When she pulled away from him, frowning up, he found himself taken aback, missing a beat.
“Nae even a kiss?” she queried.
He blinked at her. “Nay. Of course nae.”
“There’s noof courseabout it. Did ye nae even kiss me at the handfasting?”
What a strange way to put it. Asking me why Ididnae kiss her. Why should I have been the one to do the kissing? She’s got a pair of lips, too.
The answer sprang easily to his lips.
Do ye think I didnae want to kiss ye, lass?
He didn’t say that, of course. Instead, he snorted, shaking his head. “Nay. Nae so much as a peck. And may I remind ye how often ye have told me that ye hate me? Men daenae often want to kiss a woman who declares she despises them.”
Skye pursed her lips, absorbing this new information. “Aye, but that’s different.”
“How is it different?”
“Iclaimed to hate ye, nae the other way round,” she insisted. “Did ye truly nae want to kiss me? Did ye nae want to… to consummate the marriage? Leaving a marriage unconsummated could have left the way open for an annulment. That would put the whole union in danger, to say nothing of the treaty our marriage rested upon.”
“Ye sound rather keen.”
“Nae keen!” she yelped, her eyes widening. “Just curious.”
“Nae keen, just curious,” he repeated thoughtfully. “Interestingly put.”
She stared up at him, that clear, steady gaze of hers remaining unreadable.
What did she see in his eyes? Whatever it was, she didn’t seem inclined to look away. She only stared straight at him, undeterred and unafraid.
That’s the selfsame gaze that caught me all those months ago, at the last Leanan Festival,he thought wearily, shaking his head.I looked over at her and couldnae look away.
But that was then. Thinking about the past did nobody any good. Where a person had been was only of interest when it came to forging a path forward.
He only became aware that he was staring when she gave an annoyed huff, stepping back and folding her arms across her chest.
“I wish ye wouldnae stare at me like that,” she muttered. “Ye justlook, as though yer eyes are boring right through me head and out the other side. It’s unsettling.”
“I daenae think that ye can bandy words likeunsettlingaround,” he snorted. “Ye are the most direct, fearless young woman me poor keep had ever encountered. Within a week, things were being done yer way.”
She blinked. “Was I really like that?”
“Well, aye. Why, do ye nae recall?” he added teasingly, cocking his head. “I daenae remember ye mentioningthat.”
She gave a wan smile, shaking her head. “It feels as though I am making it up.”
“I ken that ye arenae, lass.”
“I ken, I ken. I only recall what I said to ye. The dream. Even though I feel like I should remember more. But,” she added, lifting her head, “I do fancy meself as a proper Lady Bryden. I think I would have done well, managing a keep.”
Evander felt a smile tugging at his lips.
“Aye, ye could speak for yerself. And so when ye told me that ye didnae wish to consummate the marriage, I respected that.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What, a laird like yerself hesitated to exercise his marital rights? I find that hard to believe. I’ll nae lie.”
His eyes blazed, just for a moment. Stepping forward, Evander seized her wrist, pulling her toward him. He was careful not to squeeze too hard, but at the same time, there’d be no wriggling out of his grip. She didn’t try, but perhaps that was due to her shock at being manhandled.
