Page 78 of Summer Escapes on the Scottish Isle

Mack drove home on autopilot. Sothatwas Hadrian.

He didn’t know what he was more disappointed about: Freya having such appalling taste in men, or Jinny getting it wrong about Freya’s feelings for her boyfriend. Because from the way Freya had sunk into the man’s arms, their relationship appeared serious enough to Mack.

Freya didn’t want to cause Hadrian any embarrassment, so when he saw her enter the lounge and opened his arms, she walked into his embrace, quickly pulling back before he could kiss her. She felt awful rejecting him, but she couldn’t pretend.

Keeping an arm around her waist, he whispered, ‘I’m glad you’re here early. Let’s go to my room. Dinner can wait. It won’t matter if we’re late. I’ve missed you, babe.’

She wriggled free. ‘I’ll go upstairs, but to talk, not to…’

‘Talk? What do you want to talk about?’

‘Not here.’

Realisation spread across his face, and his expression hardened. ‘You’redumpingme?’

Freya said, ‘It’s not working, Hadrian. Surely even you can see that.’

‘Even me?’

‘Wrong turn of phrase,’ she backtracked hastily.

‘It damn well is.Even me, indeed!’

‘Keep your voice down.’ She glanced around the lounge, hoping no one was paying any attention to their fraught conversation.

‘Had a better offer, have you? A brawny Scotsman in a kilt?’

‘No! I keep telling you, I’m here because my dad needs me. I’m not here for fun.’

His eyes were hard, as he slowly said, ‘Youhavehad a better offer. You’re going to New York.’ He shook his head, his lips a thin line. ‘I thought it was just a rumour, but no smoke without a fire, eh, Freya?’

‘It’s not that—’

‘Of course it is! Don’t insult me.’

‘It’s not!’ she insisted.

‘Bullshit. And I bet that’s what that stupid boat trip was about. I bet you’ve started working on new pieces to impress your new boss.’ His look of disgust made her flinch. He hissed, ‘I’ve supported you and championed you for the past two years, and this is the thanks I get?’ In a tone of pure dislike, he added, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if your precious father isn’t ill at all, and you lied to me so you could throw me off the scent. Good luck in New York – you’re going to need it.’ He turned away from her and snapped his fingers at the bar staff. ‘A double vodka. Now!’

Near to tears, Freya whispered, ‘I’m sorry,’ but Hadrian refused to acknowledge her, and after a second or two she slunk out of the lounge, utterly ashamed. Not because she’d ended it with Hadrian, but because shehadbeen working on new pieces when she really should have been giving her poor dad her full attention.

The whisky was smooth, with an earthy undertone, and it was slipping down Mack’s throat far too easily. He guessed he might regret it come the morning, but right now he simply didn’t care, so he poured himself another dram and turned up the volume.

‘Angie’ by The Rolling Stones blasted out of the speakers, and he rested his head on the back of the old wooden chair, letting the sound wash over him.

He was sitting on the lawn to the rear of the house, the evening sun on his face, and since there were no neighbours within disturbing-distance, he could play his music as loud as he wanted. Unfortunately, though, it failed to drown out his thoughts.

Staring vacantly across the loch, he tried to work out why he was feeling so damned miserable. It wasn’t as though he didn’t know that Freya had a boyfriend. He’d known all along. So why had seeing them together disturbed him so much?

Was it because he was disappointed that she didn’t have better taste in men? No – although he was, and she should have. The guy was a dick, but why should that make any difference?

Unless… Cal’s words floated through Mack’s mind, and he finally acknowledged that they’d hit their mark. What Mack felt for Freya was more than lust, desire and attraction.

Helikedher, damn it. He liked her one hell of a lot. He liked her so much that if she wasn’t buggering off soon, he would have made a serious play for her. The kind of play that he’d never made for any woman. The playing-for-keeps kind of play. He liked her that much.

He would have had to get rid of the boyfriend first – which mightn’t have been too much of a problem, since Mack was here and the boyfriend was six hundred miles away. But what happened to his rule of staying clear of attached women?

Aware that if Freya hadn’t been leaving soon, he would have broken that rule, Mack didn’t like himself right now.

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