“I didn’t know so many people lived here,” Kyle said to Gavin, leaning forward for a cup.
“It’s always surprising, isn’t it,” Gavin said in reply.
They watched as the feast progressed for a while, with more food being brought in and the music growing in volume. The wane and ale were plentiful, and the room was full of merriment. Kyle leaned back and enjoyed himself at the table as more dancers populated the floor, and suddenly he spied Laila, walking with a large pitcher of wine down the far end of the hall.
“There it is,” Domnal said, and Kyle turned to him in surprise.
“What?”
“Ye’ve been looking for her all night,” Domnal answered. “Ye gonna ask her tae dance?”
“Tae dance?” Kyle scoffed. “Ye know I’m not a dancer. And she’s a servant!”
“So ye’re not gonna?” Domnal said and then finished his cup. “Then I will.”
“Ye’re married,” Kyle laughed back, believing it all to be a jest.
“Ye’re not,” Domnal replied and stood from his seat. Kyle suddenly lost his smile as Domnal went down onto the floor and approached Laila. He walked up boldly and took the wine from her hands, setting it down on one of the tables, and the two shared a few words, and then Domnal led her out onto the dance floor amidst the rest of the pairs.
Kyle watched as they began to dance, suddenly feeling hot inside his chest. Watching her bound about with someone came with a stinging feeling, one he had never before encountered, and the longer the dance went, the more intense it became. If he had been paying attention to anything else, he might have noticed that she was a very good dancer, in fact, perhaps the best on the floor. She spun elegantly, bounced politely, and held her wrist just so that she seemed perfect in every motion.
Yet Kyle only noticed the jealously growing inside him, and when it became too unbearable, he stood from his chair, suddenly and without thought, and marched down to meet them. Domnal saw him approaching from over his shoulder and smirked.
“May I?” Kyle asked, interrupting the jig.
“Didn’t think it would take that long,” Domnal said, still grinning, and handed Laila off to him in a fluid motion, so quickly that it caught Kyle by surprise.
“Oh!” Laila exclaimed. “How did you get here?”
“Still trying to sort that out,” Kyle replied and tried to get into step with the tune as they went about.
“Fine clothes you’re wearing,” Laila remarked with a sly smile as they began to dance.
“I’ll try tae keep these ones clean,” Kyle replied with an equal grin, and they danced.
Earlier, he spoke the truth when he said he didn’t dance and found it terribly difficult. He kept fumbling about as he tried to look around and copy other people’s movements, but suddenly the tune slowed down, and people leaned in together, and he found himself pressed up against Laila, bringing back memories of the night before. He wanted to lean in and kiss her; his hand was on her waist. He began to move his lips toward hers and let his eyes close.
But suddenly, she pulled away, and he stumbled forwards as she peeled away, making fast for the doors. Kyle caught himself and looked around, catching sight of her as she disappeared outside. Going with his gut, he turned and rushed for the door, following her out.
Kyle looked around in the yard and saw the tail of her dress disappearing behind the far end of the hall. “Laila, wait!” he called, sprinting after her. Rounding the corner, he saw her walking toward the orchards, and he caught her just as she passed beneath the first row of trees. “Laila!”
“What do you want?” she cried out, spinning around to face him. He could see there was distress in her eyes and felt ashamed to be any part of it.
“Why do you run?” he asked, catching a quick breath from his dash. “What is it? Am I such a brute? So evil?”
“I am not a toy!” she said back, stomping her foot. In the pale moonlight, Kyle thought her freckles were exceptionally beautiful. “I am not to be played with!”
“A toy?” Kyle blinked a few times. “I haven’t played with toys for a long time,” he said, completely ignorant of how he may sound in his reply.
“Pig!” she cried and swung her hand forward to slap him. Reflexively, Kyle caught her hand and held it fast in his gentle grip. In another moment without thought, Kyle surrendered to his instincts and kissed her.
He let go of her hand and moved his to her back while her arm went up behind his neck, and they held each other in another unexpected passionate embrace while a subtle breeze washed over their shoulders in the moonlight.
Kyle drank in her aura, feeling her heartbeat thundering out onto his chest as he pulled her closer, the warmth of her breasts enveloping his neck as he reached down to the small of her back, tracing the base of her spine as their tongues gently sparred. Then he felt her withdrawing, and so, to avoid another chomp out of his lip, he did the same.
They pulled apart but slowly, still lingering in each other’s embrace. “I’ve been thinking about nothing else since last night,” Kyle whispered, his fingers running over her lower spine, kneading her skin through her thin servant gown.
“I am the same,” she breathed back, and they came together again, wrapping one another fiercely, their hands moving up and down the breadth of each other’s bodies. Kyle breathed in her essence as he felt her tongue press into his, and he took hold of her backside, pulling it gently from side to side as he massaged it, lifting her off the ground, and she wrapped her legs around him. His erection was like a lightning rod, planted up against her as he held her, and he could feel her pressing back, enveloping the region in heat, and that heat shot quickly to his brain, dominating every other shred of thought.
