Page 28 of Love Beyond Words
That was true. Perhaps, I could get away with pretending nothing happened.
“You think?”
“Just go talk to him and say nothing to him about your sleep-induced fondling. Do you mean to apologize to him?”
An apology had never crossed my mind. I was embarrassed and felt guilty for what I’d done to him in my sleep, but I wasn’t sorry. Accident or not, my reaction had been perfectly reasonable. What woman wouldn’t have reacted in much the same way?
“No. I’m not going to apologize for kicking a man that crawled into bed with me while I was sleeping. I just need to talk to him. We both do, really, but I think it best if I visit with him alone first. I’m going to tell him what Morna told us to. And then we’ll just,” I shrugged, “see how he responds.”
* * *
It was midday before the string of men stopped entering and exiting Raudrich’s room on an endless rotation. Each of the men seemed anxious to visit with their friend who had been away for so long. I was also sure they all wanted to know exactly what happened last night. It was fine with me if they visited with him all day. I wasn’t really looking forward to the awkward conversation.
After more than an hour of creepily hanging out in the hallway outside of his room, I finally worked up the nerve to knock. His response was immediate.
“Come in.”
His voice sounded weary, and for a moment, I wondered if perhaps I should wait until another day to speak with him. He had to be exhausted, and there was no question that he was in pain.
Hesitantly, I stepped inside and said nothing for a few seconds as I looked him over. Even with his swollen nose and face, I could see that he was handsome. He sat propped up on the bed, with fabric wrapped tightly around his chest to help stabilize his ribs.
“Hi.” I gave him a little wave, but stayed standing in the doorway. “I know you’ve had visitors all morning. I can come back later, or even tomorrow, if you’d rather.”
He shook his head and waved me toward him.
“Nonsense, lass. I’ve been waiting for ye all morning. Do ye mind coming a little closer so I might tell ye how sorry I am, and so that I can properly see ye. Ye look like little more than a ghost from there.”
I cocked my head to the side in confusion. The distance between us wasn’t far at all. It couldn’t be more than ten feet. Had Marcus truly hit him so hard, or was the man’s vision naturally weak?
“Of course. It…it’s not the injury that is making it difficult for you to see, is it?”
A chair sat right next to his bed, left there by the last man to visit with him. Following his gesture toward it, I took my seat next to him.
“No, though my nose is swollen enough that I do see more of it than anything else at the moment. I’ve been nearly blind for many weeks now. ’Tis healing though, now that I’m home.”
That made absolutely no sense to me. I’d never heard of someone’s vision improving based on location, but I said nothing of it. There were lots of things about the last few days that defied reasonable logic.
I decided it was best to start off with a proper introduction. I extended my hand.
“I’m Laurel.”
He took it, and as he gripped my hand, I couldn’t help but remember the way that same hand had felt cupped around my breast. My cheeks warmed at the thought, and I was certain my cheeks blushed. Thankfully, by the way he was squinting at me, I didn’t think he could see it.
“I’m Raudrich.” Releasing my hand, he began to apologize as I relaxed into the seat.
“Lass, I canna begin to tell ye how sorry I am for frightening ye last night. I promise ye, had I known that a lass was in my bed, I wouldna have entered it uninvited. As I told ye before, my vision is poor and at night, I canna see a thing. I did hear someone inside when I entered, but I truly thought it was Paton. I’ve been away from here for sometime. I thought perhaps he had decided to make himself at home in my chambers while I was away. If ye knew what his own room looks like, ye would understand why. In hindsight, I know that I should’ve awakened him to check, but we doona ever have lassies here. ’Tis a shock to me that Harry allowed ye entry. Ye must have charmed him more than ye know. I never dreamed that the person in my bed was someone I dinna know. I am sorry, lass.”
His tone was remorseful, and I knew looking into his eyes that he meant every word. If I hadn’t already been convinced of his innocence, his speech would’ve done the job.
“I know. There’s no reason for you to be sorry.”
He started to interrupt me, but as he leaned forward, the muscles across his chest tightened and he groaned at the sharp pain that ran through him. Taking in a pained breath, he leaned back into the pillows before speaking.
“There is much reason for me to be sorry. ’Tis bad enough that I entered the bed as ye slept. ’Tis another wrong entirely that I pulled ye against me. I swear to ye, I did so unconsciously in my sleep.”
My breath caught uncomfortably. He did remember, then. Asleep or not, he was aware of the way we’d touched. In an uncomfortable panic, I set out to make him think otherwise.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You didn’t pull me against you.”
