Page 51 of The Thief
He was just a man not a saint.
Although, even a saint could be tempted by Scarlett in this state of dress.
He hadn’t even been able to eat his pie yet.
That might have helped.
Alastair mentally chuckled as he thought that.
Even apple pie wouldn’t help resist her either.
“Alastair?” she asked. “Are you all right? You look slightly distressed.”
He turned his attention back to her and pushed away his thoughts.
“I am. I am just upset by something that happened with a patient. He died this evening while we were trying to save him.”
Her face paled.
“That’s terrible.”
He nodded and squeezed his hands.
“I hate when that happens. It was a case where there was something else at work. There was the thing that brought him to the hospital, and after we were able to fix that, something else came into play. I am just very thankful that the family knows we did what we could to save him. I just hate ever having to tell someone that their family passed away.”
Scarlett put her hand on his and squeezed, trying to comfort him in any way she could.
When he took her hand and squeezed it, she smiled.
“It will be all right. That man is no longer in pain, and you didn’t cause his death. His body did. I know it does not make it easier, but it’s true.”
She looked away, then back at Alastair.
“My little brother Sedrick was stillborn when I was seven, and my mother was devastated. She understood that it happened for a reason and accepted it. My father did not. He wanted to blame the doctors, but my mother talked him out of it, and he eventually apologized to them. Sometimes there are people who aren’t meant to be saved.”
He saw the sadness in her eyes and knew that it ate her up inside.
He cupped her face in his hand and she leaned into it, his tongue catching a tear. Leaning in, Alastair looked deep in her eyes, then pressed his lips to hers, her eyelids falling closed as he kissed her, his following soon after. The kiss was not a hot, deep soul-searching kiss, but instead, a soft, gentle kiss, each of them taking comfort in the other.
He pulled away and rested his head on hers, just breathing roughly. They just sat together on the couch for a few moments, reveling in the closeness of each other’s arms. The sound of a branch hitting the window broke the spell. Alastair pressed a soft kiss on her forehead before pulling away from her, leaving her feeling bereft.
He cleared his throat and asked, “You said you needed to speak with me?”
She looked at his blank stare, clearly unable to remember why she had come down there in the first place. He gave her a moment to collect her thoughts and he could tell when she remembered, her face lighting up.
“I came down here to ask you if we could possibly go on an outing. I’d like to walk around, and I mean more than just the courtyard.”
She could see the disapproval in his eyes and she interjected before he could say anything.
“I was hoping we could go when our parents get here. All the protection we could possibly need would be in the carriage with us. What do you think? I’d like to show my parents around.”
He sighed and looked at her face, knowing he would not be able to disagree.
“All right. We will go only when your parents arrived. For now, we must get to bed.”
She looked at him with a smile.
“May we have some of that pie first?”
