Page 5 of Scotch & Dreams

“God, some lassies have all the luck,” she muttered.

Lachlan smirked to himself, pressing the button for the elevator.

“Gor,” she groaned. “I should take a picture of that arse. Claire will be sorry she missed it.”

He scrunched his eyes closed, wishing he hadn’t heard that part. Clearly, the woman didn’t realize how her voice carried in the hollow walls of the hospital. Lachlan was about to go find the stairs when the elevator doors, thankfully, opened, and he was able to make his escape before his arse ended up on the woman’s phone.

Ward eight was the neurology department, and a wave of trepidation rolled over Lachlan. He stood outside Violet’s hospital room door. His hands were suddenly sweaty. He feared the worst. What if the lass had a brain injury? He swallowed, trying to steady himself. If it was bad, wouldn’t she be in the ICU? He tried to think logically. Running a hand through his wavy quiff of short hair, he exhaled deeply and settled into his usual calm demeanour before gently knocking on her door.

Violet had been so busy recalling the events before her fall that she hadn’t gotten to what happened after. The memories of after quickly crashed through her mind. This was the man who’d helped her, her knight in shining armour.

She hadn’t realized he was so tall, and he was looking at her now with a slight tip of a smile that made her heart skip a beat. For a moment, she closed her eyes as she recalled how badly she had wanted to kiss him last night. She flushed at the memory. Violet, with a clearer mind than last night, opened her eyes, taking in her rescuer with fresh eyes. Well, she hadn’t been wrong. He was extremely handsome, in a sort of quiet book smart-looking way.

He was tall and clean-cut, lean, but clearly muscular under his crisp white dress shirt. The sleeves of his neatly tucked shirt were rolled up casually, revealing a sleek black titanium watch on his solid wrist. An expensive looking leather belt wrapped around the trim waist of his dark slim-line pants, and the ensemble was finished with a pair of stylish cognac brown leather lace-up shoes. This man was seriously put together. Sexy and maybe a little bit nerdy like in a Clark Kent sorta way.

“My rescuer.” She gave him a friendly grin.

He chuckled. “Aye, I suppose so. I hope it’s all right that I’ve come by to see ye.”

Violet nodded. "Of course.”

“Yer lookin’ a lot brighter than when I last saw ye. How are ye feelin’ this morning?”

He held a bouquet of flowers in his hand. She wondered if they were meant for her. “I’m feeling so much better.” She sighed, realizing how relieved she was. “I can’t thank you enough for helping me. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t been there.” As she thought back to the fall, she realized she couldn't piece together everything that had happened. "Did you see me fall? There are parts that still feel fuzzy," she said, trying hard to will the memories to come back to her.

"Aye, I did." He looked as if he were contemplating on whether or not to say more.

"It looked bad," she stated, trying to read his features that had turned serious.

He nodded.

"I remember walking along the pier just soaking in the beauty of it all, and then I remember my foot caught. And there was nothing I could do to stop from falling, but then it's a blank until I was sitting on the grass with you."

He looked reluctant to speak about it, but she was grateful when he did.

"I got to ye as fast as I could, and by the time I did, ye were trying to stand and walk. But I could tell ye werenae steady, and the next thing I ken, ye passed out on me.”

"Sorry about that," Violet interjected, liking that she'd gotten a smile out of him.

"I had to carry ye to the grass. I called for the ambulance, and thankfully, that's when ye came to again."

Violet was surprised that he'd actually carried her. God, he really was her knight in shining armour. She knew it was ridiculous, but she wished she knew with all her might what it had been like to be carried in those strong arms. There was no doubt she'd stew on that little tidbit for a long time to come—thanks, smut books.

“I wish I could huv done more," he said as if he hadn't been an absolute hero.

Violet eyed this stranger who stood before her and wondered what else he could have possibly done. He'd come to her rescue without hesitation. What would have happened if she'd awoken alone? The thought made her shudder.

“You were amazing. I think a lot of people would have turned a blind eye.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “You sat with me and comforted me. I'll never forget that.” Her voice quivered slightly, recalling how connected she’d felt with him. She remembered how tender he'd been with her, as if she wasn't a total stranger but someone special to him. Logically, she knew it was ridiculous to think his kindness was anything more than him being a decent human being, but for her, it had felt like so much more. He shifted, and the rustle of the flowers he held brought her back to the present. His expression had turned sheepish, and the effect charmed her.

“Ach, lass. I’m just glad I was there.” He looked down at the flowers in his hand as if only just remembering he had them. “I brought these for ye,” he said, stepping toward her.

And she found her eyes more drawn to the way his dress shirt tightened around the curve of his thick bicep than the bouquet he held out to her.

“Oh, that’s so sweet. Thank you.” Violet willed herself not to ogle the man and brought the pretty bouquet of white freesias and pale peach and pink tulips to her nose, breathing in their fresh spring scent. "They are beautiful." She eyed him over the bouquet. Her knight in shining armour was a pretty decent guy.

Gesturing a hand toward the hospital green vinyl chair in the corner of the room, he asked, “May I?”

Polite too, Violet thought as she nodded, feeling glad that he didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. Her knight pulled the chair closer to the bedside where she sat perched, and he leaned toward her, sexy veiny forearms resting on his dark pants. Then his eyes seemed to lock onto hers and hold them like how a couple holds hands, intertwined, firm, and intimate. Butterflies erupted in her empty stomach.

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