Page 56 of An Enchanted Spring
“I still feel strange living in Reilly’s house while he’s not here,” Emma replied. “We’ve been here for five weeks, and he’s been gone almost all of them.”
Aidan glanced out the back window of Ry’s kitchen, his eyes again scanning the tree line for any sight of his cousin. Reilly departed a few days after they’d arrived in Dublin, headed back to the 1400s to take care of an issue with Brianagh’s eldest daughter, Claire. Before he left, Reilly warned Aidan that he might be a long time in returning. Aidan understood; sometimes Reilly would be gone for a few hours, and other times, weeks.
This time, though, Aidan didn’t begrudge the man and his abilities. He hadn’t any pressing desire to return to the Middle Ages, not when he finally had a reason to stay in the present.
That reason was currently listing all the reasons why she felt guilty about her current situation.
“Emma,” he finally said, holding a hand up. “Relax. You have no deadlines, no bosses demanding your energy. Just you, and me, and wherever you want to go.”As long as we keep a low profile, he silently added,and draw no attention to us, you’re safe.
She blew out a breath, puffing strands of her hair outward. “You keep saying that.”
“And you keep ignoring it.”
She smiled then, and Aidan’s heart constricted. Had any other woman of his acquaintance ever moved him in such ways? Her laugh, which was frequent now that she was so distanced from her New York life and with no sign of her ex anywhere, was the sweetest sound his ears had ever heard. And her face softened as the worry lines and tension left her.
If he thought her beautiful before, now, as she settled into Ireland, she was absolutely radiant.
“We’ve discussed this to death. You are on a much-deserved holiday. A sabbatical, if you will. Colin’s in agreement; he wants you fresh-faced and excited, not drawn and dispassionate.”
She pursed her lips. “You’re wrong.”
“And you’re stunning. Finish your breakfast, love, as we’re headed to a special place today.”
Her eyes brightened, and his chest grew tighter. The wonder in those blue depths stirred something in his soul, and though he’d been holding himself back for weeks, his heart was very nearly lost to Emma.
If only she felt the same way.
But, she made her intentions clear. They worked together and went sightseeing together and that was enough for her.
He promised himself he wouldn’t touch her again until she asked for it. Begging would be ideal, but he wasn’t a fool. He didn’t think Emma begged for anything.
And though he tried not to, he couldn’t help but hold her hand. It was a simple pleasure, one he refused to denyhimself. She didn’t pull away, nor did she seem averse to it, so he continued to hold it, embracing the little bolt of electricity each time they made contact.
Never before had a lass so undone him with a look, or a laugh, or—the saints preserve him—a happy sigh.
“So where are we going? And are we taking the Mercedes?”
He chuckled. Her love of that automobile had been obvious from the moment she slid into it. “Aye, we can take that beast. I’d like to show you my home.”
“You mean the place you’re renovating?”
He nodded, clearing their dishes from the table.
“Reilly told me it has a thatched roof, like this one.”
“That it does.”
“And that it’s bigger than this house, although I think this is charming.” She looked around her and smiled. “Though she be but little, she is fierce.”
He laughed. “You’re sounding more Irish every day.”
She flushed. “Shakespeare was English.”
“’Tis a bloody shame, but it explains why he never caught on,” Aidan replied with a straight face.
She snorted. “Oh, yeah. He barely made an impression.”
Aidan glanced out the window, and his gaze locked on the lone figure with a sword resting against his shoulder and his boots strapped with knives, loping across the garden. A movement further out caught his eye, and he squinted at the second person in the distance, who melted back into the trees almost as suddenly as he had appeared.
