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“You do?” Lennox asked with a raised eyebrow. “Should I ask?”
Smirking, I replied, “Well, it wasn’t in my army days if that helps, but it was while working for someone from Westminster. It’s a brilliant city, and we could head out tomorrow for most of it, but if you really wanted to see what Belfast is really like, do you fancy a non-alcoholic drink in a pub? Or is that too much?”
Thoughts clearly circled in his mind as he thought about my suggestion. “If it’s for the atmosphere, I’m sure I could go to a pub.”
I grinned at him. “Get your coat then.”
Twenty minutes later we were sitting on chairs of red leather in a small, whitewashed stone pub with two pints in front of us. “You can’t come to Belfast and not have a Guinness, and lucky for us they make an alcohol-free version now, so get that into you.”
Lennox eyed up the glass of the infamous black stout with suspicion.
“It’s okay.” I chuckled. “It tastes worse than it looks.” Picking up my glass, I held it up for a toast. “Sláinte,” I said, clinking my glass against his.
“What now?” he asked.
“Sláinte. It’s the Irish word for cheers.”
He looked surprised that I would know such a thing.
“I did warn you; I know this town a little. Learned some things too.” I smirked and took a sip from my glass.
Lennox followed me and his nose wrinkled. “Jesus.” He grimaced, setting his glass back on the table.
A laugh bubbled up from my chest. “I did warn you! It’s the aftertaste that gets you, just keep drinking it and you’ll be fine.” He shook his head with a chuckle and the rest of the evening was spent enjoying the atmosphere, not drinking more Guinness, and having some well-earned time off.
“Which first?” I asked him when we got into the hire car. “Castles, ships, or mountain views?”
He looked at me with surprise. “Mountains, we’ve not done that yet.”
Putting the car in gear, I pulled out of the multi-storey car park behind the Europa Hotel where we were staying and set off for the Hightown Road.
We parked up and started our walk towards McArt’s Fort. The shrubbery kept most of what was in store for Lennox hidden, with only the occasional break in the trees and bushes offering hints at what lay further along the path.
“Where the hell are you taking me?” Lennox laughed as we kept on walking.
“There’s some cliffs up here. You’ve been getting on my nerves, so I thought I might push you off.” For a second, I was convinced that Lennox wasn’t sure if I was joking or not, so I bumped his elbow with a snort and encouraged him to keep walking with me. “Trust me, you’ll see why I’m bringing you up here once we get there.”
When we turned the final curve towards our destination and the view before us really opened up Lennox’s expression turned to one of amazement.
“This?” he said with a sense of wonder.
“Almost. Just a few hundred yards more.”
He nodded and we kept on following the track until we reached the famous point that jutted out over the Lagan Valley below us.
“Holy shit, that’s one hell of a view.” He grinned.
I nodded. “You’re standing on top of a point called Napoleon’s Nose, if you look over there,” I said pointing over to the right. “Those mountains way in the distance are the Mournes, the highest mountain in Northern Ireland is there.” I moved myself in behind him and pointed out over his shoulder. “Right there, those yellow cranes, those are Samson and Goliath, they belong to the same company who built the Titanic, Harland and Wolff.” I moved against him again and pointed down to the hills directly below us on the right. “See that red brick building there sticking out in all the trees? That’s Belfast Castle.”
Turning him to the left, I pointed again, our footing on the ground making me directly behind his ear. “Just before that outcrop of land over there is Carrickfergus Castle. And just beyond all that, if it was a touch clearer, you’d be able to see Scotland on the horizon there.”
Lennox nodded and leaned back just a fraction to press his body to mine. I closed my eyes and licked my lips at the feeling he was stirring up within me.
We stood there, held against each other for what seemed like ages until we became aware of the presence of others behind us. “Where to next?” I asked softly against his ear as he pulled himself away from me.
“Ships.” He grinned, taking my hand in his, and we walked back down to the car park.
CHAPTER 14
