“Ye’re tellin’ me ye wouldnae notice that I wasnae around?” he asked. “I see ye in the corridors almost every day. And I ken ye see me. Would ye nae wonder where I went?”
“Nay,” she said, slowly returning her attention to him. “I dinnae even realize ye were seein’ me durin’ the day.”
“Ach, that must be because ye’re always lookin’ away from me with yer cheeks turin’ pink,” he teased, enjoying the little huff of surprise that earned him.
“Ye assume that me mind is on anythin’ but what I’m doin’,” she argued, but she was flustered, obviously so. “Perhaps ye just happened to be in me line of vision.”
“Is that so?” he asked, setting aside the ledger and moving in close enough that he could feel the heat rolling off of her. “Ye really havenae noticed me? I’m sure that I’ve run into ye on yer adventures at least three times.”
Her chin jutted out, and she swallowed hard. Even as her breathing became more shallow, she stood her ground. “It sounds as if ye are much more occupied with me than ye let on.”
Ach, she doesnae have any clue.
“It took ye this long to figure that out, Amelia?” he asked.
Her name from his lips had the desired effect. She shuddered, her entire body swaying in even closer. When his hand came to rest on her waist, she stiffened, then slowly relaxed into the contact.
“I suppose I may have kent,” she whispered, her eyes half-lidded. Barely above a breath, she said, “Seems ye cannae leave me be even in me own mind.”
His hand tightened on her hip unconsciously, both holding her close and keeping her at bay. “And ye willnae let me focus on anythin’. I’d say that fair is fair, aye?”
“I…”
She swallowed hard, and Darragh felt the thin thread of his restraint snap. He pulled her forward, pressing her hips against his quickly hardening arousal. A tiny gasp echoed between them. Her gaze shot down to his lips. Before he could kiss her breathless, there was a sharp knock at his door.
“Me Laird.” It was Ewan. His knuckles rapped against the wood once more. “I’ve prepared the guards for yer absence. Are ye nearly ready to depart?”
Darragh growled, stepping back from Amelia but not yet releasing her. “Aye,” he barked. “I will meet ye in the courtyard shortly.”
“Aye,” Ewan replied before marching away, purpose in each footfall.
When he looked back at Amelia, the want was gone, replaced with the deep discomfort he’d seen when they’d begun this conversation. He dropped his hand after giving her hip one final squeeze. She was the first to step away when she was released.
“I’ve an appointment to keep,” she said without looking at him, her voice breaking. She cleared her throat, finally looking at him again. Mostly, she’d recovered, though there was still a hint of a blush riding on the bridge of her nose. “I appreciate ye informin’ me.”
She turned then, going to the door without waiting for his response. He admired the confidence with which she moved and found it admirable that she had been able to cobble herself back together so quickly. Now that he was much more aware of what was going on just below the surface, he was even more impressed with her control.
I ken exactly the kind of struggle ye’re facin’ this time, Amelia.
Chapter Sixteen
As Amelia shuffled through the courtyard nearly a week later, it dawned on her that Darragh’s presence had been a physical thing, even when he wasn’t within her line of sight. Now that he wasn’t here, she felt more restless than usual.
The gates creaked open, and she spun toward them. Immediately, she was embarrassed by her behavior. She wasn’twaitingfor him, certainly not.
Anyone would jump if those gates opened unexpectedly. The fact thathemay ride through doesnae play a single part in it.
Even as she thought that, turning around and walking back into the castle before she could embarrass herself further, she knew it wasn’t quite true. Yesterday evening, she’d climbed the stairs to the battlements just to see if he was riding in the northern fields.
“Miss Amelia,” the cook, Nigell, said as she entered the foyer. He smiled at her over the armful of sugar sacks in his arms. “I was hopin’ to run into ye. Ye’re still interested in learnin’ how we make the desserts, aye?”
“Aye,” she agreed, a genuine smile creeping onto her lips. “I was actually already on me way to the kitchens. I was goin’ to see if I could lend a hand.”
“Ye ken ye’re always welcome in me kitchen,” Nigell said, indicating with a nod of his head that she was to follow him. “I find it difficult to believe that ye never cooked before. It seems ye have a natural talent for it.”
She preened under the praise, grinning. “I suppose that it just makes sense to me. And I like doin’ things with me hands.”
“I’m goin’ to have ye usin’ yer hands and yer brain with this,” he said as he dropped the sugar onto his workstation. “Desserts require ye to do more than just dump ingredients into a bowl.”
