“What lies between ye is hate. That isnae hard to understand. This has to do with Jamie.”
Thor’s chin notched up, but his expression closed off. Rose rolled her eyes. No one else might understand that shuttered mien, but she’d known him since the moment of their conception.
“Ye can make yer face go blank for as long as ye want. But I ken this has to do with that battle and losing him. Ye blame Greer. We were five-and-ten back then, and she wasna even at Gunn Castle that day.”
“Aye, she was.”
“Nay—”
“Rose, she was there. I willna say more until I sort this out with Greer. I canna promise we ever will. Ye must accept this, or I’ll go home.”
“Nay. That isnae what I want. I want ma twin and ma best friend to get along, so I dinna have to see ye hurt each other.”
Thor wrapped his arms around his sister. Jamie Sinclair had been the closest friend he had besides Rose. He knew now that Greer was Rose’s Jamie. But no friend would ever be closer to them than they were to each other. He understood Rose’s relationship with Blaine was entirely different. However, when it came to friendship, Rose and Thor would always put each other first.
“Rosie, I ken ye’re caught in the middle, and I wish that werenae the case. I canna promise ye that things will ever be well between Greer and me. But I will try harder to nae put ye in the middle. I’m sorry for hurting ye.”
“I ken ye are and thank ye. But ye and Greer are hurting each other. I just wish I understood.”
“Mayhap one day. But ye must find a way to live with possibly never kenning. That or I have to go home.”
“I dinna want that at all. I told ye the other night that I’m nae ready for ye to go. I’ll figure it out.”
“I love ye, ye wee beastie.” Thor kissed his sister’s cheek.
“I love ye, too, ye wee beastie.” Rose stretched to kiss his cheek.
“Ye wee beastie” was what their father had called them since they were old enough to crawl and get into everything. They’d overturned bowls of flour, spilled buttermilk, and strewn ash across the Great Hall floor and themselves when they were barely toddlers. They’d been getting into trouble together since then.
CHAPTER5
Thor claimed to go to his chamber to change since his plaid was damp from Greer wrapping it around her. It was, but he could live with it. He went halfway up the stairs until Rose disappeared at the bottom of them, entering the Great Hall. He hurried back down and along the passageway until he reached Greer’s door. He knocked once, but he didn’t wait for an invitation to enter. He froze.
Greer spun toward the door, grabbing her chemise and holding it in front of her. Her eyes bulged as she observed Thor gauping at her. He snapped out of the trance before her and pushed the door closed, having enough sense to lock it. They didn’t need anyone to barge in on them as he’d done to Greer.
He crossed the chamber and ran his hand over her back, feeling a multitude of scars. He saw a brief glimpse before she turned toward him, but he would never forget. His hand trailed gently over her ribs before both hands gripped her shoulders.
“Did I cause this?”
Greer kept her gaze locked with his, but she wouldn’t answer. At least, not aloud. Her silence was her answer.
“Please help me understand.” He cupped her cheek so gently that her eyes filled with tears. “Wee one, I saw the restraints on yer bed. I think I ken—”
“Whatever ye think ye ken, ye can stop.” Greer snapped her interjection. She pressed her lips between her teeth, not meaning to sound so hostile when he was being so gentle.
Thor stepped away and turned toward the door. “Put yer chemise on. Then we are going to talk. Mayhap ye willna tell me all of it, but ye will tell me some of it. Ye will tell me how I caused men to—” He couldn’t finish. He feared he’d be ill.
“I told ye, whatever ye think ye ken—”
“Greer.” Anguish filled his voice as he spun back around. She still held the chemise in front of her, but he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. He kept his hold loose this time. “I wish to kiss ye again, but things are so different now. If ye dinna want me to touch ye, then I willna. I dinna want to take that choice from ye.”
She struggled to slide her hands up between them, their bodies keeping them and the chemise in place. When they were free, she eased them over his chest until her arms wrapped around his neck.
“Ye never have.” Greer lifted her chin and parted her lips. Thor’s mouth descended to hers, pressing his lips to hers lightly at first. Then the kiss erupted. They clung to one another as eight years dropped away, yet their eight years of longing and hunger exploded into a scrambling need to hold one and to gain more with each passing heartbeat. Thor kept his hands at her lower back not wanting her to feel threatened if he moved them elsewhere. Her moan as she pressed harder against him, arching her back, nearly snapped his resolve. “Thor.”
Her breathy whisper went straight to his aching cock. He’d missed the sound of need that matched his.
“Greer, put some clothes on. Ye’re still as tempting as ye were back then. If ye dinna, I’ll be hefting ye over ma shoulder and searching for the priest.”
