Chapter Nine

Mackenzie

When we got back from the village, Will showed me the shower block so I could get ready, and I haven’t seen him since.

But his rucksack is still on the sofa bed. Does that mean he plans on sleeping in here tonight? The prospect thrills me far more than it should, considering sleeping isn’t a euphemism for anything more exciting.

Unfortunately.

I did not just think that.

There’s a knock on the door before Will opens it and steps inside.

“You look nice.” His forehead creases, as though the compliment slipped out without him meaning it to, and I grin at him. I don’t remember him ever saying anything like that to me before, and I kind of love it. Although I’m only wearing jeans, I did splash out on a cute top that I picked up for a bargain from the market. But that’s not why his comment sends flutters through me. For some crazy reason, I treated myself to some horrifically expensive lingerie, and it’s soft and silky and deliciously decadent against my skin.

He’s not admiring your knickers, Mac.

Well, duh. Obviously. And he’s not going to see them, either. I didn’t buy them for his benefit, after all.

You spent an arm, leg, and kidney on undies that no one but you will ever see?

Why am I even having this debate? I need new underwear, and I’ve never had such gorgeous stuff before. So what if my unaccustomed extravagance just happened to coincide with this weekend away with him?

One little indulgence isn’t going to break the bank. After all, I’m lucky enough not to be on a shoestring budget like so many of my friends, who have massive debts hanging over their heads. My Uni tuition is paid by bursary from an educational trust of Mum’s former work.

Just one more guilt-laden brick as to why I can’t afford to fail.

No thinking about that tonight.

“So do you.” He looks way more than nice in the short-sleeved shirt that stretches across his impressive shoulders and shows off his gorgeous biceps. Stop drooling, Mac. I ignore my good advice and my gaze drifts over his black jeans, which wrap around his thighs like an indecent embrace.

I gulp and pretend to search for my phone—which is right in front of me on the sofa—so he can’t see my face. Who knew being platonic was such hard work?

“Don’t forget the beer,” I tell him, which is a dumb thing to say but is the only thing I can think of to break the silence that followed my comment.

That followed you checking him out, you mean. He must’ve noticed. I swallow a groan and briefly squeeze my eyes shut. Please don’t call me out on it.

He picks up the beer, and we leave. The lake and woodland beyond look ridiculously romantic in the soft twilight that bathes everything in an ethereal glow. My fingers itch to slide between his. Friends hold hands, don’t they?

Not unless they’re five years old…

I push my thumbs into my jeans pockets, just to be the safe side. Best not to tempt fate. What’d happen if we ended up kissing tonight? There’d be no chance of Dad interrupting us mid-smooch.

What do I even mean by that? We don’t need a chaperone to keep our hands to ourselves.

As we head toward the lodge, the smoky aroma of cooking food wafts on the breeze. There’s a partially enclosed garden next to the building, where a couple of guys are standing by the barbecue. They turn and greet us as we stroll up to them.

“You’ve already met Adam,” Will says as he dumps the beer on a garden bench. “And this one’s Mike.”

Mike grins. “You want a beer?”

“Sure.” I take one as Lucinda joins us and places a large bowl of potato salad on the table before she grabs a bottle of water.

“I’m on duty tonight,” she tells me. “Not that we’ve ever had a nighttime emergency, but if I suddenly shoot off, that’s why.”

“It’s lovely here,” I tell them.

“Yeah, Will found it,” Mike says, as he turns the food on the grill. “Used to be a bring your own tent camping site. Really run down.”

“Who are your clients? Schools?” I glance at Will, who’s standing next to me, and he’s staring at me with an odd smile on his face. As though we’re sharing a secret moment, just the two of us. We’re close enough that one false move and we’ll touch, and if I had any sense I’d move away. But I don’t. Because even though we’re just friends and nothing’s going to happen tonight, I love the flare of heat in his eyes as he catches my gaze.

Then he looks away, and reality stampedes through me. Seriously, what am I thinking? A secret moment? The breathtakingly fiery dusk is clearly messing with my mind.

“Yes, we’ve got a few repeat customers now, which is amazing,” Lucinda says, and it takes me another sip of beer before I remember she’s answering my question. “But we’re always looking to expand. I expect Will’s told you.”

Yeah, not so much. Not that I’m going to admit that, so I just make a noncommittal noise which seems to satisfy her.

The guys serve up the food, and we sit on the benches chatting like we’ve all known each other forever.

“Oh.” Lucinda waves a spare rib at me. “I’ve just got it. You’re Harry Carter’s sister, right?”

“Guilty.” It’s a little funny she picked on Harry. Usually, if people figure out my brother is famous, it’s Lucas they think of.

“I love The Plains of Exitium. I keep telling Will he should bring Harry here for a weekend, so I can fangirl over him.”

“Forget Harry,” Adam says, while I snort into my beer at Lucinda’s dramatics. “Bring Lucas. At least he likes being outdoors.”

Mike grins at me. “We only keep Will because of his connections.”

“It’s true.” Will’s sitting next to me on the bench, and although we’re not touching, I can feel the heat from his body reaching out to me like an intoxicating caress. How strong is this beer? Except it’s not the alcohol, and I know it. “We’d only known each other three years before they discovered I’d grown up with United’s star player.”

“Holding out on us.” Adam tosses Will another beer, but instead of opening it, he places it on the ground. A quick glance confirms he’s only halfway through his first bottle. That’s weird. Whenever we’re out socially, he’s always been one of the biggest drinkers I know.

Is he, though? Really? Uncertainty spins through me as all those endless parties we used to go to with Lucas swirl through my mind. Okay, maybe I misjudged him there. I’m starting to think I don’t know him nearly as well as I’ve always imagined.

It’s not a great feeling.

I nudge his arm. “I need the loo.”

“Inside the lodge, at the back.” He stands, and for one surreal moment, I think he’s going to take me inside himself. And even though I don’t need an escort, I won’t say no because his chivalrous streak is kind of hot. But before my stupid tongue manages to respond, Lucinda breaks the moment by strolling over.

“I’ll take you. The door’s locked.” She swings a key, and we make our way to the lodge where she unlocks the door. “Here you are.” She hands me the key. “Just lock up before you leave.”

“Sure thing.”

I find the bathroom without any problem, and my mind drifts back to earlier this afternoon before we went to the village—the first time Lucinda interrupted Will and me. She seems to have a knack for it.

Never mind that. The big question is, what was he about to say to me?

It’s been plaguing me all afternoon, but after she’d left, the moment had passed. And then when we were in the village, it just seemed weird to refer to it.

In any case, he didn’t mention it again, either. But my imagination’s been working overtime.

His words echo through my mind. But not something we should ever repeat.

And my automatic response. Because that would be a disaster.

Was he going to dispute that? Tell me it’ll be fun?

Why can’t I let it go? Do I really believe our relationship could handle that?

Yeah, didn’t think so. I let out an exasperated breath and leave the bathroom.

My gaze catches on loads of framed certificates on the walls. I’d noticed them earlier when we checked in, but only in passing. I go in closer for a better look.

Wow. I’d expected to see Lucinda, Adam, and Mike’s names on the certificates, but Will has just as many as any of them. He’s an accredited mountain leader, certified in cliff rescue and advance white-water safety and rescue. As well as standard First Aid, he’s also qualified in outdoor management incident skills.

Does Lucas know about this secret life of Will’s? I didn’t know anything about it, and although it’s stupid, I can’t help feeling a little hurt.

Forget about our one-night stand. We were friends for a long time before that. Why didn’t I even have a clue?

What else don’t I know about?

“Hey.”

I swing around, as Will strolls across the room toward me. Irrational guilt slides through me, as though he just caught me doing something shifty. But since it’s obvious what I was doing, there’s no point denying it. Not that he’s accusing me of anything.

Whatever. I might as well tell him what’s on my mind.

“It’s like you’re two different people.” I wave my hand at the frames. “This isn’t the Will Henderson I’ve known most of my life.”

He stands beside me, and although I’m staring at the framed certificates, he’s not. He’s looking at me. All I need to do is turn my head, and we’re close enough to kiss.

Do. Not. Turn. Your. Head.

“Yes, it is.” His voice is low with a sexy, raw edge, that sends goose bumps chasing over my skin. “This is just the other side of me.”

“But this level of commitment.” I let out an impatient breath, not sure why I’m so bemused by this other side of him. Maybe because he no longer fits into the neat little pigeonhole you shoved him in two years ago? “It’s like you plan on taking expeditions into the mountains or something.”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, comprehension hits like a bloody great sledgehammer. Talk about missing the obvious. “Is that what you’re going to do?”

He grins. “What did you think I was going to do?”

“I don’t know. I thought you were their financial wizard. I didn’t guess you’d be so hands-on.”

“I am their financial wizard.” Then his grin fades. “That was never the reason why I’m involved, though. We planned this all out while we were at Uni. The only reason I’m not here is that when Dad died so unexpectedly, I had to dig in at the company and sort stuff out.”

“Oh.” It had never occurred to me that when he took over his dad’s position, it wasn’t something he’d always planned on doing. Well, it made sense. He was the only child.

Why didn’t I ever ask him, though? We were so close after his dad died, for over a year until that Christmas. Then again, he never breathed a word about any of this.

I risk shooting him a glance, and there’s a brooding expression on his face. He doesn’t often do serious. Will, like Lucas, is usually the life and soul of any party.

We’re not at a party. And this is a side to him he doesn’t show to the whole world.

A strange, hot pain fills my chest. For some odd reason, I get the feeling he’s holding something back. “There must’ve been a lot to sort out. That was over three years ago.” The week he left Uni.

“Yeah.” He’s focused on the framed certificates as if they’re the most fascinating things he’s ever seen. It’s like he’s fighting an internal battle as to whether to share more with me. It’s hard to keep my hands to myself when I’m dying to wrap my arms around him. And not because I can’t get him out of my mind, even when he’s out of sight.

It’s because, even though things fell apart, he used to be one of my very best friends. And some things don’t change. I hate seeing him like this. Please don’t tell me it’s nothing.

Then he gives a heavy sigh. “I’ve not told anyone else.” Reluctance drips from each word, and alarm streaks through me. What happened? “I only planned on staying at the company for a couple of years, max. But Mum—she had a stroke. She couldn’t work, and I couldn’t leave.”

Shit. Whatever I’d expected him to say, it wasn’t anything like this. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” This time I reach out and thread my fingers through his. This must have been the reason why he’d sounded so stilted when I asked about his mum the other day.

My stomach churns as I recall the coursework I did on strokes. Why didn’t I pay more attention, instead of sketching in my notepad? “Is she okay?”

“She’s great.” He squeezes my fingers, and it’s crazy how good that feels. And relief washes through me that his mum had suffered from a less devastating type of stroke. “It was sheer bloody luck I stopped in to see her that morning. I found her on the floor—she’d only just passed out. We caught it fast.”

“That’s awful.” Before I can stop myself, my mind fills with the image of my own mum, the last time I saw her in that hospital bed, and phantom fingertips slide over the back of my neck.

“Could’ve been worse. At least I knew what to do.”

“Thank God you weren’t working that day.” I don’t even want to imagine the outcome if his mum hadn’t been discovered for hours.

“It was Boxing Day. I’d planned on visiting later that afternoon, but…yeah. If anyone met her now, they’d never guess. But it was a tough few months. And she didn’t want anyone to know.”

“In case it affected the company?”

“Yes, but also…she wouldn’t accept the fact she had to slow down. Step back from things so she could concentrate on her recovery.”

“So you had to put your dreams on hold.”

His smile warms something deep inside me. “Something like that.”

I take a step closer to him until our bodies are all but touching. “At least it’s not forever. Another few years, you said, wasn’t it? That’s not so long in the great scheme of things.”

“I know.” His voice is husky, and his sexy, woodsy cologne creates havoc with my hormones. “I’ve got the rest of my life to do what I really want.”

“Not many people can say that.” The words are soft and breathy, and I’m lost in his gorgeous, deep brown eyes. There’s something infinitely magical holding hands with Will and having him gaze at me as though I’m all that matters in his world.

It’s only an illusion. I knew that before I ever stepped into his bedroom. And sure, he’s my brother’s best friend, but that was never a reason to stop me. I just don’t want to listen to my brother giving me a hard time about messing around with his friend. Lucas can be very annoying that way.

But right now, none of that matters, and I sway toward him, needing his kiss more than my next breath. But he doesn’t meet me halfway. Instead his hot gaze rakes over my face, and heat pools between my thighs. He makes me needy with just one look.

Then he leans in, his five o’clock stubble grazing my cheek as he whispers in my ear, “Let’s get out of here.”