His own body screamed with the tension building slowly around them, and his imagination cooked up many scenarios…pleasurable ones… where he could almost convince himself of what she tasted like.
He had a feeling if he did taste her, he would want more. No woman had conjured such intense desire in him before.
Muffling his perturbed groan, he moved away from her and slid to his spot on the bed. “It is best to keep silent and find rest before dawn. I shall have no mercy on ye if ye claim tiredness when it is time for us to continue our journey.”
Killian was grateful she had no words for him again. The chamber fell silent, and soon, all he could hear was the light sound of her breathing. He could not fall asleep, though. Not when she lay beside him, breathing soundly, her scent enveloping him and making his body hard in many ways.
Sometime during the long, restless night, a storm raged in the skies, and the rumble of thunder made her jerk awake with a loud gasp. Killian heard it, but he did not move from his spot. He held his breath, too, careful to make sure she did not know he was awake.
When he no longer heard her shaky breathing, he opened his eyes and gently angled his head to the side to check on her.
She no longer lay on the bed next to him, and he sat up in a panic, shocked that she had climbed out of the bed without him noticing. He saw her by the window, staring out, poised as if she was about to jump.
“Nae a chance in hell!” Killian yelled as he lunged at her before she had the chance to jump out of the window and into the raging storm.
5
Lily could no longer bear the sensations kissing her nerves. She needed to be far away from this man, and the urge grew stronger while she stared at his back, unable to fall asleep.
He was dangerous, but not in a way that would hurt her. When he had opened the vial for her and stood close enough that she could almost feel his lips on her skin, she had felt a connection. It had been more like a reassurance that he would not hurt her.
Lily did not want to feel that warmth for her captor. So, she had to run.Now.
Yet, once again, he stopped her before she got the chance to flee. She drove her knee into his stomach, but he did not release her even as he groaned loudly from the shock and pain.
“Will ye stop fightin’ me every chance ye get?” he asked as he finally managed to pin her to the wall, his voice dangerously low.
“Will you let me go without a fight?” she responded in the same irritated tone he had used.
His body was warm against hers. It was bare skin to clothes, but she could still feel his heat. It burned… made her quiver slightly and lick her lips.
“I dinnae want to hurt ye,” he said. “Trust me. But if ye keep fightin’ me, I will have nay choice.”
“You already hurt me when you took me from my home. You want to hurt the people I love, so that means hurting me.”
His gaze feasted on hers, then her lips. He shook his head. “There’s a storm. Out there isnae safe, and I ken you ken that even though ye’re too stubborn to admit it. It is safer with me right now.”
Lily was not backing down easily. She struggled against him again, but this time, he twisted her body around so her back was pressed against his chest. Rumbling thunder slashed against the thatched roof of the inn they were in, and she shuddered because of it.
Lily had always hated storms. Her parents had died because of one, and she had harbored that secret fear of them ever since.Even though she was nestled inside the safety of the inn, her nerves would not rest.
This man made it worse. Her chest heaved as her body pressed against his. Her eyes widened when she felt the hard bulge beneath his undergarments press into her back. She froze, and she felt the feather-like brush of desire course through her, too.
Throat too tight to speak, and limbs suddenly too heavy to put up any kind of fight, she stayed still as his harsh, hot breath fell against the side of her neck.
Her eyes fluttered shut, and she licked her lower lip nervously. She would never have imagined a man would make her nervous, but his nearness wrecked her.
His hands slowly released hers after a long time, and he stepped away from her, putting enough distance between them so she could stand alone. Lily’s head swooned, but she held herself up, determined not to let him see the effect he had on her.
Perhaps it is time to give up?
He was right, anyway. She was safer here during this storm. She could try again when it cleared out. That way, she would be certain she wouldn’t end up dead after fleeing from him.
When she turned to Killian, he was getting dressed. He picked his sword sheath up from the ground next to the bed and walked to the door.
“Where are you going?” Lily instantly asked before he could open it. “I thought you said it was not safe outside in the storm? Are you going to leave me here by myself?”
“It isnae safe for ye,” he said without sparing her a glance. “And that is because ye’re my prisoner. I will be outside. If ye need anythin’, I shall come.”
