Page 35 of Kilts and Kisses at Highland Hall (Kilts and Kisses #1)

Bex’s head hurt. Really hurt. Apparently, the burned scrambled egg had done nothing to absorb all the alcohol from the whisky.

Thankfully, even in her state, she remembered the earplugs Duncan had gifted her, and as such, it was nearly midday by the time she woke up. So late that even Ruby had gone.

Even with the pounding behind her temples and the foul furry taste in her mouth, she could feel the effects of a decent night’s sleep for the first time since she had moved here.

With a stretch and a yawn, Bex rolled over and picked up her phone, only to see that Lorna had set up a group chat entitled ‘Lion Friday Night’.

Blunt and to the point. It was the type of message Bex liked, although she couldn’t help but notice that Duncan’s name was on the list, too. Not only that, but he’d sent her a message too.

She said I could crash. Hope you don’t mind. And I’m not counting this as a date.

She laughed. Even in her mind, she had to agree this wasn’t a date. Just a drink at the pub. Besides, it was a week away. By that time, she might have completely forgotten about this crush. After all, she had gone off guys far quicker than that in the past. It was perfectly possible, wasn’t it?

* * *

No. Bex discovered when Friday rolled around, it was not possible to be over a crush on someone like Duncan. Not that quickly, anyway.

Unlike the week before, they hadn’t spent much time together, but whenever she did see him, it set her pulse racing.

Like the morning she looked out of her window and saw him there, chasing the dogs around, rubbing their tummies and letting them jump all over him.

There was something so endearing about the moment.

Clearly, he thought no one was looking, and she couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him behaving like a big kid.

Then there was the bridie he’d left by her coffee machine on Tuesday.

She had been so absorbed working, she’d had no idea when he’d come into the castle, or if he’d even come to the study to speak to her, but when she went to make herself a drink a little after one, there was a brown paper bag and a small note beside it.

So you remember to eat.

That didn’t help her crush, either.

Then there was the way he was with Fergus.

One evening, midweek, she had just curled up into bed when she heard the laughter rolling from downstairs, and a whole new sense of warmth took a hold of her.

A warmth that increased the next morning when she went down, found the door to the drawing room open, and Fergus there in his chair, with a blanket laid carefully across him, a pillow beneath his head and a glass of water where his whisky would normally be.

Bex suspected this wasn’t the first time Duncan had done this for the old man, and the knowledge only made those damn butterflies increase.

By the time Friday had come around, she found herself overthinking what she was going to wear, which was a far cry from when she’d first gone for a drink with Lorna when she’d barely had time for a shower.

Knowing that Duncan had complimented her in jeans, she chose a similar outfit, but paired it with heels. And after popping her head in the drawing room to say goodbye to Fergus and take Ruby down to him so that she wasn’t up all night waiting for her, she left for the village.

Bex arrived at the Lion five minutes early, exactly as she had planned. Being early let her get a sense of the room, maybe even work out escape routes if she needed.

This time, though, she was using those extra minutes to decide where to sit.

Did she want to sit next to Duncan? No. This was not a date.

Absolutely not a date. Besides, she didn’t know how much Lorna knew about her having spent time with Duncan, and she wanted to get to know Lorna, Eilidh and Niall better.

Yes, the aim was to sit one place away from Duncan.

That would make it harder for them to talk directly, and she wouldn’t be facing him.

That was if the table was round, of course – if it was rectangular, she’d need another plan.

Knowing that Lorna had booked them a table, she was about to ask the barman which was theirs, only for Eilidh and Niall to arrive at the same time.

‘It feels like it’s been forever,’ Eilidh said, wrapping Bex in a hug the moment she saw her. ‘How’s it going? How’s life at the castle?’

‘Much of the same – lots of paperwork, but I think I’m through the worst of it, which is good.’

‘You’re done?’ Niall said. ‘You mean…?’

‘Oh God, no.’ Bex laughed. ‘I mean, I’ve just sorted out which of the thousand pieces of paper are rubbish and which I need to use in the accounts. I’ve still got weeks left to go.’

‘Well, that’s good for us at least,’ Eilidh said, ‘to have more time to see you. And Lorna will be glad too – she’s gutted that she had to miss tonight.’

‘Lorna’s not coming?’ The surprise lifted in Bex’s voice.

‘Didn’t you see her message? Her car broke down just outside Glasgow on her way back from work. I offered to go and get her, but she said she’d be fine. So it’s just gonna be the four of us – is that a problem?’

‘No, no problem,’ Bex said. ‘I mean, I’m guessing Duncan’s still coming?’

‘Judging by the way he’s walking towards us right now, I’d say yes.’

Bex turned around, and yes, Duncan was walking straight over.

For a moment, all she could do was stand there and take him in.

He was dressed in a pale blue shirt that complemented his colouring while his hair was half up, in a style that she would have thought of as feminine, but on him emanated 100 per cent raw masculine energy.

How had she never noticed exactly how utterly piercing his eyes were?

Or how broad his shoulders were, either?

He was, without a shadow of a doubt, absolutely freaking gorgeous.

As her eyes inadvertently locked on his, he flashed her a smile that caused all the muscles in her abdomen to clench.

‘The four of us?’ Bex said, swallowing back the racing in her chest. ‘No, no, that sounds absolutely great.’