When at last he pulled back, his forehead rested against hers, their breaths mingling in the quiet, warm room.
"Maisie…" he murmured, voice hoarse and rough with restraint.
She could only nod, her lips tingling, her pulse still racing. In that charged silence, she knew the boundaries had shifted. Whatever lesson he intended, she had already surrendered a part of herself willingly.
Then the voice of her mother echoed in her mind of propriety and not giving to a man.
Maisie pulled back abruptly, stepping away from Caiden with sharp hands and a glare that could cut stone.
"Caiden! Ye cannae just touch me whenever ye wish," she spat, cheeks burning with both anger and embarrassment.
Her voice trembled slightly, betraying the storm of emotions she felt under the weight of his nearness. She planted her feet firmly, refusing to let him see how his presence stirred her beyond reason.
Caiden's dark eyes narrowed, shadowed with desire and something more dangerous, control.
"Och, Maisie… I ken exactly how ye felt last night," he murmured, voice low and edged with heat. "Ye cannae deny it, lass. Ye felt it as I did." His words made her ears burn crimson, her pulse drumming in her temples as fury and longing warred inside her.
"Ye speak as if ye ken me thoughts and ye daenae." Maisie shot back, lifting her chin defiantly. "Ye have nay right! I am nay one's to command, and ye are nae laird over me will!" She turned sharply, intending to storm from the room and leave him behind.
But Caiden moved with frightening speed, closing the distance in a heartbeat. His arms wrapped around her, pinning her against his chest with an iron grip. "I told ye, Maisie," he growled, his voice dark and husky, "ye cannae disobey me. Ye belong to me."
Maisie's body stiffened at his words, and heat rushed to her cheeks as she fought to wrestle free.
"I am nay one's, Caiden! Ye hear me? I will never be yers!" she hissed, her voice shaking with a mix of indignation and desire she did not wish to admit.
He pressed closer, the warmth of his body a silent accusation against her defiance.
"Ye were nae so resistant last night, lass," he whispered, almost tenderly, though the glint in his eyes made her heart seize. "Ye ken ye enjoyed it."
Maisie drew a shaky breath and straightened, eyes blazing with stubborn pride.
"I will never be yers, and I will nae let ye touch me as if I belong to ye!" she declared, trying to sound firm even as her body trembled from his proximity. "I have a duty to me family. I am to marry for alliance, and I will do me part."
Fury flared in Caiden's gaze, dark and stormy, as if her words were a provocation that burned him.
"Ye will never be anyone else's, Maisie!" he thundered, gripping her arms tightly. "Hear me, ye only belong to me! And if ye dare speak of another, I will punish ye for it!"
Maisie's chest rose and fell rapidly as she fought to regain composure, her mind spinning with both indignation and the lingering heat of last night. Her hands flexed at her sides,desperate to release the tension in her body, yet a part of her could not deny the thrill of his words.
She lifted her chin higher, trying to match his fury with her own, though a small, rebellious whisper in her mind doubted her ability to resist him entirely.
"I will nae let ye command me. Nae after last night," she said again, her voice shaking, yet sharper now with resolve.
She struggled against his embrace, though she felt the undeniable pull of his strength. Even as she willed herself to be stern, her mind betrayed her.
Caiden's eyes softened for a fleeting moment, a dangerous, smoldering glint hidden beneath his anger.
"Ye may fight me, Maisie," he murmured, voice low and almost intimate, "but ye will nae be anyone else's. I will have ye, whether ye ken it yet or nae."
The words cut deep, mingling threat and promise, leaving her reeling, trapped in both fear and a desire she could not name.
He kissed her once more, heavy and deep with possession. Then he walked away, leaving her alone.
She clenched her fists, trying to assert her dignity, yet the intensity of the moment pressed upon her like the tide on the shore.
She knew she could not yield entirely, and yet she also knew she could not escape the pull of Caiden's presence.
One thing was sure:
