Page 54 of Wedded to the Twisted Highlander
The Laird smirked as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. “He’s managin’, thanks to ye. What ye did for him, it was… I cannae tell ye how many healers have come through and never showed him the ounce of kindness ye did today,” he said.
And there he was once again, no longer the Laird, but the vulnerable boy she wanted to hold and soothe.
“I was only doin’ what I thought was the right thing. I’m glad it worked, but ye must understand that it may nae work like that again. The next time he has another episode… well, it might go the other way,” Astrid warned.
She found herself gravitating toward him. It was as if he were the center of her world and she wanted to be near the source of all her joy.
“Ye’ve seen this before then?” the Laird asked as he mirrored her steps.
Astrid’s heart raced as she tried to concentrate on his question. But it was hard, with half his chest exposed in the moonlight.
“A time or two,” she answered. “Tell me, how many times has he slipped into the past like that?”
The Laird’s eyes widened, realization dawning on him like a weight he’d carry for the rest of his life. “Ye ken, nay one has ever put it like that. He does go back there, does he nae? As if he’s relivin’ everything…”
“Aye,” Astrid answered. “Some of the great men do that. They’ll try to relive some of their failures, and I’ve seen some try to relive their victories. It doesnae matter which side won—the end is always the same. But how often?”
The Laird blinked as if remembering she was there before answering. “Too many. We lost a servant a few years back. Faither forgot what was goin’ on. It seems there was a great battle in the castle, and me maither was nearly kidnapped if it werenae for me faither steppin’ up to save her. He was relivin’ that day, and a servant was in the wrong hallway… Had we kenned back then what we ken now, we could have…”
Astrid’s heart went out to him. He did not deserve to carry that burden. She reached out instinctively, and her fingers brushed against his arm. The warmth of his skin stirred a tenderness within her.
“I’m so sorry. I cannae even imagine what it must have been like for ye,” she murmured, realizing how deeply she wished to comfort him.
It dawned on her that perhaps the reason for his stoic demeanor was due to the weight of his upbringing and the expectations that pressed upon him like the heavy fog that lingered over the moors of the Highlands.
The Laird curled his fingers around her hand and carefully lifted it, studying it with the scrutiny of a painter examining a masterpiece.
Her heart skipped a beat. She was entranced by the way he regarded her, as if she were a rare masterpiece he had been seeking for so long. She held her breath as she watched him lift her wrist to his lips.
He paused. Whether to allow her to feel his hot breath on her skin or to draw her attention to his captivating gaze, she wasn’t sure. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he planted the softest kiss on her skin.
Her heart raced wildly, fluttering like a trapped bird within her chest. Butterflies danced in her stomach, and yet she found herself reveling in the moment rather than retreating. The feel of his lips on her wrist sent ripples of warmth through her that only seemed to ignite a fire deep within her.
“Tell me,” he whispered. “Was it me faither’s failin’ health that brought ye out to the balcony so late?” he asked, his voice low and intimate.
“Nay,” she answered, the word escaping her lips like a vow.
His gaze darkened, drawing her in. She wondered what secrets he could pry out of her sealed lips. Could he read her thoughts?
“Nay, it’s ye,” she admitted, her eyes widening as the truth spilled forth. “Ye’re the cause of me troubles.”
A crooked grin spread across his face, playful and disarming.
“Does me dismay please ye?” she teased, a hint of mischief flickering in her eyes as he gave her a once-over.
“Nae in the slightest,” he replied. “Butyemust revel in me dismay, for ye’ve caused a fog to hang above me—a fog that ye seem unable to clear.”
Astrid’s heart flipped as she absorbed his words. She didn’t know if he was teasing her or being sincere. Still, there was no stopping the heat that flooded through her.
The fact that she was able to stand alone with him, out in the open, so exposed… There were no feelings of weakness or a sense of danger. No. She was content to stand before him even though she was wearing nothing but her shift and a robe.
“I offered to go,” she reminded him as she inched closer until she could feel the heat radiating from his body. “Do ye wish for me to leave now? I can go… if that is what ye want.”
“I’d rather ye nae say such things,” the Laird whispered as the moon cast a silver sheen over his rugged features.
Astrid stood before him, her heart racing as his gaze ensnared her.
“I thought a dream had pulled me out here, and yet it was nay phantom I found, but ye,” he breathed.
