Page 73 of Scotch on the Rocks

“Does this count as one of our ‘dates’?” I crooked my fingers around the word.

Callum kept pace, moving onto the pavement and letting his shoulder brush mine. “Are we getting a table?”

I didn’t have time to grab a table, but that wasn’t the reason I scoffed, “Absolutely not.”

“Then no.”

Why did he get to be the only one to determine the rules of our agreement? “This counts. Take a picture and send it to your mum, tell her we’re having a great ‘friend date’, job done.”

He clucked his tongue. “I think we both know this isn’t about my mum anymore.”

Panic replaced the indignation. Why did he always have to be so honest? “We’re sticking to the terms of our agreement,” I said more coolly than I’d intended.

“Fine.” He shrugged, unbothered. “I’ll buy my own coffee.”

“Then get to the back of the line.” I knew I was acting like a jealous arsehole.

I hated being that girl that blew hot and cold when nothing had really changed since last night – except Jill’s fucking giggle playing on a loop in my head. Out of all the women in Kinleith, why did it need to be her?

His head fell back, a half groan half laugh on his lips. “Jesus, sweetheart, are you ever going to stop giving me shit?”

“You’ve been giving me shit from the moment we met. The other women in your life might enjoy your brand of banter, Macabe, but I don’t.”

God, stop talking!

“Did you just refer to yourself as a woman in my life?”

“That’s what you took from all of that?” I whacked my hand off his bicep. He caught my wrist, running his thumb over the slip of bone there.

“My mind is shockingly single track, I’m afraid.”

I rolled my eyes at the honey all but dripping from his tongue. “Don’t repeat that to the people of Kinleith who trust you to take care of their pets, you might have a mutiny on your hands. Dennis Foster also happens to be a very skilled veterinarian.”

He tugged me closer until I could feel the heat of him through my clothes. Like a true Highlander, even dressed in only thin scrubs, he ran as hot as a furnace. “We discussed your visits to Portree already.”

“He comes highly recommended.”

If it was possible, he drew me even closer. Until I had nochoice but to look up at him or smoosh my face into his chest. “Obviously I didn’t make myself clear enough last night, Juniper. I’m happy to submit to you, any time, any place of your choosing.” His fingers danced up my wrist to stroke over my knuckles. “Snap these fingers and I’m yours.” His voice turned low. As thick as chimney smoke. I had to take a breath. “But if I find out you’ve visited that charlatan again, we’ll be experimenting with a little role reversal.”

My body lit like a furnace. Something hot coiling low and demanding in my stomach. It couldn’t be lust. Bossy didnotturn me on. It never had. “I have no interest in doingwhateverthis is.”

He laughed. “Your thighs practically decapitated me last night, harpy. You wanted it just as bad as I did.”

“Yeah, no shit. It was cunnilingus, Callum, even when it’s bad it’s pretty good.”

“It was fuckinggreat,” he ground out. A single look at my face had him groaning. “Fuck, but that face gets me hot. From the moment I laid eyes on you.”

Someone behind us coughed and I suddenly became painfully aware of the gazes we were drawing. The group of backpackers watched from over their coffee cups like we were the best show they’d seen all year. “We shouldn’t be seen together.”

“Worried Jess might guess that I had my tongue inside you last night?” My knees almost buckled. The woman behind us spluttered and covered her child’s ears. I barely noticed as Callum’s eyes fell to my mouth. He hadn’t tried to kiss me last night but looked eager to remedy the mistake now.

“Well, now I am.” I laughed, picturing Jess’s horror if she ever made that discovery.

He laughed too, his throat working around the sound. “Jess does seem to have her mind in the gutter …” Callum kept talking but his words faded as a form I’d have recognised anywhere cut along the street, head and shoulders above everyone else.

Just like his brothers.

“Alistair?” The name felt both familiar and foreign on my tongue.

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