“A few,” he said casually.
“Real ones?”
“I daenae ken of any false snakes. Do ye?”
“I daenae play with snakes.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed in amusement. Despite her serious expression, he could see a flicker of fear. “I take it ye have a bad history with them?”
Her voice pitched high, almost without her permission. “Me braither once put one on me blanket when I was little. I screamed till me voice cracked.”
He laughed loudly. She glared at him.
“It’s nae funny,” she huffed.
“Yer braither sounds like a menace.”
“He was,” she said, then softened. “But at least that was all he was back then. Mischievous.” The edge in her tone faded.
She told him small things as they walked. The way her brother hid in the loft and whistled like a bird to scare her. The way they drew maps on the floor with chalk when the rain kept them in. What she had not understood at the time was that the castle felt too large when he left a room.
Alex listened. “Calum did the same for me, in his own way,” he said. “We were lads together. He taught me how to win at bones and lose at cards. He taught me to cut a path across the moor and find my way back. He would shake his head when I tried to order him about.”
“Ye must have been really close with him.”
“Aye. We were. At least until he decided to—” Alex broke off.
“At least until he decided to what?” she asked.
He opened his mouth to respond, but a rustle came from the hedge. Dry leaves against dry leaves. Nothing more than a small body moving. Her breath hitched.
“Is that a snake?” she asked.
Before he could answer, she stepped into him, hand flying to his arm and pulling him with her. Her back met the wall, and he came close enough that the heat of her reached him through the night air.
“Easy,” he murmured.
He put a hand on the wall by her shoulder to keep his balance. He could see the bob of her throat when she swallowed.
Her head tipped up.
She was close.
Too close.
His body surged forward, almost of its own accord, and he could feel himself harden before he could stop it. Heat curled in his chest, urgent and crude. He felt it at that moment, him pinning her against the stone wall, and for a heartbeat too long, he did nothing.
Before he could stop himself, he leaned in and took her lips with his. He could feel her back hit the wall again, this time with a bit more force. The cold night did little to nothing to stop just how hot her lips felt under his.
His hands roamed over her body until they found their way to her thighs. He heard her gasp against him, and the sound almost rendered him insane.
He was burning up, and he could feel his trousers grow tight. His hand slid up the inside of her thigh, and he felt her suck in a breath. The tips of his fingers found the space between her legs, and when he pressed up, she shuddered hard against him.
When he slid a finger into her, her whole body grew tense. It made him grow even more aroused, but this was not the time to stop.
He added another finger and built a slow rhythm. Her hands grabbed at his back, and he could feel her trying not to moan. She rocked forward, and soon, she was thrusting against his hand.
He remained as close as possible, his chest pressed against hers, his lips brushing her cheek. When he twisted his wrist ever so slightly, he felt her jolt.
