His hands moved to her shoulders, then down her arms. The warmth of his palms sent a rush of longing through her. “Anything,a mhuírnín?”
Though she knew he was only teasing, the words were a secret caress upon her. Her breath caught as he leaned down, resting his nose against hers.
“There is a way for both of us to get what we want,” he said quietly. His voice was deep, and she leaned back to look into his gray eyes. “If you are willing.”
A sense of warning heightened inside her. “What is it?”
“You could wed me.”
She blinked a moment, trying to grasp what he was saying. Wed him? For what purpose? At her startled silence, he continued, “If I am your husband, no one can deny me a place at your side—not even the new king. You would have your freedom and my protection.”
The brittle disappointment fractured inside her, for her instincts had been correct. He did want to use her for his own gain. It wasn’t about wanting her or protecting her from her enemies—it was about a slave wanting to become a king. She should have known that his interest in her wasn’t real.
He drew her against him, his arms around her waist while she faced the darkened landscape. “Let me go,” she said suddenly.She couldn’t think clearly within his embrace. “I know what you want, Killian. But your price is too great.”
Her feelings tightened inside her, but she forced herself to speak the truth. “I want to save my father’s life...but not at the cost of my kingdom.”
Killian wasn’t surprised by her refusal. And yet, he’d meant his offer in good faith, as one where she could have her freedom to do as she chose, and he would have the lands he lacked.
“Would a marriage to me be such a sacrifice?” he asked quietly, drawing nearer. She tried to move away, but he backed her against the stone wall. “You did not push me away when I kissed you.”
“It was my first kiss,” she admitted. “I wanted to know what it would be like.”
He moved in, but she turned her face aside, revealing the puckered skin of her cheek. She’d done it on purpose, to show him that side of her.
“You kissed me back.” He wanted her to realize that a marriage between them did not have to be merely an arrangement. She intrigued him, and he wanted to know her better.
“I did. But that doesn’t mean it will happen again.” She pressed her hands upon his chest, trying to hold him at a distance. “Once was enough.”
He studied her, searching those blue eyes to see the truth. She averted her gaze, but he sensed that she had lost herself in the kiss, just as he had. This woman was a tangle of contradictions—brave and frightened...scarred and beautiful...vulnerable and strong-willed.
“I don’t think it was,” he argued. He held her hands, warming them in his palms. Though she could have pulled away from him, she didn’t. And he knew that she was as interested in him as he was in her. “Kiss me again, Taryn. Remember what it was like between us.”
The wind and ice battered both of them, tearing at her long black hair. “I don’t want to.”
He tilted her chin up to face him. “You don’t want to admit that you are drawn to a man like me. One so low-born, like the dirt beneath your feet.”
“I have never treated you like that,” she protested. “And I know well enough that you are only drawn to my kingdom, not me.” Her blue eyes burned into his, flashing fire.
He touched the scarred cheek, feeling the rough skin beneath his fingertips. She flinched the moment he touched her. “I was born into a life that I didn’t want. Is it so wrong to want more?” He slid his palm down the reddened skin, then turned her to face him.
She tried again to push him away. “You know nothing of my people or our ways, Killian.”
“Then teach me.” He murmured the words against her lips, tasting the doubt. “And in return, there are many things I will teach you.”
She turned her face away once more. “I want nothing from you, Killian MacDubh.” Though her words were quiet, he didn’t believe that she was entirely immune to him. To prove his point, he ignored her words and trapped her against the stone, seizing her mouth. He didn’t care that he was being cruel. Right now he was too interested in the soft sweetness before him, of the way she had opened to him, her breath catching in her throat.
Shocked by his gesture, she yielded beneath his kiss, letting him take what he wanted. Her gasp caught in her throat,transforming into a moan when he invaded her mouth. He kissed her hard, shaping her mouth to his, tempting her.
Whether she knew it or not, there was an undeniable attraction between them. He threaded his hands in her hair, tipping her head back. Her hand came up to his chest, and the longer he kissed her, the more he wanted this woman. Like Carice, she had never once treated him as a slave. And he wanted to give back to her a taste of what she’d given him.
If he wedded Taryn, it would not be a cold arrangement. Aye, he’d been ruthless in his proposition. But if he got what he wanted from her, he would give her an equal place at his side. She’d said she wanted a husband and children. A woman like her deserved many children, and he could easily see her holding a young child’s hand, with another babe cradled at her breast.
He framed her face, his fingers resting against her throat. Her pulse thrummed rapidly, and at last, she shoved him back. Her lips were swollen, her eyes dazed as if she couldn’t quite calm her beating heart. “Listen to me, Killian.” Her eyes flared with anger, and she said, “I am not a woman who will surrender her kingdom, simply because you kissed me.” She squared her shoulders, looking ruffled and upset.
“I never asked for your kingdom.” He knew better than to demand something like that. “I offered you the chance to determine your own fate, before Rory demands that you wed a man of his choosing.”
Her face turned vulnerable as if she hadn’t thought of that. “There are times when I feel as if I have less freedom than you do.”
