His gaze dropped to her mouth before he caught himself. The movement was quick, but it shifted the air between them.
“Daenae tempt me to try.” The words came out darker than he had intended.
Her lips parted ever so slightly.
He released her wrist abruptly, as though the contact had burned him, but he did not step back. Not yet.
“Ye need to go,” he said, voice rough, though it lacked its earlier command.
She did not move.
“You cannot open yourself like that and then send me away,” she murmured. “Not when I finally see you.”
Something inside him faltered at that. His hand hovered near her waist, uncertain, wanting and refusing in equal measure. For a heartbeat, it seemed he might pull her closer. Instead, he turned his head slightly, jaw tight with restraint.
“I am nae something to be studied or fixed,” he grunted.
“No,” she replied softly. “But you are something to be understood.”
The silence that followed felt heavier than any argument. And far more dangerous.
“Let me stay, please.”
She stepped into his space, and he picked her up effortlessly. He carried her through the door and into her room. Then he gently put her down next to her armoire.
He looked into her eyes, reading the hurt in them. “Daenae mistake survival for cruelty,mo shùilean donn.”
She stared back at him, and he almost lost himself in her beguiling eyes. She took a step forward, her hand reaching out to him. He froze, not wanting to give her a reason to touch him.
“I know what the redcoats did was awful. But I am no redcoat, and we are not all the same.”
He shook his head. “I didnae say ye were.”
“But you keep me at arm’s length because that is how you see me, is it not? I am just asassenachto you, and you believe that is how our people see me.”
He let out a loud sigh. “I am nae keeping ye at arm’s length out of any… misguided hatred. Why can ye nae understand that and stop trying to defy me at every turn?”
“Then why? Why keep me at arm’s length? Why would you care if asassenachfell sick? Why does it matter more than helping yer people?” She took a step towards him so that they were amere hair’s breadth apart. She lifted her head to look him in the eye.
He huffed in annoyance. “Ye arenae just asassenach, Lilliana. Ye are mewife.”
Before he could think about it, his hands shot out to grasp her arms and pulled her into him, knocking over the side table. Her eyes widened as she stared up at him, the creamy swell of her breasts rising and falling with every quick breath.
The air thickened between them, and both their breaths were coming short.
“Lilliana…” he breathed, before swooping down and pressing his lips to hers, unable to resist any longer.
He expected her to push him away, but her lips parted, letting him in. She moaned into his mouth, and he wrapped her legs around him. His hand slid around, cupping her bottom, and he felt her breasts press against his chest.
She wriggled her arms free, snaking them around his neck and holding on tight. He grabbed her thighs, urging her legs around his waist so he could carry her easily.
She whimpered and moaned, writhing so hard against him that he could not help his arousal. He carried her to the bed and dropped her gently onto the covers.
She stared up at him, gown askew, her legs bared. Kayden took her in. She was a sight to behold. One nipple was peeking over the neckline of her dress. Her hair had fallen loose and cascaded down one shoulder.
She was a vision, and he could not resist her any longer.
“Lilliana…” He leaned down and captured her mouth with his, the tangy taste of lemon cake she had eaten for dessert still lingering on her tongue. He wanted to lick the taste right off her before he consumed the rest of her just as thoroughly.
