She looked around as well. A bundle of rosemary rested on the counter. She picked it up and tied it with a string before hanging it up. “Yes, I’m done.”
“Will ye allow me to escort ye to yer chambers?”
She gave him a coy look. “Only if you ask nicely, since I’m so terrifying.”
His tongue darted out to lick his lips. “Well then, Me Lady.” He made a leg. “Would ye do me the honor of letting me escort ye to yer chambers?”
She lifted her chin, a smile playing on her lips. “I suppose that would be fine.”
He bowed low, offering her his arm. She took it, and they walked out the door together, pausing only to lock it before they made their way to the main keep.
Kayden frowned, looking around at the darkened corridor.
“We need to add more torches here,” he stated.
“Yes, that would be nice. It’d save me from stumbling about when I don’t have an escort.” She smiled up at him.
He resolved to have that done as soon as possible.
“Ye ken that ye can ask for what ye need at any time. Ye’re the lady of the castle. Ye can have whatever is within me power to give.”
He was gratified at the high color in her cheeks as she gave him a shy look from beneath her lashes. “Thank you,” she said softly.
He shook his head. “Nay need to thank me. It is me pleasure.”
If he was not mistaken, her cheeks grew even redder. He wondered if he could make her combust just with his words.
“Ye blush so prettily when I give ye the slightest compliment. Yer face flushes, and yer creamy skin looks so soft and tender. I cannae help but want ye,” he murmured.
Her eyes widened, and she almost choked on her breath. “I… hardly know what to say to that.”
He smiled, coming to a stop and turning to her. She stopped as well, staring up at him with wide eyes. He took a step towards her, and she took one back, stopping short as her back hit the wall.
His hand came to rest beside her head, palm flat against the stone, caging her without touching. The corridor suddenly felt too narrow, the torchlight flickering over her flushed skin.
“Ye always have something to say,” he murmured.
“Not when you look at me like that,” she whispered.
His gaze slowly dropped to her lips. She arched her back, breath catching, and his eyebrow lifted in quiet surprise at her response. The shift in her posture stirred something dark within him—something he had tried very hard to keep buried.
He leaned closer.
Their kiss was slow, tentative, almost cautious. Her lips softened beneath his, hesitant for only a heartbeat before answering him. A low sound escaped her, and his hand curled slightly against the wall as though he were bracing himself.
He drew back just enough to look at her.
“Ye should push me away,” he said quietly.
“And if I do not wish to?” she replied, voice barely above a whisper.
That undid him more than resistance ever could.
He kissed her again, deeper this time, his restraint slipping just enough to let heat edge into the moment. His free hand hovered near her waist before settling lightly against her side, thumb brushing the seam of her gown. She shivered, leaning into him, fingers curling into the front of his shirt.
His hand slid lower, tentative at first, as though testing a boundary she had not yet defined. The silk of her skirt whispered beneath his fingers. She drew in a sharp breath when he gathered a small fold of fabric, lifting it slightly so that the warmth of her seeped through the thin layers between them.
“Kayden,” she breathed, the sound more warning than protest.
