“Exquisite, ye say?”
“Aye.” Her voice quivered the tiniest bit.
“Ye are the first lady I have ever shared such a precious moment with,” he assured her, and it was the truth.
“Then we are both fortunate.”
“Aye, Kali, we are.” But that is where it would end, for anything more would cast Adam into a world of peril—for the lovely lady was not his to hold and cherish. As much as he wanted her for himself, after their first kiss, he had sworn to keep his hands and mouth to himself to protect them both. She would return to her father’s house one day, and he could be banished from his clan if he were caught kissing her. For any man, even his sire’s heir, could be severely punished for disobeying the chieftain’s orders—even if those commands were wrong.
“I thank ye for handling me so gently.” She stared up at him, her voice wavering slightly.
“I will never hurt ye.”
“I know.”
“Has someone…” He turned away and uttered a string of curses, his whole body tense.
“Adam.” She stepped up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Have I done something wrong?”
“Nay,” he growled. “It’s just every time ye speak about yer past or mention yer home, it always seems implied that someone has dishonored ye—harmed ye.” He spun back around to face her. “A man can hear only so much of it before his instinct to destroy comes to the forefront.”
She swallowed, dropping her hand from his shoulder. “I never meant to anger ye.”
“Why did ye let me kiss ye, lass? Considering everything ye’ve been through?”
“I doona know exactly.” She searched his face. “There’s something about ye that gives me comfort.”
“Ye need to understand, Kali—comfort is the last thing on me mind when I kiss ye.”
She stared at the ground, obviously nervous. “I know what ye mean, Adam. Men have physical needs…”
“And I’m verra much a man.” He took hold of her arms and gave her a gentle shake. “Look at me, lass.”
She hesitantly met his gaze.
“Ye trust me, but what if I were someone else? A lecherous man with bad intentions who could talk ye out of yer clothes with little more than sweet words and a smile?”
She wriggled out of his grasp and frowned at him. “Ye think me that daft?”
“I think ye can be vulnerable.”
“I am no’ weak, Adam.”
“I am no’ willing to take a chance on that. Promise me, swear before the Almighty and everything holy ye will guard yerself against anyone who wishes to touch ye and kiss ye the way I did.”
“Ye have no right to make such a demand.”
“But I do,” he insisted.
“Based on what, sir?”
He regarded her carefully. She had gone from quiet and soft to a fierce defender of herself. “Our feelings for each other. Our friendship. Our kinship.”
A deep crease appeared between her brows. “Feelings? And what would those be exactly?”
He scrubbed his face. Did he really need to explain? “A deep, mutual caring. Respect. Attraction. That’s what makes me want to hurt anyone who might attempt to take advantage of ye.”
“So, animalistic attraction makes ye want to protect me? To relieve me of all me burdens and punish anyone who has harmed me?”
