“Is that truly all?” she asked.
Surely he wouldn’t have come all this way just to see if she had enjoyed the evening. He could have waited till the morning meal.
He looked around her room until he spotted her desk, and she realized vaguely that she had forgotten to replace the list in the bottom drawer.
“May I?” he asked.
She should stop him, but she wanted him to see it. She was grateful she had added a few more items to the list in the morning, so he wouldn’t know that they had almost completed it.
She nodded, and he moved, picking up the paper. She waited with bated breath as he scanned the list, and when he neared the middle, his eyes narrowed.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he answered, placing it down.
The frown still hadn’t left his face, and she wondered if he was upset because they weren’t done yet.
“Has something on the list upset you?” she asked.
“Nay,” he answered.
“I find that hard to believe when you’re frowning as hard as you are right now,” she scoffed, crossing her arms. “Are you perhaps upset we aren’t finished yet?”
“Nay,” he uttered.
The stoic look she usually found endearing annoyed her this evening for a reason she couldn’t name. He wasn’t being as honest as he usually was, and it infuriated her.
“Then why have you come to my chambers so late?” she pressed, exasperated. “You certainly didn’t just come to see if I was settled. If that was the case, then you can leave now. I was having a pleasant evening until you decided to play these games with me.”
She usually wasn’t this brash with him, but she had thought he had perhaps felt the change she had in their interactions earlier. Alas, it seemed she had been deluding herself.
Shame made her eyes sting with tears she refused to shed in front of him. She turned away from him.
“You can leave now, my Laird. I want to get some rest and?—”
“Ye’re the source of me frustration!” he snapped, and she stumbled back.
“I beg your pardon?” she sputtered. “What have I done?”
“Tell me, Violet. When ye crossedDance with someone handsomeoff yer list, were ye thinking of Callum?” he asked, stepping closer. “Or were ye thinking of me?”
Violet found herself unable to speak because of the way her breath hitched in her throat.
Was that what had made him so angry with her?
She hadn’t thought he would be so offended by her dancing with Callum. Had it truly bothered him to see her in another man’s arms?
She was tempted to annoy him by saying she had been thinking of Callum, but the fact that he had asked told her it was a delicate subject for him, and if she were to joke when he was feeling vulnerable, she might break something in their relationship.
But if she were to be honest, she would be admitting she had feelings for him, and that would be an even graver admission than her mere attempt at teasing him.
It would changeeverything.
“Is that really important?” She laughed softly in a bid to lighten the mood. “I thought you would be glad my list is nearly complete.”
He stepped closer, eyes flashing.
“Answer me, Violet.” His voice was firm yet silky as sin.
