The pleasure crashed over her. With her eyes firmly closed, she moaned his name, clinging onto him so much that she feared she clawed marks into his skin, though he didn’t seem to mind. He kept on moving his hand, thrilling her, as he placed his lips in the curve of her neck and kissed her again. He rocked theirbodies together as she came down from her waves of pleasure, then he held her, his fingers toying in her skirt as they just embraced.
Ava wasn’t sure how long they stood there, bodies together, hands all over one another, but they kept kissing, stealing light touches.
“Kai,” she whispered after some minutes, knowing at some point, one of them would have to say something. “Did ye mean it? What ye said. About… how long ye have wanted this.”
He bent forward and rested his forehead against hers. The intimacy of the movement made her hands wrap around his waist, holding him as near to her as was possible.
“It was the complete truth, love.”
She closed her eyes. He hadn’t called her that for a few days now. To hear it again made her heartbeat flutter.
“Yet ye and I both ken one thing.” Kai lifted his head. “Yer path in life is set away from me now, isnae it?” His breath stilled a little.
With a sudden lump in her throat, Ava trailed a hand down his chest, wanting to be near to him. She couldn’t agree. She couldn’t even nod, though she didn’t need to. For they both knew it to be the truth.
“There is naething more I would love tae dae than tae show ye here right now how much I want ye, what ye mean tae me, Ava, how I…” He sighed. For one minute, she thought he was going to tell her that he loved her, but she dismissed it. “Yet I willnae be the one tae ruin ye.” He released her, his hands moving to the door. She ached to feel his touch again. “And it is because I care about ye so much, that I cannae ask ye tae choose a different path.” He bent toward her, his lips brushing hers. She kissed him back with sudden fervor, though she released him almost as quickly when she felt how his lips remained soft, without urgency. “In another life, eh, Ava? Maybe then, we could have kenned each other in every way.”
Ava felt her heartbreak. Somehow, in the midst of everything that had happened, her feelings for Kai over the last few weeks had deepened beyond anything she expected. His kindness, his refusal to take things further even now, made her both love him and hate him. For as much as she wanted him to touch her more, she knew he was right.
“Our paths are different ones,” she whispered. “Just… hold me fer one more minute, Kai. Please?”
He moved at once, sliding his hands across her waist and pulling her away from the door, into his chest. Cradled there against him, she closed her eyes, committing every second of what had passed between them into memory, before she let go and turned to leave. As she walked away down the servants’ corridor, she looked repeatedly back toward him. She was certain she would never forget the way he looked at her through the candlelight, just as she would never forget how with only his kiss, and histouch, he had given her such ecstasy that she had never known was possible.
“Ava? Ava! Are ye paying attention?”
“What was that?”
Kai had to stop himself from laughing as he stood behind Ava in the great hall.
Lyla and Thora had taken it upon themselves to prepare another Yuletide feast. They said it was in honor of their guest, Laird Blair Grant, though Kai suspected they had other plans up their sleeves. Whenever he went near Lyla and Thora these days, he sensed subterfuge and cunning in the air.
Lyla and Thora now stood in the great hall, gesturing to where all the decorations would be placed for the evening’s dinner. Laird Finley MacKinnon was doing his best not to fall asleep in his chair after he’d consumed rather a lot of wine and the large fire in the room was keeping him toasty. The seat where Laird Grant was supposed to be sitting was empty, though Kai had no wish to find out why. Without Laird Grant there, Kai knew Ava had been unabashedly looking at him alone.
Aye, she hasnae stopped looking at me all day in truth.
He couldn’t deny he’d been sneaking glances her way too. Ever since they had kissed the night before in the kitchen, and he had pleasured her, exploring her for the first time ever, he had been restless. She had been even more amazing than in his dreams. Despite himself, he longed to feel her again, longed to hear her moan. At least, that’s the reason he gave to himself as to why he hovered so near her chair now.
“Are ye listening Ava, or nae?” Thora accused, hands on her hips.
“Ye have me full attention,” Ava declared, leaning toward them and a little away from Kai.
“Good. Then ye’ll be happy tae perform the formal dance with Laird Grant at the feast.”
“Formal dance?” Ava repeated. “What kind of dance?”
“Very similar to the volta, with a few extra steps. Come, we shall demonstrate.” Thora took up Lyla’s hand and together the two of them moved into the middle of the space to dance together.
Laird MacKinnon started off by humming the tune for them, but in his drowsy state, his eyes soon closed and he slouched down beside the fire. Ava’s lips fell open as she watched what was an undoubtedly complicated dance.
“See? Nothing complicated about it,” Lyla declared as she curtsied and Thora bowed. “Now, it is yer turn.”
“Nothing complicated?” Ava stood. “Ye two forget that I am used tae dancing with a weapon more than I am a man.”
“Ye danced a volta with Kai at the feast in me castle,” Thora reminded her.
“That was different. A volta is simple enough and Kai…” Ava looked at him, blushing red. The emotion of embarrassment and warmth flooded from her. Kai had to stop himself from growling out possessively. “Kai is a good leader.”
“Then let Kai lead ye now.” Thora flicked her fingers as if the matter was already decided upon. “Come braither, lead Ava in this dance. Within minutes, ye’ll have it sorted, I’m sure.”
