He exhaled sharply, eyes narrowing, his gaze dragging over her face like the scrape of a blade. “Oh, I saw yer answer, all right.”
The way he said it made her stomach twist. She wanted to speak, to say something clever or sharp enough to pierce the tension choking the air, but her words wouldn’t come.
Instead, she tilted her chin, every inch of her wrapped in composure. “Is there anything else, me laird?”
Aidan didn’t answer right away. He looked at her like a man balancing on a cliff’s edge, one wrong breath away from falling. His voice, when it came, was quiet but edged with something that made her throat tighten. “Ye keep bringin’ me tae the edge, Catherine.”
The words were a blow she hadn’t expected. Her mouth went dry. “The edge o’ what?”
He gave a short, humorless laugh, shaking his head. “Ye dinnae want tae ken.”
Catherine frowned. “I wouldnae ask if I didnae.”
He said nothing. His eyes stayed on hers, unreadable, dark as storm light. She hated that she couldn’t look away.
A sharp, nervous energy coiled in her chest, too wild to contain. “Well,” she said, forcing her tone light, laced with a touch of mockery to steady herself, “if it’s anger ye mean, I can see that clearly enough. I’ve been told I’m gifted at bringin’ that out in ye.”
His mouth twitched, the faintest ghost of a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Aye. That ye are.”
She crossed her arms, though it did little to hide the tremor in her hands. “Ye dinnae look like a man who loses his temper easily. I suppose I should feel honored tae be the exception.”
“Ye’re nae an exception,” he said, quiet but firm. “Ye’re a test I never asked fer.”
Something in his tone—half admiration, half frustration—sent a strange ache through her.
“Well,” she said with a sharp little laugh that didn’t sound quite real, “I’d apologize fer it, but I imagine ye enjoy a bit o’ testin’. It must be a relief from all the perfect, soft-spoken women ye’re used tae.”
That did it. His head lifted sharply, eyes flashing with something that looked too close to truth. Catherine regretted the words the moment they left her mouth, but pride wouldn’t let her take them back.
“Oh, dinnae look so shocked,” she said, feigning ease she didn’t feel. “I’ve heard enough tales about Laird Cameron tae fill a book. I ken well I’m nae the sort ye prefer.”
“Ye think I prefer them docile,” he said, voice low.
“Dinnae ye?” she countered.
He took a step closer, and she instantly felt the dangerous pull. “Aye,” he said at last, his tone slow, deliberate, almost mocking himself. “I prefer peace. And yet, I keep findin’ me way tae storms.”
Her throat went dry. “Then perhaps ye should learn tae stay indoors when the clouds gather.”
He smiled, but it wasn’t gentle. “Perhaps I should.”
For a heartbeat, the world stilled. Catherine could feel the warmth radiating from him, could smell the faint trace of smoke and rain that clung to his skin. His gaze flicked to her lips before returning to her eyes, and she thought, absurdly, that if she took one step closer, she might see what lived on the other side of all that restraint.
But then he turned away, jaw tight, like a man walking himself back from a precipice.
“Fer the sake o’ me friendship wi’ yer braither,” he said quietly, not looking at her, “I hope ye never find out what it means.”
Her breath caught, though she masked it with a dry, incredulous laugh. “Ye make it sound like a curse.”
“Maybe it is.”
“Or maybe ye’re just afraid it’s somethin’ ye cannae control,” she said, her tone turning sharp again, needing to strike at something, anything, to keep from trembling.
He finally looked back at her then, and the heat in his gaze silenced her. There was no amusement there now, no angereither; just that steady, unbearable intensity that stripped her bare without touching her.
“Ye’ve nae idea what I can control,” he said softly.
The words rolled through her like a shiver. Her heart leapt into her throat, her tongue tripping on every thought that might have followed. He stepped back, his hand falling from the wall beside her head. The absence of him was sudden, cold. Catherine didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until it escaped her in one uneven rush.
