The Gift of Love (The Book of Love #8) - Meara Platt Page 0,32
none of his faults until now.”
He took her hand. “Not all men are as selfish as Wainscott. We are also guided by feelings of respect, honor, duty, love of family.”
She laughed. “Oh, you Braydens are a fine example of those nobler sentiments.”
She listened while Ronan quickly read through the next chapters, loving the richness of his voice and the warmth of his body next to hers. But she shook out of the errant thoughts. She had just gotten herself out of one mess and was not ready to leap into another.
She would accept Ronan for the good friend he was and not allow her heart to push her toward a hopeless end.
“What do you see when you look at me, Dahlia?” he asked, setting the book aside once he’d finished reading through all five senses.
“Didn’t we go through this yesterday? Naming twelve things we liked about each other.”
He nodded. “But I want to try it again. This time with each of us really looking at the other. Choose the five things that you like best. One thing for each sense.”
“In order of importance?”
“Not necessarily. In whatever order you prefer.”
“Very well, but shouldn’t we be making this a bit more general. We seem to be concentrating on each other instead of thinking outwardly.”
“Is there something wrong with that? I think it helps us to better understand what the book is teaching us if we test it out on each other first.”
If it made sense to him, she was not going to argue the point. All she had to do was remind herself that this was merely experimentation and pretense. “I’ll start with the sense of sight first. The look of you.” She cleared her throat.
Dark hair.
Emerald eyes.
Big muscles.
Exquisite in every way.
She tried not to sound deflated as she said, “You look like the man of my dreams.”
He cast her a soft smile. “Would you care to elaborate? How do I look like the man of your dreams?”
“Just the way you are put together. It is very pleasing. There is a warmth to your smile and intelligence in your eyes. Your hair is dark and thick. Your body looks as though it could have been carved out of stone. You have a fine, firm jaw and a nicely shaped mouth. You look like a man, not an indulged, little boy.”
She blushed under the force of his stare. “Now for the sense of hearing, I like the sound of your voice as well. It is deep and commanding.” She laughed. “I suppose that is a requirement of being a captain. There is a strength to your voice, a quality that inspires confidence and trust. This is what makes you a natural leader.”
He grinned at her. “I shall become quite full of myself if you keep this up. Is there something you don’t like about my look or my voice?”
She reached up and rested her palm against his cheek. “The bristles of your beard. You may start out the day clean-shaven, but by the end of it, your cheeks are rough. I don’t consider it a fault. I rather like it, if you must know. As for your voice, I think if you were ever angry with me, I might find it frightening. Well, that’s about it. This is the best I can do. Shall I move on to the next sense?”
He nodded.
“I think I’ll mention the sense of smell next.” She eased closer and put her nose to his neck to inhale him. “Your scent is awfully nice. Is it sandalwood? My cousins, Honey and Belle, work in their family perfume shops. Belle designs the fragrances, as you must know, since your brother is married to her. She taught me a little about this. Sandalwood is an ancient fragrance. It feels timeless, doesn’t it? It smells very nice on you.”
He was still grinning at her affectionately.
“The sense of touch next.” She took hold of his hand. “This feels awfully nice as well. There is strength in your touch, again, something that inspires trust and confidence. As for taste, I don’t know how I am to test this.”
“Our kiss.”
She hadn’t thought of that, but they did have their lips pressed together for a while. “I tasted ale on your lips. Your breath was pleasing, although that really belongs with the sense of smell. I’m not sure what else to say about this sense. Perhaps that I would feel very favorably inclined toward you if I tasted chocolate on your lips next time?”