The afternoon had been pleasant and fulfilling. We had spent a good deal of it visiting the less fortunate inhabitants of the village who lived nearer the bog and while there Derek had even climbed up to the roof of the Widow McGowan's house to fix her roof. He looked a little like the reckless boy I remembered from before the war when I called up for him to be careful. He smiled down at me and then winked before setting to the work with a good deal of confidence and a little brazenness. I tried not to watch too often as I sat outside with the little ones but I found myself drawn towards the way the sun glinted off his dark hair or seemed to sparkle in his eyes when he chanced to look down at me or the way his muscles stood defined on his arms as he worked. My heart stuttered a few times and I forced myself to focus on the children.
These memories caused me to blush in the silence as Derek and I rode behind the carriage. The soft glow of the sunset gave the landscape around us an ephemeral sort of tone and I soon lost myself in a smile as a flock of birds took off from the field beside the road, breaking into a flurry of flight against the colored sky.
I turned my smile to Derek and found that he was looking at me in a way that made my heart shudder to a stop before picking up speed like a horse in a race. My smile slowly faded but I couldn't look away and he didn't seem to have any inclination to do so either.
Finally, almost reluctantly it seemed, he quirked up one side of his mouth and then looked away. I felt my heart slow down to a normal pace and I shook my head quickly to rid myself of some highly un-sisterrly thoughts.
We reached the castle just as the sun set below the horiizon. We stopped in front of the stables and Derek quickly dismounted before coming to help me do the same.
His hands felt strangely unfamilar on my waist as he lowered me from the saddle and to the ground. The look on his face was once again causing my heart to behave in an unseemly manner and I tried to shake it off as I smiled up at him and then began to walk around him. He sidestepped and blocked me.
"Megs," he began. He was close and I realized he could probably hear the frantic thundering of my heart so I took a deep breath and willed it to stop.
"Hm?" I asked, inclining my head to one side to indicate I was listening. He opened his mouth as if to say something and then stopped. He looked around the stable yard and I did the same, noticing that we were entirely alone in the approaching darkness. My lips began to tingle in anticipation and I clenched my hands to keep them from shaking.
He looked back to me and then leaned down closer. I was up against my horse so I couldn't do much more than look up at him and try to pretend like I wasn't begging for him to kiss me. Which I definitely was not.
He was so close I could see flecks of deep blue in his bright eyes. I could feel his breath against my cheek and I noticed absently that there was a dark stubble across his jaw and slightly down his neck. He looked deliciously real to me at that moment and I realized, with something of an inward, happy sigh, that this was no fantasy or illusion. This was Derek. This was my childhood friend who had grown up to be incredibly handsome and incredibly dear to me. And he was looking at me as though he were going to kiss me.
I felt his sigh against my skin and then he moved slightly and lowered a kiss on my forehead before slowly pulling away from me. The deepening darkness around us made it hard for me to see his eyes now that he had moved but I felt the warmth in his voice as he spoke.
"It's late, princess." His deep voice was thick with regret and restraint. "You should go inside."
I nodded obediently and took a step forward. He quickly caught my hand before I could pass him.
"Will you spend the day with me tomorrow, Squirt?" he queried softly with a fond smile on his face. I looked up at him and then tilted my head to the side, as though considering my options.
"Yes," I finally agreed. "But only if you promise to behave," I added. He smiled and there was a dangerous edge to it. He brought my hand up to his lips and, without taking his eyes away from me, gently pressed a kiss to the palm. My hand still in his, he then bent so close that his lips brushed against the side of my face as he whispered in my ear.
"No guarantees." He then let go of my hand and, pulling the horses behind him, walked into the stables.
No comments:
Post a Comment