Caden gave a begrudging smile. “Aye, ye have.”
Ava was not sure when he had moved closer to the leg of her chair. She looked down at him.
“Why did ye want to marry Finlay?” he whispered.
“Because I would have retained me freedom with a man like him. I wouldnae be tied down. I wouldnae have to obey a man who hated or resented me.”
She turned to look at the fire. Red sparks shot up in the air, only to float back down and disappear within seconds.
The exhaustion must have loosened me tongue.
“Ah, I see.” Caden’s eyes flicked down to her mouth. It made her want to hide.
He leaned forward, his eyes still trained on her lips. Her breathing grew shallow. Everything around her blurred except for his muscular frame. His hair was a dark halo around his head. His eyes burned with desire.
Before she knew it, his calloused hands were in her hair and on the nape of her neck. Her hands slid down to his strong chest.
“Ye would miss out on much with a man ye daenae want though,” he whispered on her lips.
“Who said I want ye better?” She managed to get out, but she took a sharp breath when his thumb started rubbing circles on her neck.
To her question, her husband smirked, he actually just smirked, the blasted man!
“Daenae ye?” he whispered in her ear as he pulled her closer.
“I…”
“Ye what, wife?” he murmured softly, kissing her collarbone.
“Caden…”
“What do ye want, lassie?” he was smiling wickedly on her skin while he was trailing kisses up her neck.
If she her mind could form real sentences, she would have told him not to be so damn proud of himself.
But no words came. Instead, she sighed and pushed herself closer to him.
“Ye wouldnae deny me, would ye, wife? Hm?” he hummed and then finally, finally he pulled her from the back of her neck and kissed her.
His lips were soft but demanding, the kiss taking her breath away. She could feel his heart pounding like a war drum beneath her fingertips. She was certain it would burst out of his chest.
At the touch of his tongue, her knees weakened, and she leaned her full weight against him. His strong arms wrapped around her, holding her up as if she weighed no more than a feather.
Caden’s lips tasted of smoke and mint leaves, a tantalizing combination that stoked her desire. A moan rose in her throat, but a voice in her head screamed at her to swallow it back.
She paused, pulling away slightly to catch her breath.
Caden pulled her back in, his arms tightening around her. His hands were hot even through her clothes.
“Beg for me,” he murmured against her lips. “I can tell from the way ye kissed me that ye want me to take ye.”
Ava shook her head.
“What is it?” He looked into her face.
“I’ll never beg. And I willnae let ye take me until I’m certain ye respect me.”
Ava sat back and tried to gather her thoughts. All she knew was that she needed her husband to respect her. She needed to be sure that they could find a way to make this work as equals.
