Page 63 of You, As You Are

“Oes.?*They do,” Iain said. “But you’re not here for that, Daffy.”

Her eyes narrowed on him. “Am I not allowed to choose my own flavour?”

“Just trust me on this.”

“Fine.” Maisie folded her arms beneath her breasts and pretended not to notice the downward flick of Iain’s gaze.

He shifted Ted’s lead in his hand and passed it to her. “Hold Ted.”

“Pleasewouldn’t go amiss.” Maisie lowered her tone as a subtle reminder that they were supposed to be pretending they’re sweet on each other. Though Iain went one step further and cupped her cheek in his hand, engulfing her jaw right as their group funnelled into the shop two feet away.

“Please, Maisie, trust me?”

One of the ladies gasped.

Of all the eyes in the world, the dark-green in Iain’s might’ve been the most beautiful green Maisie had ever seen. Like moss on a sturdy, old stone wall, or fern leaves in a forest.

The fight within her ebbed as his palm warmed her cheek. “Okay.”

Iain lingered for a moment, a breath of air passing between them, then his touch fell away and a tiny creature inside of Maisie shed a tear at the loss.

She moved herself and Ted over to the patch of grass at the side of the isolated building, facing out to the fields beyond the car park while Iain disappeared inside. She shrugged off her backpack and dropped it on the grass to give her spine a rest.

Minutes later, Iain emerged alongside the rest of the hiking group with two simple wafer cones topped with a generous swirl of soft, white ice cream.

“This is what you’ve been bragging about?” she said as he handed her a cone, their fingers skimming over one another’s.

“This, Daffy, is the best honey ice cream you’ll ever taste.” Iain didn’t touch his yet, Ted using him as a climbing pole to try for a sniff.

“If you say so.” Iain’s gaze stayed put on her mouth while Maisie tasted the tip, and it was—“Oh my god.”She licked up the side for more. “That’s incredible.”

A low noise came from the chest in front of her as Iain popped out a crick in his neck.“Stop. That,”he said, his voice all low and gravelly.

“Why?”

“There are children present.”

Maisie looked around at the young families and grandparents with their grandchildren. “So?”

He turned away from her, the wafer in his hand looking close to breaking. “Forget it.”

The sense of being watched made Maisie look towards the rest of their group all squished around a picnic bench. That awkward tickle along the side of her face hadn’t been wrong – Vera led the charge in pretendingnotto be openly staring at them over here.

With Ted’s lead looped over her wrist, she took Iain’s other hand.

“What are you doing?”

Wouldn’t he ever just trust her?

“Dragging you off to pretend like we’re having a flirty conversation,” Maisie said as she walked backwards, as if their current conversation wasn’t halfway there already with his grumbling about her appreciative sounds.

It was entirely inappropriate to wonder what kind of woman it’d take for him to be … loud.

Iain’s tense shoulders shifted when he understood her meaning, his body loosening as he followed her lead. “Flirty, hm?”

“Preferably.”

Maisie backed herself against the grey wall before the undercurrent of nerves in her system could get the better of her. It wasn’t fear, but rather excitement; the consequential eyes on them be damned.

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