She backed up astep, and he grasped her arm. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. Did he appear that scary?
He lifted his other hand to cup her face and an electric shock had them both jumping apart.
“Will you fuxing let me touch the woman I love? What is wrong with you?”
Joy stared at him in shock.
He loved her. A warmth settled around his heart as if all the cracks and gouges filled in. He feltwhole.
A movement in the window behind Joy caught his attention. The green colored mist swirled to form two golden eyes and whiskers. The eyes squinted as if laughing before the image disintegrated. What in the afterlife was that?
“Malcolm?” Joy’s voice brought his attention back to her. Her turbulent turquoise eyes glowed with a new warmth. “You love me?”
“Aye, I do.” He’d tried to resist,but he’d been helpless against her sweet happy soul. She was an unexpected delight on so many levels.
When she didn’t say anything, his heart started to ramp up. “I’m hoping maybe ye feel a wee bit for me as well.”
“Oh yes!” She stepped forward then halted. “I do love you and I want to touch you.” Her brow lowered in worry.
He glanced at the window behind her. Did that mean they’d never beable touch each other in his cottage? Was he supposed to keep his future sexual methods away from her? If that was the case, he’d gladly do it to be with her.
He stepped closer to her. “I want to touch you, too. Take my hand.”
Gingerly, she clasped his hand.
As much as he wanted to pull her against him, he couldn’t risk the pain to her. “Now you touch my arm.”
“Maybe we should go outside.”
He grinned because that’s exactly where he was headed if that was their only option, but he needed to be sure. “Just use your finger.”
Hesitantly, she held out her hand. As her finger hovered over his wrist, he held his breath. Finally, her light touch was on his skin. Her gaze snapped to his. “I don’t understand.”
Afraid to hope, he kept his excitement to himself. “Now use your whole hand.”
She grasped his wrist. Still, there was no shock.
He smiled, gazing at her with all that he felt. He raised his hand still clasped by hers and cupped her cheek. “It’s okay now.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “I think a certain entity didn’t want me to have you here unless it meant more than simply sex.”
Joy’s eyes glittered with mischief. “I would have been okay with that.”
He laughed, the action freeing.“I know and so would I, but I think we were meant to fall in love.”
“You really do love me?”
“Ach, lass, from the moment I saw beneath your poised exterior, I started falling for you.”
She cocked her head and looked up at him through her lashes. “And when was that?”
“When I discovered you had a piercing.” He’d explain exactly when that was later.
She winked. “If I’d known that was all ittook, I would have told you about it the second time we passed each other in the spirit lounge.”
“That soon?”
