Page 38 of Stealing a Kilted Heart

A collective gasp echoed through the table. Fia had to admit that she was just as shocked as the nobles at being asked by the laird himself to dance, but how could she reject him when everyone was watching? There was no avoiding it. She had no choice but to accept the hand offered to her and stand, just as a lively song began to play.

What is he thinkin’!

“I dinnae ken how tae dance,” she hissed as Knox pulled her towards the area cleared for the dancers in attendance. All the dances she knew were the ones they danced together in the village and she had no idea how he expected her to follow him without tripping all over herself.

“That’s alright,” he assured her. “I’ll show ye.”

Fia cursed under her breath. She was going to make a fool of herself in front of everyone, even in front of Knox himself. If she had the nobles’ attention before, it would be even worse now. In her mind, she could already hear their whispers, ridiculing her behind her back.

She didn’t even realize when they reached the dance floor, Knox placing a hand on her waist and pulling her close. Suddenly, she was surrounded by twirling people, flashes of color bursting in the corners of her eyes as the others moved around them. He had pulled her in the middle of the dance floor, where they were bound to bump into everyone else, and Fia could only wish that the ground would open up and swallow her whole before she had a chance to make a fool of herself completely.

“Relax,” Knox said in a soft voice. “I’ve got ye. Dinnae fash.”

Knox sounded so confident and so earnest that Fia had no choice but to believe him. His hands were strong where he held her, his chest a solid heat against her body, and she had to admit that even if she felt terribly exposed in front of such a big crowd, Knox gave her a sense of safety and comfort amidst this unfamiliar scene.

Moving with grace, surefooted and gentle in his guidance, Knox pulled Fia along through the small crowd of dancers. All she had to do was let him take the lead as he spun and twirled her around the room, not only confident in his movements but also exhibiting a strength that took Fia’s breath away.

He could move her like she weighed nothing, his touch gentle yet firm, his feet moving seemingly of their own accord. Fia could imagine him in a fight, moving with the same grace, the same ease, taking down opponents as easily as he could dance her around the room.

At a particularly vivid part of the motive, Fia suddenly realized how close they were to each other. Their noses almost brushed with every step they took, their breaths mingling; every touch felt like a flame against her body, even through all the layers of clothing that separated them, and his gaze was locked on hers, neither of them able to look away from each other.

It was as though everything else had faded away—the guests, the food, even the room itself. Fia couldn’t even hear the music anymore, lost as she was in those intimate moments with the laird.

A pit opened up in her stomach, larger and hungrier than any she had ever felt before. Dread gripped her at the thought that she had been lying to the laird for this long and now they were dancing together, he none the wiser and she drowning in her guilt. She had promised herself that she would stay far away from him. She had promised herself that the plan with which she had come to the castle would be abandoned and that no matter what, she would make sure Laird Stuart didn’t fall for her.

And yet now that she was in his arms, staring into the deep blue of his eyes, tearing herself away from him was a herculean task. For the first time in her life, she felt truly desired. For the first time, someone other than her closest family had looked at her and decided that she was worth the effort, that she deserved something good.

I wish I could blame this whole mess on Callum but I cannae… It’s all me fault!

“Excuse me,” she said, the words tumbling past her lips hurriedly as she pulled herself back from Knox and took a few stumbling steps backwards. As she did, she fell into another dancing couple behind her, making them lose their footing, but she didn’t stay there long enough to see if they were ok. Mumbling an apology that was drowned out by the loud music, she fled the room, desperate for some fresh air—and for some distance between her and the laird.