we’d all been served and had begun to tuck in before he replied. ‘All day.’
    ‘You know, it might have taken less time if you’d bothered to get rid of all those comic books.’
    ‘I’ve already said no to that suggestion,’ Cam replied to her lazily.
    Becca shook her head and turned to us, clearly frustrated. ‘He has hundreds of them in plastic seal, in box after box. It’s ridiculous. I know I should get it, because I’m an artist, but I totally don’t.’
    Malcolm nodded at her. ‘I admit to never understanding the fascination with comics.’
    ‘I don’t know.’ I found myself speaking up, thinking about the worlds Cole had created, and the worlds he had shared with me through his love of comics and graphic novels. ‘I think there’s something compelling about them. Most of them are really just about ordinary people risingto the extraordinary. We read books like that every day. These ones just have cool pictures to illustrate what the words can’t.’
    I wanted to avoid Cam’s reaction to my opinion, but the heat of his gaze drew mine and when our eyes met they held. And locked. I felt my breathing grow shallow at his soft smile, his warm, inquisitive eyes. ‘Joss says your brother draws and writes his own.’
    The thought of Cole loosened my lips into a more relaxed smile. ‘He’s very talented.’
    ‘I’d love to take a look at them sometime.’
    ‘I think Cole would like that.’ I didn’t know why I said that. I didn’t want Cam anywhere near Cole or my flat. It was the way he was looking at me. Like he saw something he liked and it had nothing to do with my pretty face, long legs or perky boobs. Words that had tumbled out of my mouth had pleased him and I was basking in his good opinion.
    I was such an idiot.
    ‘Jo?’
    My gaze was ripped from Cam’s at the voice.
    No
. I tensed.
It can’t be.
    I shifted around in my seat and looked up into the eyes of someone very familiar. An unexpected ache flared in my chest as a rush of memories exploded over me.
    Oh, God. Was someone just being particularly cruel today? I mean, how many