Emmy rose and took his hand pulling him to his feet. “You can get them on the Net, Connor.”
“What net?”
“Never mind, Connor,” she turned guiding him back toward the castle. “It was just a joke.”
“Yer new humor is often befuddling, Heather,” he shook his head as he allowed himself to be led back home. She had claimed to be joking but her voice had been wistful, even sad. He wondered for a moment at what reasons she could have to be upset. What she might have left behind in coming to Duart. “I often understand nothing yer saying to me, ye know.”
“Well things are pretty different where I come from, you know?”
“It seems so,” he grunted. “I traveled through Baltimore once while I was looking for ye but did not think to stop there. Did ye truly attend the university there?”
“Yes, I did.”
“It was a lovely city.”
“Best crab bisque on the east coast,” she bragged perking up at the mention of her home. “And there is this one restaurant on the Inner Harbor where you can get the best steamed mussels! Good eats, baby!”
Emmy prattled on about restaurants and the food to be had in Maryland as they walked back down the coastline hand in hand. Connor listened with half an ear wondering if she had in fact eaten all the different foods she spoke of. Apparently she loved seafood, not deep-fried though – whatever that was – wine and even beer. A confession he had never heard a lady make. She spoke of the tourist attractions of the area as well, of things called the National Aquarium, Baltimore World Trade Center and the Hard Rock Café.
Plainly the place which brought her the greatest bliss was an oddity called Ben and Jerry’s where one could get a thing called ‘Half-Baked’. He wondered where he might find some as he imagined watching her eat such a treat would be a most sensual experience based on the look of rapture she wore just speaking of it.
Emmy stopped suddenly at the gate to the castle. The front was lit by the sun and glancing over her shoulder, she confirmed the sun was setting. This was it. She had missed it the previous afternoon while she napped, but here it was. She turned back to the castle and stared hard willing the newly restored façade to crumble away to what she had seen over a hundred years in the future.
Nothing.
Damn! A part of her soul cried out for mercy from his befuddling situation as the questions that had tormented her for the past 24 hours began calling for answers once more.
“Are ye well, Heather?” Connor asked, concerned with her motionless concentration. “Perhaps the walk has been too much for ye?”
Emmy shook her head as his words registered. “Too much for me?” she snorted. “That little walk? Are you kidding me? I’ve done the Susan G. Koman 3-day…twice! Too much for me indeed! You have an absurdly low opinion of women, did you know that?”
“Tis not completely unjustified,” he reasoned gesturing toward the castle as if to indicate the women inside.
“Well, just try not to keep lumping me in with pack, alright?” she asked as they continued through the courtyard to the main door. “I am not your garden-variety damsel in distress, you know.”
“The evidence is truly in yer favor, my dear,” he allowed standing aside with a sweep of his arm to allow her to precede him into the main hall.
Emmy let Chilton take her coat and allowed Connor to take her arm as they went up the stairs and through the hallways to the right wing where the laird’s rooms were. In silence, they entered their shared sitting room facing each other in silence aware that they had just spent the past hour in each other’s company holding hands and in pleasant conversation. There had been no recriminations, no accusations. Just simple companionship.
Suddenly Emmy was afraid that she might say something to spoil it all so she started to turn toward her room but Connor caught her arm and turned her back around. He stared down at her for a long moment, his dark eyes full of warmth, affection and questions.
“Connor?” she whispered. “What…?”
“Shhh,” he raised his hands to cup her still chilly cheeks warming them in his palms. His thumbs caressed the soft skin there and stretched farther out to rub lightly along her lips.
Unbidden her own hand rose to rub against the abrasive growth of his beard. Her eyes lit with some amusement as she curled her fingers to scratch his cheek much as his beard scratched her. Expectation raced along her spine and nerves as she stared up into his dark eyes savoring the feel of his thumb against her lower lip, but still he did nothing.
“Are you going to kiss me or not?” she asked in a low whisper.
Connor exhaled a low laugh and rested his forehead against hers. “I’m not certain.”
“Well,” Emmy teased breathlessly, “you have already fondled my breasts so I don’t think…mmmph!”
Connor ducked his head and caught her lips in a deep kiss catching her up in his arms and pulling her body firmly up against his. Up on her toes, Emmy stretched both arms up and caught him around his shoulders threading her fingers into his hair as she went. Their lips met and melded together as heat flared from the contact of their lips down to her toes. ‘Literally to my toes,’ she thought as she sunk into the embrace with a sigh of bliss. Connor’s firm lips pulled against her lower lip sucking on it lightly as his palms slid up her sides coming to rest just below her breasts. He moaned and pulled back slightly and she stared up at him with a shocked expression breathing as heavily as he. “Wow,” she said simply.
“Indeed,” he turned her slightly and caught her fully in
