It was intoxicating.
They straightened their clothes in silence, their fingers brushing occasionally, sending fresh sparks of desire through her.
When they were as presentable as they were going to get, Alpin offered her his hand. She took it, letting him pull her off the table and into his arms.
He held her close, his lips pressing against her hair, and she buried her face against his chest, breathing in the scent of him, sweat and sex and something uniquely Alpin.
They stayed like that for a while, wrapped in each other, hidden among the shelves.
The library had always been a place of secrets, but this one felt like the most precious of all. When they finally stepped apart, their fingers lingered, tangled together, neither willing to let go just yet.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Alpin glanced toward the library door, then back at Mhairi. Her hair was still slightly mussed despite her attempts to fix it, and there was a telltale flush on her cheeks that would give them away to anyone paying attention.
"Come here a moment," he said, moving to check the corridor outside. "I want tae show ye somethin’…"
He moved to the far wall, running his hands along the wood paneling until his fingers found what they were looking for. A small indentation, barely visible unless ye knew where to look.
He pressed, and a section of the wall swung inward with a soft click.
Mhairi's eyes widened. "A hidden passage?"
"The castle is full of them. Built during the clan wars, when quick escapes were necessary." He gestured for her to enter. "I want ye tae ken these secrets, in case ye ever need them. Come on. This leads to a side corridor on the lower level."
She hesitated at the threshold, peering into the darkness beyond. "Are there torches?"
"Aye. Though they're probably burnt low." Alpin grabbed one of the library's candles and stepped into the passage first. "Stay close. The floor's uneven in places."
The passage was narrow, barely wide enough for one person, let alone two.
Alpin had to duck his head at several points where the ceiling dropped low, and he could hear Mhairi's breathing close behind him as they navigated the tight space.
True to his word, torches were mounted along the walls at intervals, though most had burned down to embers. The flickering light cast dancing shadows across the stone, making the passage feel even more confined.
"How many of these passages are there?" Mhairi asked, her voice echoing slightly in the enclosed space.
"Dozens. They connect most of the major rooms to various exit points throughout the castle." He reached back to take her hand, helping her over an uneven section of floor. "Me faither made me memorize them all when I was a lad. Said a laird should always ken how tae move through his own castle unseen."
"That's rather dark thinkin’ fer a child's lesson."
"Highland life is rather dark sometimes." He paused where the passage narrowed further, turning sideways to fit through. "Watch yer head here. The ceilin’ drops."
Mhairi pressed close behind him, her body flush against his back as they squeezed through the tight section.
Alpin was acutely aware of every point where they touched, her hands on his shoulders for balance, her chest against his spine, the warmth of her breath on his neck.
"This is cozy," she murmured, and he could hear the smile in her voice.
"Careful. I might get ideas about stoppin’ here."
"In a dusty secret passage?"
"I'd have ye anywhere." He felt her laugh shake through both their bodies. "Though I'll admit, the library was much more comfortable."
They navigated around a corner, and the passage opened slightly. Alpin was just beginning to relax when his foot caught on something, a fallen beam, probably dislodged during some long-ago structural shift.
He stumbled, and Mhairi crashed into his back. He caught himself against the wall with one hand while his other arm wrapped around behind him to steady her.
