He pressed her hard against him, his thigh creating a delicious pressure against her core. She bit down the instinctive groan at the sensation, then failed to keep it contained when he bent his head and nibbled along the tendon between her neck and shoulder.
She pinched his side hard in retaliation. He knew what that spot did to her.
She lifted up, nipping along his chin, her eyes never leaving his. They were locked in a battle of wills, neither one willing to lose. Every sensation was heightened, made more decadent, as temperatures rose and need built under her skin—a need they had no hope of alleviating with the possibility of unfriendly eyes and ears directed their way.
“Minx,” Fallon said through gritted teeth as she teased him.
Her smile widened, moving against his skin. “Takes one to know one.”
He grunted as she hit a sensitive spot and buried his face against her neck. “Anything else?”
She nodded, a slight movement that brushed the stubble from his day-old beard against the soft skin of her cheek. “Yes, there’s probably at least one hidden entrance in this room.”
He stilled against her. “Are you sure?”
“Almost positive.”
He uttered a soft curse. It was a sentiment Shea shared.
He sighed and pressed his forehead against hers. “Neither one of us is going to get much sleep tonight.”
“We could always have a few of your men stay in here with us,” she told him.
He shook his head, the movement almost undetectable. “That’ll give up our advantage.”
Battle was as much about communication as anything. If you could control the information your enemy had, or twist it to your advantage, you had a greater chance of coming out victorious.
Knowing there were potential watchers meant they could control what their spies learned. They could give out disinformation, forcing their spies to act in such a way that benefited them.
Shea relaxed back into the bed. Fallon was right. Sleep was going to be very scarce over the next few days if one of them had to be constantly on guard against anybody taking advantage of the hidden entrance to carry out an assassination.
He dropped a light kiss on her lips in apology and rolled away, leaving her to frown grumpily at the ceiling. If there was one thing she prized above all else, it was sleep—especially given the lack of it lately.
She propped herself up on her elbows, watching Fallon move purposely through the room. With a sigh, she sat up and scooted to the end of the bed. Might as well get cleaned up while they had time. Showing up at the evening meal wearing the dirt and sweat accumulated over several weeks on the trail, would not go over well. Dane hadn’t been kidding when he said their hosts were sticklers for punctuality, especially in guests.
“What can we expect tonight?” Fallon asked as she climbed off the bed.
She walked over to a small screen that had been set up to shield the bathing chamber from the rest of the room. It would offer some privacy. She scanned the walls for any indication of spy holes and checked her sightlines to make sure none of the spots she’d noted would get a good look at the bathing area.
She raised her voice as she turned on the faucet, checking the water temperature with the back of one hand as the tub began to fill. “We’ll be watched and tested. We’ll have to go lightly armed; swords and the like aren’t permitted in the banquet hall.”
Fallon came over to lean against the stone wall, watching Shea’s actions with fascination as she threw a scented ball into the water. It hit the liquid and started to fizz, releasing a lavender scent that rose with the steam.
“Running water?” he asked.
She nodded. “The entire Keep is set up for it. It’s a remnant of the time before.”
It was also one of the few places she knew of with the luxury. There was also a city far to the north that had running water in all its old buildings, but it was the only other one she knew of.
“Where do they get the water?” he asked, his forehead wrinkled as he aimed a thoughtful look at the tub.
“Several places.” Shea whipped her shirt over her head and placed her hands on the waistband of her pants. “There are aqueducts that feed the Keep with snow melt and mountain springs. There are also cisterns located on top of the Keep and a spring deep below it.”
“So, if the aqueducts are ever destroyed, they still have enough water to survive in times of siege.” Fallon sounded impressed. As a conqueror, he could appreciate the time and thought put into making sure the residents of the Keep could survive in the event anyone ever laid siege to them, even as he considered how he might break the back of such a place.
Shea nodded as she finished disrobing, standing in nothing but her breast band and a thin piece of underwear. The look on Fallon’s face changed from the warlord bent on domination to that of a man looking at conquering his woman.
A familiar heat entered his eyes. One that was echoed in Shea. It always startled her, this need. So strange to know that there was another person out there who was almost as vital to her as breathing.
