Page 32 of Saved By the Highland Beast
She searched his face, puzzled by the strange way that he was acting. “I am going to walk to the end of the grounds. Would you like to join me?” she offered sweetly in the hopes that he would share with her whatever was bothering him if they walked for a while. It seemed as if there was something he needed to get off his chest.
Dean perked up slightly at her offer. “Aye, I would like that.” He turned to face the direction she was going and waited for her to start walking before matching her strides.
They walked side by side in silence for a moment or two as the snow began to fall a little harder. The atmosphere was tense as Sophia stole glances at his handsome face. He seemed to be deep in thought as he brooded over whatever problem he was having.
“Is there something on your mind?” she finally asked, unable to withstand his distant behavior anymore.
He glanced at her face before looking ahead again. “Ye’ve been here for a while now,” he noted.
Sophia’s heart sank slightly as she imagined what he was about to say. The arrangement had only been for her to stay a few weeks until she found her feet. It was entirely possible and reasonable for him to say that her work with Cillian was done and that she should be returning home soon. She suddenly realized at that moment that as much as she missed her mother, she would miss the castle, Cillian, and Dean even more. A fact that shocked and stunned her slightly.
“I have,” she said when he didn’t say anything again. “I have been here for a few weeks already. I’ve really grown attached to Cillian.” She quickly stole a glance at his face again to gauge his reaction.
Dean kept a stony expression on his face. “An’ others at the castle?” He looked slightly panicked as she shot him a quizzical look. “I just mean that I hope ye are fittin’ in with everyone in the castle, an’ nae just Cillian. I would hate to think that the rest of us were bein’ inhospitable.”
Her lips broke into a smile. It was always touching to see how much he cared about her well-being. He seemed gruff and irritable on the surface, but he was a truly caring man deep down.
“I have made a lot of friends here that I will truly miss when the time comes for me to move on,” she said, testing the waters to see how he felt.
“Like Anthony an’ Hamish?” He seemed like a small child that was trying to gather information but didn’t quite know how to be secretive about it.
“They do make me laugh,” she admitted. “Their friendship is something to behold. I hope you don’t mind that they use my first name?” She swung her arms at her sides to ward off the cold. “I just felt like it would bring us all closer to helping Cillian if we were on a first-name basis with each other. I can ask them to call me Miss Harrison again if you like.” She searched his face from the corner of her eye.
“Nae,” Dean said with a slight smile on his lips. “I ken that ye put Cillian first in everythin’ ye do.” He hesitated and coughed into his hand before continuing. “Ye can also call me Dean… only if ye wanted to.”
Sophia felt her heart fluttering as the pit of her stomach did a strange kind of flip. “I would like that.” She bit her lower lip in an attempt to hide the quiver in her voice. She wasn’t sure what had suddenly come over her, but she felt so giddy. “I’m not sure that Amalthea would like that very much,” she teased.
“Amalthea isnae the laird of the castle.” He laughed in a manner that tugged at her heart.
I think somebody should tell her that.
But Sophia decided to keep her opinions to herself. The laird seemed to be oblivious to Amalthea’s two-faced nature, and the last thing Sophia wanted was to cause any family strife. “Very well. Then you may call me Sophia.” She hesitated in the same way that he had. “Only if you wish to, of course.”
“I would like that very much, Sophia,” he said with a bright smile.
She rehearsed his name a few times in her mind but decided to say it when it seemed more natural. “I hope you are pleased with the progress that Cillian has made,” she began as a way of breaking the tension again. Her nerves were all a flutter at being so close to the laird for some reason or the other. She felt her giddiness growing the farther they walked from the castle. Being alone in his presence definitely affected her in a way that she couldn’t understand.
“I think he’s makin’…” Dean began but stopped and placed his arm in front of her to stop her from stepping into a hole. “Watch out.”
Sophia looked down but couldn’t bring her foot up quickly enough to avoid toppling forward. She gasped in shock but quickly felt the laird’s arms going around her and holding her up as she twisted and stared into his eyes. One of her hands had gripped his shoulder while the other was grasping his waist.
“Are ye hurt?” His eyes searched her face.
“No,” she breathed as her heart began to beat even faster. The intensity with which he looked at her made her take a deep breath. His dark eyes were always filled with emotions, whether it was anger, irritation, or whatever emotion he had felt right before he had kissed her. “Thank you, Dean.” She breathed his name as if it were a secret that only she could whisper.
“Yer welcome, Sophia.” His breath billowed out in small clouds around her face.
Sophia felt her eyes widen at the way he said her name as he pulled her up until she was standing in front of him. She could almost see her own reflection in his eyes as she stared at him. Their bodies were closer than they had been just minutes before. She suddenly remembered that one of her hands was resting on his shoulder and the other was gripping the side of his coat. “I’m sorry,” she said and quickly let go.
Dean kept his arms around her, not making any attempts to move.
“Dean,” she whispered his name again.
“Aye?” His voice was deep and thick. He brought his face closer to hers until their lips were inches apart.
“Do you hear that?”
“What?” He frowned as his eyes darted over her face.
