Throwing off his clothes as hurriedly as he could, he flung himself into the bath, plunging his body and his head under the hot water. As it washed over him, he tried not to think about Ava and what the future held, but his mind betrayed him anyway. Inseconds, he was picturing Ava in the bath there with him, and though he was rock hard for her, his length straining, all he did was hold her, whisper in her ear and kiss her neck, promising that he would keep her safe forever.
Ava pulled the fur cloak tightly around her body as she left her guest chamber and tiptoed across the landing of the castle. She crept toward a vast staircase, not daring to bring a candle with her, but navigating using the moonlight alone that glimmered through the windows. She shivered as she walked, constantly looking around for any sign of a guard.
It was hardly the first time in her life she had crept into the Dunvegan Castle kitchens for some food in the middle of the night. When she was younger, she had often done it with Kai and the twins, the four meeting in the dead of night, talking into the early hours of the morning before they went to bed.
Why am I doing this tonight?
She wasn’t sure she could answer herself. Perhaps it was a longing to go back to that time when life seemed so much simpler, or maybe she was indeed just hungry. Either way, she was determined to get there tonight.
She found a second staircase, this one made of spiraling stones that led deep down into the belly of the castle. As she reached the bottom floor, she crept along on her tiptoes, getting increasingly close to the open doorway of the kitchen, when a light caughther eye. This was not the silvery light of the moon, but the warm orange glow of a candle.
Someone was moving around in there. Their tall shadow walked past the open doorway.
Ava was just beginning to think she should return to her chamber when she heard a curse from within as something was dropped.
“Och, in the name of the wee man.”
“Kai?” she whispered his name, pushing the door wider.
It was indeed Kai, his face and dark hair lit by the candle he’d placed on a table. He’d dropped some sort of iron cauldron on his toe and was picking it up. When he saw her, he smiled broadly.
“Remembering our younger days too?” he asked.
“Maybe,” she whispered. “Ye hungry?”
“Thirsty. Warm milk? If I dinnae destroy the kitchen making it.”
“Aye, please.” Ava felt a rush of excitement as she closed the kitchen door behind her and moved toward Kai. He was making up a fire as she went to a storage room in the corner and pulled out a pale of milk. Together, they tipped the milk intothe cauldron, then placed it over the low embers that were just beginning to catch light.
As Ava’s arm bumped Kai’s when she put down the pale, her eyes turned to what he was wearing. Dressed in trews and a loose shirt, the neckline was open, revealing a flash of skin on his chest. The shirt wasn’t tucked in either but hung loose, emphasizing the narrowness of his hips compared to his toned shoulders.
Ava stepped back, realizing how much she was staring at Kai and struggling to keep her focus on anything else.
“Ye all right, Ava?” he whispered, prodding the embers of the fire with a poker.
“Aye, aye,” she said rather quickly.
“That’s a nay, then.”
“Why dae ye ever bother asking if ye can just read me emotions anyway?”
“Because I like the idea of ye being open with me.” He looked back at her and winked.
She flinched, wondering what he meant by that. He turned back to prod the fire as she took a seat by the table, doing her best not to keep staring at him.
“Couldnae sleep?” he asked.
“Nay. I had… dreams.” She couldn’t tell him those dreams. They had startled her in their power. She had dreamt she was back in that cave with Kai. He had drawn up her skirt, then his fingers had trailed up her thigh. The mere memory of that dream now made the hair stand up on the back of her neck. She had dreamt he had reached between her legs, his fingers exploring that most sensitive area as her head tipped back and she moaned. Would it excite her, she wondered? Would she have spread her legs wider, desperate to feel more of him?
“Dae those dreams startle ye?” he asked, busying himself with finding tankards.
“Aye, they did.” There was no point in denying it when he could read the feeling on her. “I could dae with a distraction.”
The last time she had ever had such a sensual dream was before she had been attacked, years ago. Since then, she had shut down any such thoughts, until tonight it seemed. Over the last few days, Kai had wormed his way into her mind.
I had nae expected him tae be in that dream.
Part of her had wished to go back to sleep and for that dream to return, to see what her mind wanted to do with Kai next.
