“I’m carrying you back to the estate.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s completely unnecessary. I can walk?—”
“You can barely stand,” he interrupted, his voice brooking no argument. “This isn’t up for debate, Violet.”
Before she could protest further, he bent down and scooped her up effortlessly, cradling her against his chest. She let out a small gasp, her hands instinctively clutching his coat.
“Nicholas, really?—”
“Be quiet,” he snapped though his tone was gentler now. “You’ve done enough for one day.”
Lost is his panic, he hadn’t realized how close he was to her. Her face was merely inches apart from her. Their eyes locked together.
“Nicholas,” he heard her say, but he was only focused on getting back.
I need to make sure she is safe. Healthy.
Until he felt her fingers brushing his face and turning him back to her, and before he had time to think, he felt her lips on his. Nicholas did not know what overcame him after that. But the moment he felt the warmth of her lips, all the adrenaline shortly vanished from his veins. . and all he could think about was her.
Violet. Violet’s lips. Violet’s touch. His Violet.
He pressed his lips further to hers. She let out a murmur of shock but kissed him back.
It lasted only a few moments before Nicholas’ thoughts started coming back to him, and he pulled back.
“I…”
“That…”
They both spoke at the same time, breathless. Nicholas could not take his eyes off of her, and then the very next moment, he could not look away fast enough, his heart thudding loudly in his chest.
“Perhaps we should…”
“… get inside, yes,” he continued her frazzled train of thought. It did not surprise him that she sounded equally stunned. As though the fall had been a minor thing, and the kiss had eclipsed it completely.
The fall. Thefall!
Nicholas quickly reminded himself of what he should be focusing his energy on.
“I must make sure that you are fine,” he said, pretending as though the kiss had not happened just moments ago. Though the lingering feeling of her lips on his suggested otherwise.
He was not sure if he was ever going to forget how that felt.
“I…” Violet started but then paused.
Good.The pause was good. It gave him more time to collect his thoughts. Even though he felt shaken up on the inside, his grip on her remained steady. He wasnotgoing to have her fall again—never again or at least not on his watch.
So, with Violet now firmly cradled in his arms, he began to make his way inside.
“I think you are worrying for no reason,” she said once they had covered some distance in silence, reaching the main door. The staff scrambled to make way, their concerned murmurs blending into the background.
“Get a room prepared for the Duchess,” Nicholas barked out his orders to the staff, who listened immediately, sensing the seriousness in his voice. “She has hurt herself.”
“I feeljustfine,” she protested once more.
“Can you stop insisting that?” he said, irked.
“But I am only telling you how it is that I feel,” she said, not relenting. Even now—even when she had found herself in trouble—she was stubborn.
