She never finished her sentence, for he leaned in, his mouth claiming hers in a bold kiss.
Heat swept over Fiona as his lips moved across hers, and his free hand reached up to cup the back of her head.
Dizziness followed, and she swayed against him, her lips parting for his tongue as the kiss grew lusty.
He plundered her mouth now, not caring if anyone looked on.
They stood in the shadows, at the back of the crowd. Obscured by drifting smoke and half-swallowed by darkness. And yet, it was a reckless move—for them both.
Fiona cared too much about her position to put it in jeopardy, and yet the feel of his mouth on hers, the rasp of his stubbled chin against her skin, the taste of him, overwhelmed her senses.
However, as the kiss drew out, growing hungrier and more desperate with each passing moment, common sense prevailed.Hades.What if someone sees?The laird and lady of Dounarwyse were somewhere in the crowd.
That was enough to rouse her. Lifting a hand, she placed her palm on Ailean’s chest and pushed slightly, a wordless gesture but one he understood.
Drawing back, he gazed at her. He was breathing fast now, his eyes hooded with lust, his lips swollen from the fervor of their kiss.
Fiona swallowed. She wished he wouldn’t look at her like that. He made her melt like tallow. He made her ache.
Breathing hard, she glanced around.
Smoke wreathed like fog about them, the nearest figures misty. The drums continued to beat, and the piper played on.
Relief swept over her. No one had seen them. Thank the Saints.
Ailean raised a hand then and brushed her cheek with his knuckles. She trembled under his touch, the ache between her thighs almost unbearable now. Her skin was overheated; so sensitive she could hardly bear the constricting feel of her clothing.
“Come with me, lass,” he whispered. “To somewhere no one will disturb us.”
This was it. She knew it. The crossroads. The moment that would change everything.
Sanity told her to refuse, to step back and take a few deep breaths, to remind herself that this man put everything she’d worked so hard for at risk.
And yet, another voice whispered to her.It’s just one night. It’s Bealtunn. Tomorrow, the world will return to normal, but tonight, ye can be someone else.
And how she longed to leave the world behind, to let herself be reckless and wild.
How she longed to give herself to this man, to give in to the lust that had been building for weeks now.
She fought, pulled in both directions. But in the end, it was the second, beguiling, voice that won.
No one will know.
It’s just one night.
Aye, she let it win her over; let it chase away her fears and common sense.
She found herself nodding, not trusting herself to speak.
Smiling, Ailean took hold of her hand and silently led her away.
A few yards back from the fire, he picked up a lantern, one of many that had been placed there to help revelers find their way home afterward. Still holding Fiona’s hand, he made his way down the hill, far from the revelry.
They didn’t converse as they walked. Tension pulsed between them now.
Just one word would shatter it.
He didn’t lead her back to the castle or along the road to the village. Instead, they entered a small copse, a thicket of hazel and ash that bordered the patchwork of run rigs that stretched east of Dounarwyse.
