Page 34 of At the Mercy of Midnight
“What?” she asked stupidly.
Silas raised a brow and moved the offering closer to her. Amelia reached out and took it from him uncertainly.
“Being from the north, I figure you aren’t used to the concept of layering to keep warm,” Silas explained and nodded towards the grey material. “It’s light but quite warm once it holds your body heat. Put it on under your jacket and you should manage better.”
He walked back to his horse while she held it, the material soft and warm against her fingers.
Amelia squinted over to Silas, his side to her as he dug around in his saddlebag. Sceptical of the kindness, she scrutinised him in a way she never would have before. A piece of his blonde hair fell to the centre of his forehead, and he reached up to nudge it away, only for it to fall right back and brush against his eyelashes. His hands re-buckled the strap of his saddlebag, and she watched the way his long fingers moved deftly to tighten the strap with ease.
Something clenched in her stomach, her lips parting with an unsteady inhale as she realised what she was doing.
Was she…admiringhim?
Silas turned his head, catching her stare.
Amelia turned away quickly, his jumper held to her chest.
What is wrong with you?
She could only blame the bond.
Amelia didn’t have a lot of time or patience in her life to bother dealing with things like men or meeting someone she could be interested in. As a twenty-seven-year-old woman, she knew this was an oddity that set her apart. She mostly enjoyed little company but her own and trusted so few except her own mind.
Standing there, experiencing the strange surge of attraction towards this man, tickled a spot in her brain that sought some kind of human contact. It was a part of her, sodormant and ignored that batted against a cage of loneliness Amelia had long ago come to accept.
Did she sometimes yearn for someone who might bring her a rush of excitement? Who might cause a building sense of tension inside her that she couldn’t wait to find a release for?
Sure.
That’s why, on the very rare occasion, Amelia had found someone to take back home for one night to let out that overwhelming feeling of lust that one can experience. It didn’t happen to her often, her brain so focused on what she wanted to achieve in her career. But she was still human. Still a woman who longed to be touched, to be desired.
But Silas?
Thatwas not normal for her.
She shrugged off her jacket, shivering all the while, and pulled on the grey jumper. Jacket back on, she could already feel the extra layer of warmth that it offered, even if it was several sizes too big and the hem fell past her backside.
Amelia kept her back to Silas, embarrassed by her scrutiny of him, something which she had never done in all the years they had known each other.
She reached out to give Tempest a caress across her mane.
Then the scent hit her. Amelia’s hand stilled, the smell from his jumper hitting her nose with the force of a punch to the stomach.
It smelled…good.
There was the sharp bite of leather with a faint trace of parchment, speaking of the long hours he spent riding or researching. Then there was the deeper, warmer scent of him, something that seemed uniquely Silas, familiar yet infuriatingly distracting.
Amelia didn’t even know how she could possibly recognise his scent, but then flashes of being pressed up against him over the past few days entered her mind and she sighed with concern. She did her jacket up until the last button was fastened, right underneath her chin, hoping to keep the scent encased away. Amelia didn’t need this ridiculous bond to distract her in such a way.
Because it was the bond. Making the sight and scent of him suddenly compelling, right?
Right.
She heard the crinkle of a wrapper and turned, seeing Silas moving about Ember to check each strap, giving his horse a few pats as he went. A granola bar was in his other hand while he chewed distractedly.
Amelia cleared her throat. “Okay, I’m ready to go.”
Silas gave Ember a final pat to her backside and looked over at her. “Are you going to eat something?”
