Page 99 of Journey to the Scottish Highlands

I was playing with fire here. I knew it.

But I could resist Evan if I had to. I could, couldn’t I? Of course I could. I would just have to remind myself what a low-life Leon had been and that I needed more heartbreak like I needed a toothache. Not to mention the Sacha-sized elephant in the room. Setting my back straight, I hooked my hair back behind my ears and knocked on his closed bedroom door.

‘Come in,’ rumbled his voice from the other side.

I opened the door.

Evan was seated at his writing desk, with his laptop open and glowing. The light from it was highlighting the planes of his face. He was wearing his spectacles again, and there was a faint dusting of dark stubble across his jawline. It suited him. It gave him a bit of a softer edge somehow.

My heart did a twisting motion in my chest, which made me grip the door handle tighter.

I closed the door behind me.

Evan removed his glasses and set them down by his laptop. ‘Please sit down.’

He tugged over a spare chair, and I settled myself in it. I turned my attention to his laptop. ‘What are you working on? Or aren’t I allowed to know?’

‘No, I can tell you. It’s a piece about dating apps and whether they unintentionally kill the art of romance.’

‘That’s a bit of a diversion for you.’

‘What is? Romance?’

I pushed out my chin, willing my cheeks not to light up. ‘No, I was talking about the tone. More…’

‘Light and fluffy?’

‘Yes. I suppose so. I just get the impression you’d prefer to write the grittier stories.’

Evan stretched out his legs. ‘Commission for a weekend newspaper supplement. Pays well.’ The silence between us was stirring almost as much as his bedroom curtains in the May breeze.

I hoped I sounded and looked business-like. ‘Right. So we need to ensure we spread the word about the tour; try to attract all ages, from locals to day trippers, tourists and everyone in between.’

He looked at me from under his dark, thoughtful brows.

I shifted, focusing my attention on everything from Evan’s laptop to his black and silver bedding rather than him.

Evan sat back in his chair. His words caught me off guard. ‘You don’t have a very high opinion of me, do you Daisy?’

I flapped one hand around. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’

‘The other night at Dane’s gig.’

I blinked at him ‘What about it?’

He dropped his eyes for a moment before fixing his attention back on me again. ‘He kept stealing all your attention.’ He exhaled. He didn’t speak for the longest time. ‘Dane. I was jealous.’

His words rocked me. ‘Jealous?!’

Our attention remained trained on one another like heat-seeking missiles. No. This was risky. I couldn’t. I had to cling onto common sense. I wouldn’t go through a rerun of what I’d had with Leon. I’d just put my heart back together again, and now I was contemplating putting it out there once more to be shattered by Evan? What was I? Some sort of emotional masochist? Yes, I thought he was gorgeous, but that didn’t mean I should do anything about it. And where did Sacha feature in all of this?

I had to gather myself together first, before I said something I regretted.

I pinned on a cool smile. ‘Well, no need to be jealous. Right, let’s make a start on this publicity drive, shall we?’

Evan looked blindsided. Deflated, even. An odd look settled on his face. ‘Yes. Ok. Sure. Good idea.’

I had to put some space between us. I had no choice. He was driving me to distraction. I didn’t want to, but I had to. For my own sake.