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So it was my little secret. The sooner I forgot about it, the better.

Except I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The memory rushed back every time I was around Lachlan or Alec. Unfortunately, being their executive assistant meant I was rarely out of their presence.

From a few seats down, Lachlan spoke without looking up from his newspaper, rolling his Rs in a way that lifted the fine hairs on my arms. “Leave her alone, Alec. She’s probably just thinking about her wedding day.”

Alec’s face brightened. “That’s right. How much longer until the main event?”

“Um, five weeks.”

“Josh must be excited, no?”

“Honestly, we’re both ready for it to be over.” My cheeks heated, and I could almost hear my mother’s voice scolding me. “Good grief, Chloe Drexel, your boss doesn’t care about your personal life.” My mother had a lot of opinions, including plenty of commentary on Alec and Lachlan’s relationship. When I first told her about the job, she frowned and said, “It’s good money, but two gay men?” When I called her on it, she got all huffy and accused me of being over-sensitive.

Cindy Drexel was, to put it mildly, a piece of work.

“Och, sorry to hear it, lass,” Alec said. “Anything Lach and I can help with?”

The thought of taciturn Lachlan assisting me with wedding tasks made me smile. I shook my head at Alec. “No, but you’re sweet to offer. Wedding planning just isn’t as fun as I thought it would be.” Mostly because, in addition to dealing with my mother’s antics, I’d ended up handling the bulk of the planning on my own. My fiancé, Josh, wanted nothing to do with selecting stationery or choosing floral arrangements.

But that was normal, right? Men didn’t care about those things. Plus, he was crazy busy with work. As a second-year associate at one of New York City’s top law firms, he didn’t have much free time. At the end of a twelve-hour day, the senior partners expected him to show up at cocktail dinners and happy hours. That meant I spent a lot of evenings alone with pizza, wedding magazines, and Netflix. And the Netflix was definitely sans “chill.” Most nights, he got home so late he slept on the sofa to avoid disturbing me.

It was hardly the romantic lifestyle I envisioned when we moved in together. But as Josh liked to say, it wasn’t forever. Every young lawyer had to put in their dues.

Alec nodded like he planned weddings all the time and knew exactly what I was talking about.

Lachlan looked at me over the top of his paper, and I was struck all over again by his masculine beauty. The women in the office called him “Mr. Grey” behind his back because they said he looked like Jamie Dornan. As hard as I tried to keep the nickname out of my head, I never failed to picture him wielding a riding crop.

I blinked hard, struggling to banish the image. “Did you need something, Mr. MacKay?” Jesus, I’d almost slipped and said “Grey.” Damn those women in accounting.

His dark brows pulled together. “Are you sure you’ll be okay leaving for two weeks, Chloe? That only gives you three weeks back in the States before your wedding. Alec and I probably should have considered the timeline before we planned this trip. If you’re having second thoughts, we completely understand.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. Josh can handle anything that comes up.” He’d said as much last night, when we spoke on the phone as he traveled between work and a firm function at a hotel downtown. I’d hoped for one last night together before I left, but he’d already booked a room. The event was supposed to run late, and he didn’t like taking cabs when he’d been drinking.

“I want you to get a good night’s rest, babe,” he’d said. “A flight to Scotland is no joke. You’re going to be exhausted.”

For a split second, I’d been tempted to call off my trip. I mean, what was I thinking jetting off to another country with my bosses five weeks before my wedding? But when I suggested it to Josh, he shot down the idea. “It’s a free trip, Chloe. I know how crazy you are about castles. Go stay in one and enjoy yourself. We’ll see each other for the rest of our lives when you get back.”

He was right, of course. And I was pretty crazy about castles. Who wasn’t? But I couldn’t help wishing he would have put up at least a token resistance to his future wife leaving him alone for two weeks.

Lachlan was still staring at me, so I plastered what I hoped was a convincing smile on my face. “No second thoughts here, Mr. MacKay, I promise.”

His golden gaze sharpened, making me want to squirm in my seat. He lowered his paper all the way, exposing his crisp, white business shirt. The same kind he wore that night…

My throat went dry.

“Are you certain?” he asked. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”

Alec tossed him an irritated look. “Christ, Lach, she said it’s fine.”

Lachlan returned his stare, and an odd tension seemed to rise between the two men.

Wait. Was Lachlan upset I was tagging along? My lingering desire fled. Maybe he wanted to spend two weeks alone with Alec without an employee underfoot. Come to think of it, Alec was the one who invited me in the first place. Lachlan hadn’t said much at all about the trip, except to give me terse instructions about what to pack. “It’s cold in the Highlands this time of year, so bring warm clothes. We won’t have time for shopping.”

He had a global financial empire to run. He didn’t want to babysit his American executive assistant. More likely, however, he didn’t want a third wheel on his and Alec’s vacation.

As the men continued their staring contest, awkwardness descended over me. “Um, guys? I don’t have to come. You really don’t need me—”

“Nonsense,” Alec said, swinging his gaze back to me. The sharp look he’d given Lachlan softened as he smiled at me. “We need you, Chloe.”