Chapter 63 - ADMIRERS
Last night, I thought of him as handsome.
But seeing him in broad daylight, I was utterly shocked to realize that 'handsome' would be an understatement. The man standing in front of me now, with left hand thrust on the pocket of his jeans and the other behind his back was a demigod.
He wore a simple blue t-shirt on top and blue denim jeans at the bottom. Despite the simplicity in the clothes he wore one could feel the authority he possessed, combined with a commanding aura he seemed to carry wherever he went.
The wild, untamed hair crowning his head last night wasn't the shade of warm honey. Perhaps it must be the effect of the pale light from the chandelier that made me thought it was that shade. Today it made me realize that his hair was a startling strawberry blonde and his eyes beneath his bushy eyebrow were an intriguing shade of emerald green—another mistake of mine. Must be the trick of light too.
For a moment, I found myself watching him with the same intense stare he was watching me. His eyes glowed with wry amusement, the corners of his eyes curled in fascination making me wonder what he was thinking behind those wild piercing glares.
Shock wouldn't be enough to describe the sudden increase of my pulse rate upon seeing him standing in the living room after I was summoned by a servant informing me that a certain Mr. Marcus Peterson arrived.
I didn't recall having acquaintance with a man named Peterson but I found myself itching with nagging curiosity for the reason why he paid me a visit. When I walked down the stairs, I found him seated on the white Victorian sofa. And when he saw me he quickly came to his feet and met me halfway.
A flicker of recognition sparkled in my eyes. He was indeed the man I danced last night. I recalled him saying something like 'seeing me again.' It didn't occur to me that he was serious about it. I wasn't interested in entertaining anyone at the moment.
"It's a surprise seeing you Mr.. uh—Peterson." I broke the unnerving silence with a rather awkward smile, wondering how I should welcome a male visitor.
"Just call me Marcus." He responded in his sexy, sultry voice that could turn a woman's knee into jell-o but not mine. I'm particularly allergic to men as handsome as he.
He extended a hand which I couldn't ignore. It was seemingly rude of me to not take it,?The man was being polite, I told myself as I took his hands, it was soft and smooth, not the hard and calloused palms I was expecting. It occured to me he was pampered and wasn't used to hard work.
I don't know what yad gotten on me but I was expecting someone else which I couldn't even understand.?Perhaps a man with brown hair and ocean blue eyes? The thoughts made my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I don't know where the thought came from.
"For you, Beatrix."
He gently pushed a bouquet of flowers into my palms, it was the first time I became aware he had one. He must be hiding it behind his back.
"T-thank you." I stuttered like a teenager receiving a gift for the very first time.
His intention was still unclear.?We just met last night and here he was?giving me a bouquet of fresh red roses. The flower was beautiful but I prefer the pristine white roses compared to the usual red ones.
He must be offering some friendship, I told myself, crushing the idea of something more than that.
"Please sit down Mr. Marcus." I offered, cheeks blushing with embarrassment, cursing myself inwardly for forgetting my good manners.
"No worries Beatrix, I just came here to give you dropped by to see you, now that I did, I must be going. I'll visit you again if I have the time." He said, after that he was gone as fast as he arrived, leaving me to face a whirlwind of questions alone.
"I guess you've acquired yourself an admirer big sister." It was Troy grinning from ear to ear as he emerged from nowhere.
"I assume you'd been sently watching Sir?" I said in a reprimanding tone.
When amusement flickered on his eyes and the grin he had turned to a crisp laughter I knew I was right.
"I was glad you found that amusing Troy." I said in a stern voice. He was obviously laughing at my expense.
"Not really my dear sister. I was just wondering how Alexander Crawford would handle the news that his only daughter had attracted a dozen admirers at a single night."
"Stop exaggerating Troy. That was merely a single visitor today. There's nowhere on earth I would have many admirer from last night."
Troy shrugged his shoulders at my remark and motioned me to walk inside the kitchen.
"Bloody Hell." It was my initial reaction after walking straight into the kitchen and stumbling into a basket of flowers crowding the space on the floor.
"That was unladylike." Troy remarked with a snort.
"Where did these flowers come from? I said instead ignoring my brother's stern remark about my?behavior.
There weren so many of them that the ceramic floor was barely visible in the clutter. Over the kitchen counter, a rather fragile looking bouquet of flowers crowded the space. The sight created a mini garden inside the kitchen.
The crowded sight was giving me a
headache this early in the day.
"From your admirer I guess." He replied, shrugging his shoulders.
I shook my head in exasperation, Troy was right, I assume, eyeing the card attached to the flowers and seeing my name written on it.
"Oh dear!"
Clarissa Crawford suddenly emerged from the door, her confused gaze surveyed the room as if she was battling if she walked straight inside the garden and not the kitchen.
"I assume you acquired yourself a number of suitors dear!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise. When she recovered her eyes lit up with happiness.?"Well, have you found anyone attractive?"
I groaned and cast my eyes heavenward. Handling my eight brothers alone was a difficult task. I don't want to make my life even more complicated. "That's not gonna happen Grandmama." I replied, evading the discussion about a possible suitor. "I'll go ask some assistance from the gardener. Hopefully he got an idea what he should do about this."
I waited no response and hurriedly escaped the scene. Troy and Grandmama will roast me alive if I don't leave right away. They will undoubtedly tease me until I couldn't take it anymore.
Warm stream of sunshine welcomed my face after stepping outside.?I stopped for a moment, taking a subtle breath of fresh air to calm my nerves.?I was still savoring the moment when I caught a glimpse of a servant waking her way towards me with another batch of roses clutched around her arms.
I nearly ran my fingers into my hair in frustrations. This is not happening. With quick long steps, I made my way to the garden. My wandering eyes trying to find the gardener. I needed his assistance right now. I couldn't let the kitchen look like that. I need to clear it as soon as possible before my annoyed brothers decide to?let the flowers be thrown outside the house.
Maybe I could ask the Gardener to help?me move some of the flowers on the flower pots in the garden. I hate to see them go to waste, so I might at least display them in a place they would be appreciated. Probably, I will display some on the flower vases too.
My burgeoning thoughts were cut short when my gaze landed on the tall man holding a hose and watering my grandmother's rare collection of plants.?He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice I was standing just behind him, it gave me the chance to observe?his back..
My pulse rate quickened watching him with a curious interest. He was tall, too tall act?ually that my head barely reached his shoulders. He wore a plain t-shirt which was quite oversized. Beads of sweat were now forming on his temples.
He has broad muscular shoulders and the t-shirt he wore which was?now soaked with his sweat, it now clung to his body like a second skin He wore jogging pants at the bottom.
My heart beat erratically inside my chest. There was something utterly familiar with the man but I can't seem to figure it out. I ignored the sudden chill that ran to my spine as I watched him.
The man was surrounded with a thick mist of mystery. A thick hard wall seems to surround him letting no one to penetrate inside.
Suddenly as if he was aware that I was watching him in silence, he stopped on his tracks. The action only made my heart beat like crazy. As if very slowly, he turned towards my direction and I froze as a pair of piercing blue eyes landed at me. For a moment my world stopped spinning.
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