LITMIR.BIZ

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directly at Simon, determined to get the message across. ‘You need to keep your pace slow and steady.’

      He gave a suggestive smile. ‘I can do slow and steady when the occasion demands it. Any time you want a demonstration, Doc, you only have to ask.’

      ‘You’re totally disgusting, Si.’ Sally gave him a friendly thump on the shoulder and leaned forward to look at the map more closely, her expression interested. ‘Can you really develop altitude sickness at that elevation? I thought you’d need to be higher up to feel the effects.’

      Juliet chose to ignore Simon’s comment but the look in his eyes was making her increasingly uneasy about the forthcoming trip. ‘Certain normal physiological changes occur in every person who goes to altitude. At night you wake more frequently and you might notice a difference in your breathing pattern. During the day you’ll find that you become short of breath on exertion and you need to pass urine more often.’

      ‘All the more reason to cut down on that herbal tea,’ Simon drawled, and Juliet gritted her teeth and reflected on the fact that before the trip was over she might well have stabbed the guy with the business end of her ice axe.

      She didn’t like his arrogance and she didn’t like the way he was looking at her.

      Something made her glance across at Finn and she was surprised to find him staring at Simon, his gaze cold and hard.

      Juliet bit her lip, wondering exactly what had angered him. Perhaps she wasn’t the only person to find the guy objectionable.

      Sally sipped her drink, apparently oblivious to the undercurrents of tension around the table. Or maybe she was just used to Simon. ‘And that’s all OK? All those changes are normal?’

      ‘As long as the shortness of breath resolves rapidly once you take some rest. The increase in breathing is an essential part of adapting to the altitude. You have to work harder to obtain oxygen and you do it by breathing more deeply and more quickly.’

      ‘Because there is less oxygen in the air?’

      ‘Precisely.’

      The other male trekker, Gary, was enjoying a drink of chang, the local brew, and Juliet gave him a pointed look. ‘That can be a pretty alcoholic drink and by tomorrow you might be regretting that decision. It’s a good idea to avoid alcohol and certain drugs, anything that might decrease breathing—that’s if you want to finish the trek. Remember, you need those extra breaths to give your body the oxygen it needs to function. And even when you’re breathing faster you still won’t gain normal blood levels of oxygen.’

      Simon stared at the glass. ‘No alcohol and plenty of herbal tea. Who the hell talked me into this trip?’

      Sally frowned at him. ‘For goodness sake, shut up, Si.’

      Silently thanking Sally for the timely intervention, Juliet continued with her talk, aware that Neil had joined Finn and was watching and listening from the edge of the room.

      An oldtimer at altitude, Neil had seen it all before. And heard it all before.

      Juliet carried on talking, made the points she wanted to make, answered the girls’ many questions and then called a halt to the evening.

      She needed some space and time by herself.

      And she needed to get away from Simon.

      Leaving the group of trekkers to enjoy themselves, she dragged on her jacket and left the teahouse, braving the freezing air outside.

      Juliet stood for a moment with her eyes closed, feeling the sting of the cold bite her cheeks and listening to the rush of the river just below the lodge. She breathed in the smell of smoke and outdoors and instantly felt more relaxed. Apart from the muffled laughter that came from within the lodge, the night was silent and she huddled deeper inside her jacket and opened her eyes, letting her vision adjust to the semi-darkness.

      She walked a short distance, sat down on a boulder and hugged her knees, enjoying the night sounds.

      ‘That trekker of yours is going to give you a problem. You need to watch him.’

      The deep, masculine voice came from right next to her and she gave a soft gasp, wondering how she could have not noticed the powerful figure leaning against the tree.

      It was Finn McEwan.

      He was obviously escaping the crowds, too.

      She stared into his strong, handsome face and felt her heart beat faster. Frustration at her own unexpected reaction to him made her more irritable than usual. ‘Thanks for your concern but I don’t need your advice on how to handle arrogant men,’ she said, resisting the temptation to scramble to her feet and take refuge inside the lodge. She’d wanted some air and she was going to stay put. No one was going to drive her away. ‘Simon will be fine once he recognises the effects of altitude.’

      There was a long pause. ‘I wasn’t referring to his fitness levels, although you and I both know those muscles aren’t going to help him much up here.’ Finn’s tone was even. ‘I was referring to the way he was looking at you. And if you didn’t notice then you’re not the woman I think you are. A woman who thinks she’s smart enough to get herself up Everest should be smart enough to sense a problem when it’s staring her in the face, and that guy is trouble.’

      Juliet felt a flicker of unease. She wanted to argue with him but she couldn’t because she knew he was right. Simon was trouble. ‘I can handle it,’ she said calmly, stuffing her hands deep in her pockets to keep them warm. ‘I was brought up dealing with trouble. You don’t need to worry about me.’

      She certainly didn’t want him worrying about her.

      She wished he’d go inside and leave her to enjoy the cold night alone but he didn’t shift, his broad shoulders planted against the tree, his eyes watchful. She was aware of the hard planes of his handsome face, the steady rhythm of his breathing as his breath clouded the freezing air. Together they shared the darkness and it felt as though they were the only two people in this corner of the world.

      The forced intimacy unsettled her, especially as he seemed reluctant to drop the subject.

      ‘Take my advice,’ he drawled softly. ‘Keep Neil close by at all times.’

      She gave a little shiver and her own sense of unease escalated. ‘I don’t need a bodyguard to keep an over-persistent man at a distance. You don’t need to worry about me.’

      There was a long silence while he watched her and then he stirred, obviously intending to respond. ‘Dr Adams—’

      ‘No!’ Juliet lifted a hand and interrupted him hastily, before he could say what she suspected he was going to say. ‘I know that some men are very protective towards women but I don’t need your protection—and I don’t want it. I’m fine on my own. I’m used to being on my own.’

      ‘Calm down.’ Finn’s tone was level. Neutral. ‘I’m just looking out for a colleague.’

      Juliet stared at him for a long moment and felt something stir inside her. Felt something she definitely didn’t want to feel. ‘I’m not in trouble, Dr McEwan, and I’m not your colleague. We’re two strangers who just happen to have our sights set on the same mountain. That doesn’t make us colleagues.’

      It was a warning.

      Don’t come any closer.

      His gaze didn’t shift from her face. ‘Up on that mountain, we’re all part of the same team, you know that as well as I do. The fortunes of one person are inextricably linked with all the others,’ he drawled softly, strolling across to her and pausing only inches away from where she was seated. ‘Which brings me to my next question. What are you doing here, Dr Adams? What the hell are you doing here?’

      Her heart beat faster. ‘Why shouldn’t I be here?’ Juliet rose to her feet, flustered and boiling with frustration, and then wished she’d remained seated because standing merely brought her closer to

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