She took a deep breath.
Then she took his hand.
*
He couldn’t endurethis torment any longer. One more night couldn’t hurt, right? It wasn’t as though he were any less distractednotbedding her. He could have a little more fun without risking their mission. It wasn’t as though he intended to marry the woman, and he’d wager she felt the same.
As long as he kept his identity from her, what harm could come of it?
Finn should have been a master bard. Everything about his performance was masterful, and he’d never even apprenticed. Equally impressive was Ardál’s ability to keep pace with him. Together, their music brought the entire building to life.
But Conan’s attention turned only briefly to the music. Alannah became his entire world the moment she took his hand. He’d have to thank Emer later.
He pulled her right up against him to dance. In the crush of people surrounding them, they were hardly closer than anyone else. And it made it easier to put his hand in the small of her back. It was enough for now, though his fingers itched to explore her body all over again. He didn’t dare anything more intimate—not until he knew how she was feeling.
Most of her dark tresses had fallen free of the braid she always wore, falling around her shoulders and dancing as much as she did. Today her shirt was blue and entirely too loose. Conan knew the exquisite body hidden beneath its generous folds and couldn’t see any of it.
She leaned into him as they moved, her hand sliding on his chest.
They moved together in a way that put him in mind of a very different activity, her hips brushing his cock to the point of distraction as she swayed in front of him.
Bending his head, he whispered into her ear. “What if it was two nights?” He couldn’t play this game any longer.
“Then you’d have to make it worth my while.” She smiled against his cheek.
Desire flooded him, taking control of his mind and his body. As it turned out, Finn could, in fact, play longer than Conan could dance. Or longer than he was willing to dance, anyway, without sneaking Alannah away from the crowd.
He led her through the packed alehouse with every intention of taking her back to The Hart’s Rest and tossing her onto the first bed he found. They were almost to the door when he felt the cool rush of wind sweep inside. His steps faltered when he saw the newcomer.
Teague.
He turned around slowly, not wanting to draw attention to himself. His brother hadn’t seen him yet, for there’d been no eye contact nor sign of recognition. But it was only a matterof time. He needed to warn the rest of the men. Sighing in disappointment, Conan turned to Alannah.
“I need to tell the men we’re leaving,” Conan told her, pulling her quickly with him back toward the rest of the Fianna.
She didn’t resist, following him with a nod of understanding.
Conan found Finn first, his blonde head sticking above the fray. He was too easy to spot. When they reached the men, Conan yanked Finn downward, hoping to afford him more cover.
“He’s here. We need to leave.” He whispered directly into Finn’s ear, never letting Alannah’s hand go.
Finn’s sea-blue eyes scanned the room, widening for just a moment as he no doubt spotted Teague entering the crowded alehouse. “I’ll let the men know.”
Conan patted his shoulder and kept moving. Never turning back toward the front door, he led Alannah out the back.
“Why didn’t we just use the front door?” she laughed. At least she wasn’t overly suspicious of his quick turnaround.
Conan rejoined with an uneasy chuckle. He wasn’t as good as Diarmid or Dallan at concealing his thoughts—or Cormac, Illadan, or Broccan, for that matter. Finn and Ardál were the only other Fianna who appeared to struggle keeping secrets.
“I just wanted to get out of there,” he answered truthfully. At least he’d begun with the truth. “It was too crowded to keep going back and forth.”
“Then let’s get you somewhere more private,” she purred, pulling him closer.
Conan’s lips captured hers, rewarding her bold suggestion. “Now that sounds like an excellent idea.”
Chapter Twenty-One
She took hishand, leading him to her own cottage and praying Emer stayed out a bit longer.
