“I am deeply sorry that ye were nae safe under me roof,” he began.
“Hush, Kenneth. You came when I needed you most. You defended me with great bravery, fighting three men. Please, don’t apologize.” She shook her head, her hair flowing down her back. “I well know that Aidan MacLeay is a deadly and savage enemy. I saw, with my own eyes, his men’s cruelty when I was aboard Halvar’s birlinn.” She squeezed his hand. “And you saved me that day also.”
He gazed into the flames, his thoughts reeling back to that day.
“There’s something you should know. About me. About why Aidan will never stop.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Selene straightened, as if she sensed the weight behind his words.
“Maureen told me a little of Aidan and his need to revenge himself for the death of the lady he loved.”
Kenneth drew a breath, as if pulling the past up from somewhere deep. “Lady Eilidh Fraser was me betrothed.” His jaw tightened. “She died the day after she reached Castle Duntulm.”
Selene’s expression softened instantly.
“Few outside these walls kens the truth,” he said quietly. “She fell ill during her journey. A fever. The healers did all they could, but she… she didnae last the night.”
He looked away, his voice roughening. “She was a gentle soul, but I didnae love her. I was young and obeyed the commands of me faither and the clan. I kent naught of Aidan and his love andthat she, too, had nay wish fer our marriage.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair. There was so much to regret.
“Rumors began the next morning. That I’d killed her because I didnae want tae marry her. That I’d forced the healers tae lie. That I’d hidden the body.”
Selene stared at him in stunned silence.
“Aidan MacLeay believed it more than any other,” Kenneth continued. “He loved her. Or thought he did. He swore I’d taken her from him.” His fists clenched at his sides. “He’s hated me ever since. And now… now I believe he’s going after ye because he thinks it will destroy me.”
Selene rose slowly, crossing the space between them. Her eyes softened with a tenderness he hadn’t expected, as if she could see the raw wound still living beneath his skin.
“Kenneth,” she whispered, “why didn’t you tell people the truth?”
“Because it daesnae matter what I say,” he answered. “Most have already chosen what they wish tae believe. But I didnae want ye tae look at me the way they dae.”
She reached up and touched his face with her fingertips. Her soft touch was enough to cause him to draw in a sharp breath.
“I see you,” she murmured. “Not the rumors.”
The tension between them shifted – no longer was their fear hanging between them, instead it was replaced was something gleaming bright, warm and strong.
Kenneth reached over, gently brushing a loose strand of hair from her cheek.
Their lips found each other as if pulled by the movement of the moon and stars, as certain as the tide. The kiss grew deeper, urgent, fueled by everything they had survived and everything they hadn’t yet said. Selene pressed closer, her hands sliding beneath the fabric of his shirt, feeling the heat of his skin.
Kenneth took her in his arms, lifting her, and carried her to the bed, his heart overflowing, his body throbbing with need. He put her down laying her head on the pillows, her hair spreading her on the fur coverlet.
She lay before him, her eyes dark and wide, her lips a little swollen and red with their kisses.
He groaned. “Selene, I’ve ne’er seen such a rare beauty as ye are. I cannae believe that ye are here, like this wi’ me.” He leaned over her, his hands on either side, and to his unswerving delight she reached up and pulled him down.
“Kenneth, there’s no place I would wish to be other than here with you.”
They kissed again, the world and its travails forgotten as their bodies moved together with rising hunger.
He gazed at her, her cheeks were flushed, her breath ragged, her lips parted enticingly. He ached for her, wanting nothing more than to run his hands over the soft curves that had tormented him for so long. He longed to feel the satin of her skin under his hands. His breath hitched with the surge of desire in his veins. He groaned at the thought of plundering her breasts with his mouth and teasing the puckered nubs he’d glimpsed when he’d stumbled upon her as she struggled with the laces on her bodice.
She wriggled against him, her lips seeking his, her breath panting, little moans coming from deep in her throat.
Then, as if suddenly becoming aware of her own movements, she pulled away a little and gazed at him.
