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She squealed, her cheek brushing the softness of Nick’s cashmere coat. “My god!” Her heart galloped faster, wilder, out of control, the distressing spectacle conspiring with his firm embrace. She peered up from his chest, but Nick’s attention was elsewhere.

“Bollocks!” His throat bobbed as shouts of encouragement filled the air and the game raged on. “We need, we need to DO something!” As his glare roamed, Nick’s fingers curled, clutching Evie’s coat.

“They’ll be okay, see?” She motioned to a blonde woman rushing forward with a large backpack and two middle-aged males in tow. “That’s Dr. Drever. She’ll take care of them.”

Rising slowly, the boys ignored their fresh scrapes and bruised egos and waved off the doctor’s efforts. They flashed two thumbs up, then plunged into the ruckus again, eliciting a roar of applause that reverberated between the cathedral and the row of shops.

Relief and joy ballooned in Evie’s chest. She closed her eyes briefly, blissfully lost in Nick’s impromptu hug, his clench strong and sure and beyond romantic.

“That was AWESOME!” Sunita joined the Ba’ ovation, clapping her approval. Her eyes skated over Nick, who stared back, incredulous.

“Bloody hell! They practically fell on their heads.” His voice rose higher than usual. “That could’ve been my brother…” He trailed off and released Evie, the warmth and weight of his embrace dearly missed.

“You okay?” She leaned in, fighting a shiver.

“Yeah.” He looked down at her, a flicker of a smile playing with his mouth, then quickly disappearing. “Sorry. I-I didn’t mean to grab you like that.”

Grab away! I loved it! Evie grinned. “Nick—”

“The crowd surged and”—he dragged a frantic hand through his hair—“instinct kicked in.”

Protected by Nikolai Balfour. Evie now had a new scenario to add to her daydream repertoire, only this one was better.

This one was real.

She gave his arm a sneaky squeeze. “Nick, seriously, it was sweet. Thank you for looking out for me.”

But her gratitude didn’t seem to soothe his regret. Stashing his hands in his coat’s pockets, Nick’s pained gaze swooped to Sunita’s glower. “But still…it won’t happen again.”

Evie’s heart buckled.

“I’m headed back to London tomorrow.”

“So soon?” Another pang rippled through her chest.

“Yeah, things to do, people to see.”

Like Bree? Evie’s lips pressed as her jealousy flared. “No rest for the wickedly popular?”

“Or the recently unemployed,” said Nick. “Mum scheduled back-to-back meetings with some casting people on the 27th. Tarq and Rupes are staying for the New Year’s Day Ba’.” His sunny disposition darkened as a muffled ringtone erupted from his pocket. “But after today, I wish they weren’t.”

Evie twisted Sunita’s way, expecting a terse eyeroll, but her best friend closed the distance with a sympathetic stroke of her arm.

Green Day’s ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ died abruptly in Nick’s palm. “Fuuck, another dropped call?” Scowling, he rubbed his brow with furious intent. “This place—it’s doing my head in.”

A sour taste rose in Evie’s throat. Nick’s hate-on for all things Orkney wasn’t budging, but didn’t she count for something? Didn’t their friendship?

“E-vie!” Sunita danced. “Gotta text for ya!”

“Forgot your phone?” Nick looked up from his.

“Yeah, the second time in as many days!” Evie shook her head self-deprecatingly then swung toward Sunita. “What’s Fi want?”

“It’s Stuart!”

Kill me now. Evie shot Nick a harried glance as he toyed with his phone. Would he think Stuart was her boyfriend? Fuck no. She cleared her throat. “It’s probably nothing. Tell me later?” The effervescence in her voice drained away.

“He’s asking you out!” Sunita flashed a full-on metallic smile.