Unexpected Romance

Chapter Two

"Oh can you believe it, Catherine? Bradley just sent a message saying that he wants to take me to the dance tonight!" Bianca said happily as she twirled around the sitting room. Catherine smiled.

"I'm happy for you, Bianca." she said. Emmett snorted from the armchair where he was reading the newspaper.

"What's the matter, Emmett darling? Are you jealous?" Bianca asked. Catherine felt her own jealousy spark but didn't say a word and didn't look up from the placemat she was knitting. Emmett looked over at her from the corner of his eye and then sat the paper down in his lap and looked over at Bianca.

"Jealous? Of what?" he asked with mock curiosity. Bianca put one hand on her hip and laid the other on her chest.

"Of me of course." she said with a light laugh. "I have two arms you know. I'd be delighted to have you hold one of them."

"Ouch!" Catherine yelped as she cut herself with the scissors she'd been using to cut her thread. She stuck her bloody finger into her mouth and jumped up.

"Are you ok?" Emmett asked standing up. Catherine nodded and walked to the kitchen. She could hear Emmett's footsteps following her.

"What did you do?" he asked. She turned and showed him her finger which was still bleeding freely. He grabbed her wrist gently and she felt a jolt of lightning run through her body. She saw his brown eyes darken to nearly jet black as he looked down at her and she wondered what that meant. He shook his head and brought her hand up closer to his face to look at her bleeding finger.

"I've never known you to be so clumsy." he scolded as he reached behind him and grabbed a clean washrag. He wrapped it around her finger and held it in place.

Catherine could not stand his touch any longer. It was causing a tingling and a heat in her that she was not sure how to handle. She pulled her hand away from him and held the rag around her finger herself. She offered him a smile and shrugged.

"I guess I just was not paying close enough attention to what I was doing." she replied. Just then Bianca came into the kitchen. She did not want to give Emmett and Catherine any privacy. If she did then they might realize how they both felt about each other.

"Is she ok?" Bianca asked laying her hand on Emmett's arm. Emmett looked down at her hand on him and fought the urge to smack it away. Catherine nodded and unwrapped her finger.

"I'm fine." she said. "See it stopped bleeding."

"You better clean that good." Emmett said matter-of-factly. Catherine smiled.

"Yes sir." she said teasingly. Emmett flashed her a grin and then sighed.

"I must be leaving ladies. I have some things to get ready before tonight." he said. Bianca batted her long eyelashes up at him.

"So am I going to have both arms full tonight?" she asked. Emmett shrugged and moved her hand away from his arm.

"You might. But it won't because I'm on one of them." he replied patting her hand and then releasing it. Bianca felt her face turn red with embarrassment as her arm dropped to her side.

"I on the other hand will have both hands free." Catherine said as she led everyone back out to the sitting room.

"That is a good thing." Emmett said as he walked to the door. "You'll have plenty of room on your dance card for me." He gave her a wink and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"There he goes pretending to be charming again." Bianca said as she sat down on the couch. Emmett glared over at her but did not say anything in response to her comment.