“I’ve wanted ye so badly,” he murmured. “Ever since we met.”
“Me too,” she whispered. “I was just...scared.”
Kai smiled at her. “So was I,” he admitted. He stroked her hair back off her face. “But now that I have ye—” He chuckled. “Well, now that I have ye, I’m not about to let ye go.”
The sound of the water lapping against the shore caught her attention. The tide was coming in and Caitlin was suddenly all too aware of how exposed they were to anyone who might wander by. With a cry of embarrassment, she grabbed her clothes and quickly dressed. Kai sighed in disappointment but then followed her example—albeit a bit more slowly. Once dressed, Kai climbed to his feet and held out his hand.
Caitlin took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet. He playfully chased her around, teasing her with sand before picking her up and carrying her along the shoreline. She laughed and clung to him, her arms wrapped around his neck. As they reached the path that led up onto the docks he put her down gently, but not before lightly kissing her forehead.
Caitlin sucked in a breath. She did not want to go back to Dun Cator. She wanted to stay here, in this living dream she and Kai had crafted. But she knew they both had to return to reality.
Kai was watching her, his eyes dark with emotion, and she wondered if he was thinking the same. She wanted to say something, anything, to help her figure out what had just happened between them and what it signified. But she couldn’t form the words. Instead, she walked silently by his side as they retraced their steps back through the village and up to the keep. Kai took her hand and squeezed it as they reached the gates.
“Caitlin,” he began. “I—”
“Kai!” shouted a voice. Caitlin turned to see Magnus trotting over. “Lord Tobias has been asking for ye. Where have ye been?”
Kai glanced at Caitlin, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “I’ve just been showing Caitlin some things.”
She blushed as Magnus raised an eyebrow and looked between the two of them. Fortunately, he didn’t pursue the comment. “Aye, well. I’ve been covering for ye best I can but he’s getting impatient.”
Caitlin put her hand on Kai’s arm. “You’d better go.”
“Aye,” he said, sounding irritated. “But I’ll be back. I promise ye that.”
Caitlin’s blushed deepened and heat rushed through her. “I’ll be waiting,” she murmured, low enough for only Kai to hear.
He stared at her a moment longer, heat in his gaze, then turned and walked away with Magnus.
Caitlin watched him go, trying to find a name for the emotion blossoming in her heart.
Chapter 18
Caitlin walked backto her chambers in a daze. She could still feel the warmth of Kai’s skin against hers and struggled to concentrate on anything else. But as she rounded a corner, her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden commotion. A group of warriors came hurrying past, their weapons glinting in the sunlight as they rushed to complete some unknown task.
The sight brought her back to earth with a bump. This was no fairytale that she found herself in, and Dun Cator was in danger. She must not forget that. She inhaled deeply and squared her shoulders.
