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I’m in the middle of tearing open a letter, but at this, I stop. “What the hell has Jamie been telling you? There were trees. We had our backs to each other. She didn’t see a thing!”

“Right.” Lewis nods. “By thing, you mean your dick, aye?”

I go to shove him, but he dodges out of the way and moves around the desk, grinning wildly. “She’s pretty feisty, isn’t she? And wee. Just your type.”

I grind my teeth. Of my three siblings, it’s Lewis who knows just how to push my buttons.

“This conversation is over.”

“Och, don’t be like that. A relationship could be just what you need.” His expression turns serious, which is even worse. “Maybe with a woman in your life, you’ll—”

“I said no. And anyway, she’s only here for a month. It’s not like we’re going to become boyfriend and girlfriend.”

Lewis taps the desk, considering this. “True. In that case, you could just skip the relationship part and . . . you know . . .” He winks, his cheeky grin back.

“Bloody hell!” I wipe a hand across my face. “She’s staying with us for a month. That’s a good source of income for us! I’m not going to scare her off by suggesting casual sex. Besides, I may not be the best hotelier in the world, but I’m pretty sure having sex with a guest is frowned upon.”

Lewis crosses his arms, looking smug. “It’s funny how last night you were complaining to me about her, saying it was a mistake to have taken her booking, and now you’re terrified of losing her.”

“I’m not terrified of losing her! I just don’t want to lose her money.”

“Then why are you getting so flustered by my questions?”

If he were closer, I’d thump him.

“All right, I’ll stop asking you about Emily. Let’s talk about the outdoor-activities business instead. It’s great you and Aidan are finally doing something about it.”

“No, let’s not talk about that either. Where am I going to find the time to start a new business while running this place? I’ve already told Aidan no, but he didn’t listen.”

Lewis comes a wee bit closer—almost within thumping distance, which is brave. “Mate, if you want to give it a shot, I’ll step up and do more around here. You know that.”

I snort. “There’s a lot more to running this place than you or Jamie realise.”

“Maybe, and maybe if you weren’t quite so controlling, I’d get to learn the parts of the business I don’t know.”

Sighing, I go back to the letters. “I’m not controlling. I just know that, without me, this place would fall apart.”

“And that is the sort of thing a controlling manager would say,” Lewis grumbles.

* * *

Fuck, that feels good.

I’m in the shower, hot water beating down on my back. My muscles ache in a good way. Showering after an outdoor activity is part of the experience. After braving the Scottish outdoors, the heat is heavenly.

Now I’m alone again, my thoughts turn to Emily. The wee firecracker surprised me today. She picked up the paddling strokes quickly and was confident and competent on the water.

She was easy company too. Despite running a hotel and being used to small talk with the guests, I don’t usually enjoy spending a long period of time with someone I don’t know well. It makes me ill at ease. Emily, though . . . I felt comfortable around her today. A little too comfortable. I had to keep reminding myself what behaviour is and is not appropriate around a guest.

But I enjoyed barking commands at her while we were on the raft. And the sight of her in that wetsuit, which was tight in all the right places . . .

Oh, and when I was tightening the straps of her PFD, the thoughts that were going through my head . . .

And what happened when I was getting changed? Because at the very moment I was stark-bollock naked, I’m sure I saw her glancing my way. Maybe I’m mistaken, but if she did look . . . well, I’m okay with that. In fact, she can have another look whenever she wants. We could get up to all sorts of fun things without our clothes on.

I grow hard as I imagine the possibilities. Her pert little body, her wild hair . . .

I turn around, allowing the water to strike my front. The heat feels good against me.