Woah!Jamie tried his best not to bite back at this unexpected swipe, given how cautiously he was treading. ‘Just checking,’ he said. ‘In case you might need to take medication.’ His instincts were to be friendly to Alicia, but she made it clear his presence unnerved her. In some ways, he didn’t blame her. It was understandable a woman wouldn’t want to be trapped in a mountain hideout with an unfamiliar man. But it wasn’t so lovely feeling like a predator. ‘Listen,’ he said, ‘I’ll sit over here. You take the spot by the fire while we see this thing out?’ He pulled up an old wooden chair near the window and took a notebook and pen out of his bag. This was the perfect time to brainstorm some ideas for the business. Draw up a plan to take back to his dad. After all, that was the main point of this holiday.
Chapter 10
Alicia
Alicia was aware she was being frosty with Jamie, but she couldn’t help it. Last night was fun; she’d gone to bed thinking of him. But his porch was easy to leave. This bothy was as good as snowed in and she couldn’t be at ease if she felt trapped.
He was sitting near the door minding his own business, but what if it was a trick? If she tried to run, he could stop her.
He’s not that type. It’s clear he’s not. Why are you so worried?
Of course, it was because of Chad. Since him, all men had hidden agendas and weren’t to be trusted. He’d affected her interactions with other people, men specifically. But watching the fire the whole time, to avoid Jamie, wasn’t realistic. Alicia surveyed the room, scanning quickly over the area in which he was sitting, then got up and wandered across to the bookshelf in the back corner where she selected a well-thumbed novel with a dragon on the front. Not her taste but few of the books were. She placed a chair by the fireside and settled down to read.
Ten pages in and she concluded it was the most boring book she had ever read. Clearly the previous owner had put it here to share their enjoyment, but she would have to find something else to do. She returned the item to the shelf, conscious that Jamie might be watching her. But stealing a glance, she could see he was absorbed writing in a notepad.
‘Um, sorry to interrupt,’ Alicia ventured, ‘but would you happen to have any spare pages and a pencil I could borrow?’
Jamie glanced up, surprise evident in his features and a trace of uncertainty. ‘Sure,’ he said, ‘take the pad. I can manage with a few sheets.’ He ripped out the top pages and held out the notebook. ‘I don’t have a pencil, but you’ll likely find one in that drawer under the bookshelf.’
‘Thank you.’ Guilt gnawed at Alicia because of how generous he was being. ‘I thought I might do some sketching,’ she offered.
‘Aye? Nice.’ Jamie leaned back in his seat and examined his notes. She wanted to ask what he was writing but he’d been gentleman enough to let her be, so she couldn’t exactly court his attention now without coming across as a giant hypocrite.
Alicia sketched everything in the bothy that wasn’t Jamie. She must have had pencil to paper for around an hour when she realised something strange. She and Jamie were sitting silently in the same room together without the urge to fill the space with words. It should be awkward, but it wasn’t. She stole a glance at him. He was watching the snow falling outside, pen still hovering over the page but the outdoors capturing his full attention.
So handsome.
Before conscious thought had a chance, Alicia was darting her pencil across a fresh sheet of paper, bringing to life the contours of Jamie Butler. With each stroke, she captured the subtle lines that formed his distinctive features: the angular jawline, the strong nose, and the generous mouth that, she had to admit, had spoken nothing but kind words to her. With each detail, she marvelled at how effortlessly she translated the essence of Jamie onto the page, as if she easily understood the man.
So engrossed was Alicia in this drawing, that she forgot to disguise what she was doing. Eventually, sensing he was being watched, Jamie’s gaze shifted to her, a spark of realisation igniting as he took in her actions. Surprisingly, he didn’t utter a word of protest. Instead, a knowing smile played on his lips. It was like an unspoken language that told Alicia,I get it, you like to look at meand I’m good with that. She fumbled with her pencil. Had her hand lost some of its capability?
Once she had regained her composure, Alicia continued to sketch. With a sharper focus now that she could be less furtive, she noticed the more subtle shifts in Jamie’s expression. A furrowed brow softened into concentration, while every so often, a certain sadness drifted on his face.What is that?Why is he sad?Her pencil swept across the page, this way and that in an intimate exploration of the man. The more she observed, the more intrigued she was. Who was Jamie Butler?
One thing was apparent. Jamie was the antithesis of all the men Alicia had ever known. He had good looks on a par with Chad, or any other celebrity, and was built exactly how she liked her men; like a mountain. He exuded an air of complete confidence except, seemingly, without an ounce of extraneous ego. She found it hard to give her attention tothe sketch, so fixated was she on his large, powerful hands writing, no doubt made more difficult since he’d given her the bulk of the notepad. What would those hands be like searching her body? How would this humble Scotsman’s naked skin feel against hers?
Eventually, Jamie looked up again and their eyes met. For a heartbeat, the world stood still. Alicia knew it was her call. She’d taken from him and he’d let her. Now she had to give.
‘Would you like to see?’ She held the notebook out.
Jamie smiled. ‘Only if you want to show me.’
She passed him the pad. ‘It’s not my best work, but you are quite an enjoyable subject.’
‘An enjoyable subject. Never been called that before.’ Jamie scrubbed his jaw as he took in the sketch. ‘Wow! This… Is it big-headed to say this is brilliant? You flatter me, but this is the work of someone with artistic prowess.’
Alicia blushed a little and shuffled her feet. ‘Thank you. And I don’t flatter you. That is how you are. How I see you.’
Jamie stared at the sketch for a moment more before passing the pad back to Alicia. As his hand was outstretched, the pad hovering in mid-air, their gazes locked, and Alicia experienced a strange feeling of connection with this man. Had she known him for half a day or half a lifetime?
‘Thank you for sketching me,’ Jamie said. ‘I’m honoured.’ He stood up, unzipped his jacket, and hung it on a peg by the door. ‘It’s getting hot in here.’
It certainly was. Alicia could get the full measure of him now. He was so tall, at least six four, and looked like he could pick up a kitten with his little finger.
‘Actually, I’m upgrading that to, it’s roasting.’ He peeled his fleece over his head, seemingly unaware that as he didso Alicia was feasting on him. She gaped as the checked flannel shirt he wore underneath rode up to give a glimpse of his surfboard stomach – the one she’d been up close with in the sauna. Momentarily, she let herself be mesmerised by the dark trail of hair running from his belly to the waist of his jeans, inhaled sharp and quiet and averted her gaze to the sketch pad before she got caught watching.
‘Alright?’ Jamie asked.
Alicia lifted her eyes again, just in time to see the shirt being pulled down over the showpiece. Was it obvious she’d been ogling him?
