One his soul recognized.
Kjeld breathed in deeply, his chest filling with the scent of starflower mixed with amber and vanilla.
The scent ofher.
At once, his body and mind registered her, and he sat upright, unnerved by the fact that she might discover his cabin and then he would never truly know peace.
Caelian’s gentle murmurings reached his ears—something about needing fresh air—it seemed she was always muttering to herself as of late. But then her musings were silenced, and he knew the exact moment she spotted the cabin. He could almost taste the hitch of her breath, like sweetened, delectable wonder.
“Hello?” her fragile voice called out.
Kjeld remained very still, his gaze trained on the door. If he didn’t make a sound, then maybe she would retreat. There were only two windows in the cabin, one facing east to watch the sunrise, and the other facing west to watch it sink beyondthe woods and mountains. And he’d hung thick sheets to give himself some semblance of privacy.
Thankfully, they were drawn.
“Is anyone home?”
Home.
Such an interesting way to describe a rather bare and desolate cabin situated at the base of a mountain.
Her heels clicked against the wooden steps of the porch and this time he stood, moving stealthily toward the door and matching each step she took with his own. He angled himself against the wall and was debating telling her to go away when the door swung open. Morning sunlight filtered into the space, drowning him in shadows, and he watched in revered silence as she stepped into the room.
Caelian wore her hair down today in loose waves that tumbled around her bare shoulders. The gown she was wearing looked far less irritating than the one she had on yesterday. This one was navy blue satin trimmed with lace. The bodice was covered in jewels, and though it revealed the fair skin of her shoulders, the sleeves were sheer and long, tapering at her wrists. He’d been wrong to assume she wore heels. In fact, it looked as though she’d chosen leather boots for walking, and without any sort of extra height, the top of her head barely measured up to his chin.
Doused in the thick darkness behind the open door, he admired the gentle sway of her hips as she approached his bed. Slender fingers traced the plush comforter, and his heart thudded soundly inside the tightened wall of his chest. Just seeing her standing here, in his space, so close to his bed, sent a carnal rush of desire coursing through him.
But he didn’t want her here.
This was supposed to be his sanctuary.
The one place he could come to escape her.
Annoyance flared and in one swift movement, he slammed the door shut so it rattled on its hinges. Caelian startled, but before she could scream, he was right behind her. One arm snared snugly around her waist as he hauled her flush against him, pinning her back to the broad wall of his chest. Then he clamped one hand firmly over her mouth to muffle her screams. She flailed in his hold, desperately trying to break free of him. It was pathetic, really. Each time she attempted to hit him, it was like being smacked with a feather. And every time she struggled and squirmed, rubbing her perfectly round ass against him, his cock thickened in spite.
“Do you make it a habit of breaking and entering, my lady?” he asked roughly, bending down so his mouth was poised right near the outer shell of her ear.
She froze.
Her breath was warm against his palm, and her panting caused his blood to pound in his ears.
All the fight bled from her as she stilled, then seemingly melted into him. As though she realized who held her captive. Like she knew she was safe with him.
Something in Kjeld’s chest tightened.
But then he made the terrible mistake of releasing her.
Caelian whirled on him in an instant, silvery waves with their candy-coated highlights whipping through the air.
“What is wrong with you?” she cried, pointing one singular, accusing finger in his direction. “You had no reason to frighten me so.”
Again, she swatted at him.
“You’re the one who walked in unannounced without even knocking.” He strode forward, forcing her to stumble backward until her knees bumped against the edge of the bed. “You’re lucky it was me in here and not some ruffian or thug that wouldlove nothing more than to take advantage of an unaccompanied, helpless female.”
“I amnothelpless.” She folded her arms, which did absolutely nothing except give Kjeld an excellent vantage point to admire the swell of her breasts. “I am entirely capable of defending myself.”
He grunted in disbelief, not wanting to delve into how easily he could have broken her. Or harmed her. Nor did he want to consider how readily any other snake of a male might have jumped at the chance.
