“All right,” she agreed. “That is fair.”
“Does that mean ye doona think me a monster?”
“I never have.”
“Nay?”
“Never,” she repeated without hesitation, staring at him, her stoic expression unchanging. “But while ye are thinking me request over, I have a special favor to ask of ye.”
If he could, he’d kneel at her feet and offer her the world. But that could never happen. “What do ye want, lass?”
“Wait here, please.” She turned and rushed up the stairs.
How had Adam found himself caught between his sire and this extraordinary woman? She could get him into trouble, and even though Adam welcomed trouble because it kept his life interesting—worth living—it did not bode well.
A moment later, Kali reappeared at the top of the stairs, something concealed in one of her hands. She descended and grinned at him, looking guilty. “Could ye go to the village market and purchase some things for me?”
He rolled his eyes—servants did the shopping for his household. “Heather is able to do yer bidding…”
“Nay,” she cut him off. “It would implicate her.”
His eyebrow rose in concern. “Implicate her? What exactly are ye seeking?”
“Cloth to make garments for the children. Sewing materials—thread and needles. Shoes. A comb or two.”
“I might be able to get ye some cloth from our storeroom.”
“Pilfering is a serious infraction.”
“I canna steal from me own clan, lass.”
She shook her head. “I prefer to purchase the materials meself, that way I am no’ obligated to ye.”
Damn her common sense, self-preservation, and charm. “Such luxuries can be expensive.”
She gazed at her fisted hand, then back up at him. “Will this be enough?” She opened her hand and revealed four silver coins in her palm. A small fortune for someone in her circumstances.
Where had she come by this money? Stolen from her father? Nay—Kali Bane would not steal from her sire, not from anyone.
“My mam,” she offered.
“What?”
“My mother gave me the coins.”
How could he deny her? Her request wasn’t even to make herself more comfortable. She wanted to invest in the children—bairnshis clanshould be openly supporting… Kali Bane, though unintentionally, had a way of making a man feel unworthy and small-minded. “It would be me pleasure to help ye.” Adam accepted the coins and tucked them safely away in his sporran.
“Adam…” Her voice sounded different than before, softer—her face pale and breathing labored—as if she couldn’t catch her breath.
Adam had always had a talent for interpreting what women wanted without needing to hear it expressed. There was little use for words in such circumstances, and he captured her in his arms and tugged her against his body.
She sighed and looped her arms around his neck, gazing up at him. “I have never kissed a man before.”
“Has a man ever kissed ye, lass?”
She smiled. “Several have tried…”
“How many?” A pang of jealousy stabbed at his gut.
