He stood, shrinking the distance between them by half. “This ismecastle.”
“Do ye intend to disorder it in the name of ownership or what?”
He frowned. “What?”
“Ye tell me!”
He coughed. “Kristen, are ye certain this is just about the tapestry?”
“That, me Laird, is the question I was just about to ask ye as well,” she scoffed.
His eyes narrowed as he stepped closer to her. “What else would it be about?”
“Ye tell me,” she fired back. “Ye step through the door, and things that held together start moving, whether they must or nae.”
“Ye ken what I think?” He stopped right before her, the heat of his body enough to hold her spellbound. “I think this is about more than the tapestry. ’Tis about control.”
Kristen scoffed. “What?”
He leaned in. The room grew smaller, the air warmer, the pulse in her ears too loud.
“Aye. ’Tis about whatyemight do if I push ye too far,” he murmured.
Kristen swallowed, hating the flush that spread across her face. “Ye daenae want to ken what I’m thinking right now.”
“Why nae? Ye fear it will betray the fact that ye want me?”
Kristen raised her hand, her emotions getting the better of her. “Ye feel awfully proud of yerself, do ye nae?”
“I daenae ken. Ye’re the one suddenly drawn to a stranger ye havenae seen in five years.”
“Ye think I am drawn to ye because ye’re a stranger?”
“Aye.”
She shook her head. “That is just nonsense.”
“Is it?” he challenged, raising an eyebrow. “Why do ye think so?”
Her breath shuddered. “Because if ye had stayed, ye would ken I would have stood by ye. Even in hell.”
Something gave in his face, a line pulled too tight. His hand came up and cupped her jaw as if it knew exactly where it fit, and then his mouth was on hers.
Heat bloomed inside her, and she did not hesitate. She kissed him back. Her hands found his shoulders as he backed her against the table, and the edge of the map dug into her hip. The room spun as his hands curled around her waist.
He tasted of mint and the morning ale, and he kissed like a man who had been punished for wanting and had stopped asking for permission. His fingers slid up to the back of her neck. Hers tangled in his hair.
The kiss deepened until there was no room for breath. His low groans met her gasps and stoked the heat further.
His hands trailed down her dress, and he pulled up the hem. He bunched it in one hand and felt the back of her thighs with the other. Her hands slid down his chest, settling on his waistband,before daring to go further. Her fingers brushed the bulge in his trousers, coaxing a soft groan from his lips.
A long minute passed before they broke apart for breath. Silence enveloped them like a shawl, but inside, Kristen wasscreaming.
This isnae happening. There is nay way this is happening.
10
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to pause around them. His lips tingled, and his heart thudded hard against his ribs. Her breath fanned his jaw, and her hands rested on his chest as if they had always known the place.
