Page 26 of A Nameless Highland Laird
Right when she was sure his lips would meet hers, she heard something click to her left.
Her eyes darted over to see what it was, dreading to lose the moment, but her curiosity got the better of her. A door swung open at the same time that Cameron pulled away, straightening back to his full height, putting an appropriate amount of space between them once more.
She swallowed hard, her cheeks a deep shade of pink. Sunlight streamed across the room and onto her face. She could feel it highlighting her embarrassment all the more.
Why did ye think he was going to kiss ye? Ye barely ken each other.
She chastised herself as she followed Cameron through the door he had been bending to open.
“I dinnae ken what ye are accustomed to,” he called over his shoulder, pulling her further into the room, “but I hope ye will be pleased with this.”
He motioned to the space around them. It was enough to get her out of her own head and to look around. She let go of the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding but it came out as a gasp.
“Och, Cameron,” she murmured. “This is… I have never…Och.”
She let her attempts at putting words to it die on her lips as her eyes scanned every corner of the room.
As promised, he had taken her to the library but it was nothing like the one in her father’s castle. Her father’s library didn’t so much as hold a candle.
The walls on her right and left were filled with books covered in gilded covers with the most intricate designs. The names of the authors and their titles glinted in the sunlight. Candle holders were put in between each shelf, giving her plenty of light to see every single book.
“There must be thousands,” she whispered, her fingers covering her lips in awe.
But the books weren’t the best part. The back wall pushed out of the castle, curved with carefully placed panes of glass. There was a cozy little sofa and several rugs layered to hide the stone floor of the alcove that looked more like a greenhouse than a library. It was the perfect spot to curl up with a book and get lost in it.
There was, of course, a large fireplace with a mantle of marble encasing it to warm the room on those cold, winter nights. And a smattering of other chairs and sofas to curl up on as one wanted.
She thought her own chambers were stunning but they weren’t even a match to the magic the library seemed to have.
Charlotte clapped her hands together, giddy at having unfettered access to so many stories and such a wonderful place to explore them. She turned to Cameron, ready to throw her arms around his neck in the biggest hug just so he could know how pleased she was. But the look on his face stopped her.
“What is it?”
“Hmm?’ he questioned, raising his eyebrows at her.
“Why are ye smiling at me like that?’
The lines around his mouth deepened as his smile stretched wider. Her own lips tugged upwards, unable to stay unaffected by his charm.
“Och, it is nothing,” he brushed off. “Do ye like it?”
She bit back a squeal of joy.
“Like it? It is the best thing I have ever seen. I can nae believe that I am here, standing in this room. I love everything about it.”
He folded his hands behind his back and nodded, his smile still firmly in place.
“Good.”
She turned her attention back to the shelves, already itching to pick out which book she would like to read first. Her fingertips grazed the leather spines as she mouthed a few of the titles. There was a vast array of books and topics covered by just the handful of things she had seen. She loved that he was so well read, so well versed in so many topics. He had to be having grown up with a library like this at his disposal.
“What is yer favorite?” she asked, suddenly spinning to find him watching her intently.
“My favorite?”
“Aye,” she laughed. “What is yer favorite book?”
“Och.” He paused, looking everywhere but her eyes as he thought. “I fear ye are going to do away with me after I tell ye this.”
