Page 56 of A Virgin for the Icy Laird
“How is Hilda?” she asked. “And how are the children? Did she tell ye everything ye wanted to hear?”
He smiled ruefully. “I would like to say they are well, but…” He sighed. “Is that how ye grew up? That bastard of a master doesnae care for the children. I had difficulty believing anyone was living in such a dilapidated building. I am sorry such evil was happening in me lands and I wasnae aware of it.”
Emily lowered her eyes and clasped her hands together, blinking back tears. Yes, she had indeed suffered, but it had brought her to this moment. To this man.
As if sensing her mood, Adair hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her face up to his.
“I had him arrested, and he will be punished for his crimes. I have also given Hilda enough money to keep them afloat for some days,” he said. “I’ll send some men with provisions, and they’ll make all the necessary repairs to the house. No one in that orphanage will starve ever again.”
More tears pooled in Emily’s eyes as his words sank in. She wanted to run into his arms and hug him; that was how grateful she was. But she forced the emotion down and wiped her eyes.
“Thank ye, me Laird,” she murmured. “That makes me very happy.”
He nodded, lowering his head. “I wish I could do more. I feel like I have failed by letting such a thing happen in me lands.”
“Ye cannae be everywhere at once, me Laird,” she reasoned. “And ye have done what is necessary to ensure that it doesnae happen again.”
He sighed. “I must thank ye, Emily. Yer strength has comforted me.”
“Ye say I have comforted ye, yet ye daenae look fine,” she noted. “What else is wrong?”
“I daenae ken how to feel,” he admitted. “I saw me faither’s pendant, and the fact that he is not returning just sank in.”
Emily watched him, noting how his shoulders dropped with grief, and knew she couldn’t keep holding back. She cared deeply for this man, and knowing how they were connected now by some random twist of fate assured her that it was a sensible course of action.
She stepped forward and cupped his face in her hands.
“I wish I could take away yer pain,” she whispered. “I would do it in a heartbeat.”
His eyes searched hers, and she noted the surprise in them. Her heart was racing, and she wondered if he would pull away. But when he leaned in, relief washed over her.
His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to him, and her body warmed at his proximity. The hard planes of his chest made her acutely aware of his strength and discipline, her mouth going dry with want.
But what did she want?
“I cannae give ye what ye deserve, lass,” he breathed into her hair.
She knew this was a sensitive moment for him. Anything she said could either bring him closer to disclosing his fears or push him away from her. And she’d be damned if she let him push her away in this moment. The rapid beating of his heart echoed hers,and she didn’t want anything more than to be as close to him as possible.
He smelled like rain and mist and something uniquely him, and she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face into his chest, breathing him in.
“Ye daenae have to promise me anything,” she assured him. “I am content.”
He pulled back and looked into her eyes, a plea in his own, and she nodded, her nerves singing with anticipation.
He leaned in, and she closed her eyes, unable to bear the intensity of his gaze. The heat and desire in it were a stark contrast to the protective warmth she had come to love. But rather than scare her, they made her want to explore, to see where they crested and ended.
His nose brushed against hers, and her breath hitched in her chest. But when his lips touched hers, she felt as though her heart would leap out of her chest.
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Emily didn’t know how to react to his kiss, but she felt herself soften and lean into him as a gasp escaped her.
His lips on hers made her feel alive, as though she was breathing for the first time in her life.
She never wanted it to stop. It was nothing like their first kiss, which had been between strangers. She felt as though her soul were bare to him as his was to her.
There was shared grief between them and a history that, while still yet to be fully unraveled, told her their meeting was orchestrated by forces greater than them.
