Page 12 of Married to the Highland Devil
She could smell him. The intense, earthy scent that clung to his skin made him seem all the more masculine to her. Amelia lifted her hands to touch his face but paused mid-way.
She heard no sound from him at first, but in the next second, he moved an inch, and his face pressed against her hand.
Amelia stroked his chin first, and she searched with her fingers, gently stroking to make out his features.
She felt his nose then moved her fingers to his ears and his eyes. His skin felt soft yet firm. The light stubble on his face tickled her.
Is that why Lily said he looked fierce? What would the rest of him feel like?
She continued her slow movements, touching the tip of his nose and moving her hand gently alongside his chin before she moved her hands to his head again.
She wondered what color his hair was. Lily had only described so much. Normally, Amelia could let her imagination fill in the gaps for her, but not this time. She wanted to know what he looked like.
I need to understand why he makes me feel this way. This unexplainable tingle that rushes through me in his presence, and the urge to smile each time he speaks.
She cleared her throat and quickly dropped her hands. “I am sorry,” she blurted with a short laugh. “I tend to do that a lot. Especially when I want to know what is in front of me. Touching and sometimes smelling help. I can tell who walks close to me from their scent or the sound of their footsteps. Did you know every person has a different way of walking? Your steps are very… confident, I guess.”
He still did not speak, and Amelia feared she might have offended him, so she took one step back. “Did I offend you? I did not mean to, I merely just wanted—”
“Ye dinnae,” he finally said. His tone was raspy, and she heard the low tremble there.
“Oh.”
“So, do ye see anythin’ at all? Can ye tell what I look like from touchin’ me?”
Amelia laughed before she could hold back the sound. “That is not how it works,” she explained. “With objects, I might be able to tell what it is by touching. With plants, I can tell by inhaling, same with food. But with people… besides those I am close to like my father, Lily, and some of the servants here, I can never tell. I can tell you are close by now though, by your scent. I see shadows sometimes, and now, I can tell by your figure you are, well, extremely tall. Thanks to these shadows and my good memory, I can walk around the garden on my own without assistance. I am already used to every corner of the place. The servants make sure to leave nothing amiss, so I do not fall and hurt myself.”
“I see,” he said with a sigh. “Can you tell how beautiful ye are?”
“What?” she choked out and moved away from him again. His words made her shiver, and her breath quickened.
Amelia’s ribs tightened slightly while she pressed her lips together.
“I just meant… I mean… yer beautiful, Amelia… Breathtaking. That is what I was tryin’ to say,” he stuttered.
Amelia’s pulse did a slow dive inside her, and she felt her heart ram against her ribcage in a rush that left her breathless.
Does he mean it?
She licked her lips and shook her head. “You do not have to do that, My Laird,” she began as she took another step away from him. “I understand that you must marry me, and you definitely have your reasons, else you would not marry a blind woman, but you need not lie and pretend to me. I will not stand for it.”
“I—”
“I shall bid you goodnight,” she added, cutting him off.
Amelia managed a curtsy before she walked away from him, counting her steps carefully so she did not miss any.
* * *
Amelia made it to her bedroom, closed her door with a loud thud, then sat still on her bed for a while. Her mind raced with different thoughts, and her pulse wouldn’t stop pounding.
Why does he make me feel so flushed?
The heat was more than she could bear. She got up to take off her clothes, then climbed into bed, and pulled the covers over her body.
She squeezed her eyes shut and willed her mind to stop spinning, but images of Duncan’s blurred figure speared up in her mind. His skin was hot while he stood still and let her touch him. And his voice…
I can’t think of him.
