Page 94 of Summer Escapes on the Scottish Isle

‘I’ll refuse to go.’

‘Will you now? In that case, I’ll order the biggest take-away ever and have it delivered to your house. You’ll be eating Chinese food for a week.’

‘You don’t take no for an answer, do you?’

She smiled sweetly at him and pulled his beard again. ‘Say yes.’

He gritted his teeth. Not because she was yanking on his beard, but because her smile melted his heart. It did some other stuff to him as well, but he was trying not to think about that too closely.

‘Yes. Happy?’

‘Blissfully.’

‘You can stop trying to tear my beard off now. Or have you got any other demands?’

Her grip loosened and she stroked his cheek instead. Her face was too close for comfort and he swallowed hard, averting his gaze. He didn’t trust himself to speak. Or move.

‘Thank you, Mack, for everything. I don’t know what I would have done without you.’

‘You’d have managed.’ His voice sounded strangled.

She didn’t seem to have noticed. ‘Pick a day.’

‘I’ll have to check my diary.’

‘Mack…’ she warned.

‘Saturday?’ It was only two days away. He could last until then without seeing her. Couldn’t he?

Her hand continued to rest on his cheek, and he closed his eyes. He didn’t think he could take much more. Her touch inflamed him, but despite wanting her to stop, he put his hand over hers, holding it in place.

Then he lifted it to his lips and kissed her palm. And when she didn’t snatch her hand away, he risked looking at her.

Her eyes were closed, her lips parted just enough to show a glimpse of teeth.

It was his undoing.

His arm snapped around her, pulling her to him, and his mouth found hers. He kissed her deeply as she melted into him, exploring her with his tongue, tasting the wine she had drunk.

Mack lost himself in her, was aware of her and nothing but her. His world shrunk to this one exquisite moment, where nothing else mattered but the way he felt about her, and the way she made him feel.

And he suddenly realised he was in love, totally and utterly. It was both beautiful and devastating.

He would have happily kissed her until his heart gave out, and when she gently pulled away, he was desolate.

‘You said this wasn’t wise,’ she murmured. Her lips were swollen, her eyes a dark Highland pool.

‘It’s not.’ He hid his pain well. There was no hint of it in his voice.

‘I’d better go.’ She reached for the door handle.

‘Yes.’

‘See you Saturday.’

He nodded. He didn’t want to see her Saturday. He didn’t want to see her at all. It would hurt too much. But he would keep up the pretence of being friends who happened to fancy each other, because that was what she expected, how she herself felt.

It would kill him, but he’d do it – because not seeing her would kill him even more.

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