He leaned in, ready to take her mouth again, when the weight of his words hit him, cold as a thrown pail.
“I have an heir now.”
“Stay away from me tower.”
I willnae claim ye.
He stepped back quickly, as if her skin had burned him. His hands dropped from her waist, and he clenched his jaw and closed his eyes.
He dragged a hand over his face. “This…” he said roughly. “This shouldnae have happened.”
Kristen went still, and color rose fast in her cheeks. She lifted her chin, pride like a shield. “I understand. If ye were captive all those years, it is only natural that ye… ye would want a woman.”
Something dangerous flared in Neil’s chest. “Ye think I would do that with any woman?”
“I am sure ye would,” Kristen replied, too confident to be honest.
Silence fell between them. The fire flickered. A coal popped.
“Is that what ye think of me?” Neil asked quietly.
“I think ye have needs like any man.” Kristen shrugged. “And ye arenae exactly ken for yer patience.”
“I stayed away from every hand,” he gritted out. “Every touch. Five years, and I stayed away.”
“By choice,” she asked, “or because of the chains?”
He took a step toward her, then stopped. “Daenae put that blame on me. I did what I could. I chose nae to break.”
“Well, what exactly do ye call this?” She gestured between them. “Are feelings stronger than ye can handle?”
“Feelings cost lives,” he argued. “Ye ken nothing about the men I owe.”
“Iken what I paid,” she retorted, her temper rising. “Five years of silence. Five years of pity. Five years of being a wife to adeadlaird.”
Neil braced his palms on the table to steady himself. Paper slid under his fingers. “I told ye, this shouldnae have happened.”
“Because ye might want me,” Kristen asked, her eyes flashing, “or because I might want ye back?”
His breathing quickened. “Wanting someone is a trap, lass.”
“Is that where ye’re going with this?” She scowled. “Really, Neil?”
He let out a mirthless laugh. “Ye are married to the Wolf of the North, at the end of the day. Ye cannae fault him if he bites.”
“Some Wolf of the North.” She waved a dismissive hand. “I ken ye’re nae cruel enough to hurt me.”
Neil thought of the cabin. The brand. The nights when silence had kept him alive. He thought of her mouth a moment ago, the sound she had made when he took it.
He swallowed. “Because I am careful.”
She folded her arms across her chest, then dropped them, restless. “Say it. Ye regret touching me.”
His mouth opened, then closed. “Ye ken nothing about regret. I am thinking about the danger.”
“To whom?” she asked. “Me or ye?”
“Both,” he bit out.
