Page 49 of Bound to a Scot
His stomach churning, Maddox watched the light beneath the door darken as somebody stopped on the other side of it. He crouched down, trying to make himself as small as possible. Though the light in her chamber was weak, Maddox glanced at Emmeline who turned to the door and seeing what he saw,paled. Her body tensed and moving quietly, plucked a dagger off the small table beside her. She gripped it tight, ready to fight.
The shadow lingered on the other side of the door and with every passing second, Maddox grew more certain it was Laith. What he didn’t know was whether Macfie’s man had seen him. He doubted it. He had gotten into Emmeline’s chamber and closed the door before he’d entered the corridor, but there was a small part of him that remained uncertain. A small voice in the back of his mind whispered to open the door and kill the man on the other side to eliminate any chance of it getting back to Macfie. He thought it might be the only way to protect not just himself, but Emmeline as well.
Before he could act it though, the shadow moved on. The sound of bootsteps receded and it wasn’t long before the corridor beyond her door was silent once more. Maddox let out a breath of relief, but Emmeline rounded on him, her face darkened and twisted with anger.
“What in the bleedin’ hell are ye doin’ in me bedchamber?” she hissed.
Maddox stared at her for a moment and shook his head, not sure what to say. His throat was dry, and his head was spinning as he searched for an answer but came up empty. She closed the distance between them, still holding the dagger and for a moment, Maddox thought she was going to stick him with it. He straightened up and took her by the wrist, gently turning the point of the blade away from his chest.
Emmeline blinked and looked down at the dagger in her hand, a confused expression on her face as if she didn’t realize she was still holding it. She let go of the blade and it hit the furs on the stone floor with a muffled thud. Emmeline turned her face up to him, a soft gasp drawn from her lips as her gaze met his.
“Maddox,” she said, her voice quiet. “Ye cannae be here.”
“I ken.”
“Ye need tae go.”
“I ken.”
He knew she was right. He shouldn’t be in her bedchamber and should turn around and walk out. But his body would not obey. He remained where he was, his fingers curled gently around her wrist. They stood so close, he could feel the heat wafting from her body so warm, it was like she was filled with fire. He felt his heart thumping hard against his ribs so hard, he thought they might crack. The warmth in his belly spread throughout his body and Maddox felt his arousal growing.
He licked his lips and tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he gazed into her eyes that sparkled and invited him to get lost in their depths.
“Why will ye nae go,” she whispered.
“I need tae say somethin’ tae ye.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Emmeline swallowed hard, desperately trying to work some moisture into her mouth and throat, which had gone bone dry. Her gaze fell to Maddox’s hand on her wrist and felt her heart stutter drunkenly. The warmth of his fingers encircling her wrist radiated through her body, making her feel as if she had been set ablaze. Her skin tingled and her stomach churned. She wanted to tell him to take his hand off her but at the same time, she never wanted him to let go.
As if sensing her discomfort, Maddox let go of her wrist but remained standing so close to her, she could hear his heart pounding in his chest. She felt trapped by him. She wanted to move, to put some distance between them, but she felt rooted to her spot. She felt unable to move. It was as if her body was no longer under her control. Or as if she’d been bewitched. As if Maddox had cast some spell on her, keeping her from moving.
“Wh—what are ye doin’, Maddox? What did ye want tae say?” she finally managed to squeak.
“I—I…”
His voice was strained and trailed off, his face etched with uncertainty. She had never seen a moment of doubt in the man before but as he looked into her eyes, it was all she could see. More than that, she saw a sliver of fear flash through him.
“Maddox, what are we doin’ here?” she asked.
“I just… I wanted tae talk tae ye.”
“About what?”
“About us,” he replied, his voice soft and low.
She shook her head. “There is nay us.”
“But there is,” he replied. “I ken ye can feel it.”
She managed to tear her gaze from him and lowered it to the floor. As much as she wanted to tell him he was wrong and that she felt nothing, she knew it would be a lie. She felt a lot. Too much. She felt it every single day. She felt it whenever she saw him, even from afar. And she felt it especially keenly when she saw him with Cecilia, whom Burchard had ordered to spend more time with him.
Emmeline knew her feelings were wrong. They had no place. As miserable as she was, Emmeline was a married woman. AndMaddox was soon to be a married man. She knew her feelings were selfish. They were the childish longing of a girl who wanted more than she had been given. The yearning of a girl who craved the sort of love she saw in Maddox’s eyes whenever he looked at her.
But she knew she had to set those feelings aside. She could not do that to Cecilia. More than that, she would not do that to herself. She had to be strong. Stronger than she’d ever been in her life. And she had to draw a line in the sand that neither of them could cross. If he couldn’t, or wouldn’t do it, she was going to have to do it for them.
“What I feel or dinnae feel daesnae matter,” she replied. “Nor daes what ye think ye feel.”
