‘Wow,’ is all I can manage when we eventually pull apart breathlessly. ‘Forget putting forest air in our workplaces. We’d all be randy as—’

Matt erupts with laughter. ‘There was me thinking it was me that had that effect on you.’

‘It was. But there’s no doubt our surroundings made it that bit more enjoyable.’

He steps forward and pulls me in again, this time planting three solid but sensual kisses on my lips before taking my hand and intertwining his fingers between mine.

‘Now we’ve got that bit out of the way… shall we?’ he asks.

‘Absolutely.’

We head off along the trail, lost in each other as we engage in affectionate banter, stealing kisses and keeping our bodies as close as possible. The invisible boundaries between us are now well and truly lowered, and all thoughts of Dom’s proposition are banished from my mind.

As we walk, I’m relieved to find it’s fairly easy terrain, with a gentle downward slope. However, not long into our walk, the realisation dawns that what goes down must come up as I spot a less forgiving upward incline emerging ahead of us.

‘Do you have family in Glasgow?’ Matt asks me.

‘Yes, just my mother and sister. My dad passed away a while back.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’

‘It’s fine.’ I shrug, trying to ignore the fact that we’re now starting to climb. ‘I still really miss him, but I’m used to it now. My parents were divorced and he had moved down south, so I didn’t see him that much any more anyway. It was like I was being prepared for losing him altogether.’

‘That’s rough. Your mum and sister must miss you now there’s a similar geographical split between you.’

I’m ready to gloss over the messed-up relationship I have with them, but there’s something about Matt that makes me want to open up to him. He’s such a good listener.

‘I actually haven’t spoken to either of them since I moved away. They didn’t agree with me leaving.’

‘Gosh. Sorry to hear that. Why were they so against it?’

Shit. I haven’t thought this through. As much as I’m happy to open up around most things, I’m most definitely not ready to tell him about my medical situation. My breathing starts to strain and I realise it’s not just because I want to avoid the truth. My body – as if cruelly forcing me to share my deepest, darkest secret – is going into full protest. My muscles burn in response to the invisible force that seems to be pushing against me, and we’re only halfway up the incline at best.

‘I, err… they’re both just…’

‘You don’t need to tell me if it’s too difficult.’

‘No, it’s not… that. They’re…’

Matt stops and places a gentle hand on my shoulder to halt me. ‘Hey, are you OK? You’re struggling, and you’re sweating.’

‘Not a good look, then?’ I attempt a joke to avoid the scrutiny.

‘You’re still gorgeous. Obviously. But I’m concerned. It’s not your knee, is it? I forgot you’d had a running injury.’