Page 17 of A Kilted Marriage of Convenience

CHAPTERTEN

Ciara was shocked. She was enjoying the kiss, yet there was a part of her that could not help but wonder why he was kissing her.

She knew that if she was allowed to continue, she would be wishing for him over and over again. She had no idea how long the kiss lasted before Aidan pulled away, panting.

She chased his lips with her own, staring at him wide-eyed, perplexed, and flustered. Aidan smiled at her, and she noticed how lovely his smile was. God's teeth, he seemed more composed than she did, almost unaffected by it, whereas she was a total mess.

"Well then… how about we take ye to yer chambers? Or dae ye still prefer the dungeons?" he asked, smiling devilishly at her, which made Ciara snap out of her kiss-fueled daze.

“As I said, it seems I must sleep in a cagesince I’m so dangerous. So, aye, we shall proceed to the dungeons.”

How could a man be so respectful and yet so mean? She did not know what game Aidan was playing, but she would not be the one to fold. He nodded, his face unreadable, and he moved ahead of her, leaving Ciara glaring at the back of his head.

She supposed it was her fault for bringing up the idea and saying she would prefer it to being in a room with a man. She was not wrong, though. She had gone through enough punishment from her father for her to be worried about her sleeping arrangements, as long as it did not involve sharing a room with a man she was not married to. She doubted she would be able to get a good night's sleep with a guard watching her anyway. At least in the dungeons, she would be locked away and safe.

They soon arrived. The strange, heavy smell announced its presence before Ciara even saw the place. She noticed how much colder it was down here than in her room upstairs, but she could not very well change her mind now. She refused to give Aidan the satisfaction. Besides, she was his prisoner because she chose to be his prisoner, not that he would ever know. It was time she play the part.

Ciara was glad that the corridors were properly lit with torches and noticed that the dungeons were empty, unlike her father's which seemed to host people once in a while.

Unfortunately, as they arrived at her cell, she realized that there were no torches inside of it. She hoped that when her eyes adjusted, the light from outside would carry into the dark cell she would be sleeping in. The dungeons weren’t terribly dirty, so she supposed she would not find it unbearable. Once she adjusted to the light and the strange smell, she would be fine. Alone and fine.

Aidan jangled the keys in his fist, searching for the one that opened the heavy metal door before them. After he had moved the heavy thing, he gestured for her to go inside.

"Yer chambers await ye, my lady. I certainly hope they are to yer liking," Aidan teased.

Ciara knew he was trying to rile her up, but she refused to respond. If he thought she would banter back after his behavior in his room, the laird was in for a shock.

As Ciara made her way into the cell, she looked up at him and noticed that he clearly did not think she would stay. He must have believed that before he closed the doors on her, she would back out, declaring that she would happily sleep with the guard instead.

Ciara squared her shoulders and walked into the cell proudly, sitting on the floor and waiting for him to lock and leave her be.

When she did not hear the metal grinding, she looked up and noticed that Aidan’s face had darkened in frustration. The corner of her lips tipped upward in a smirk, and she was glad that in the darkness of the room he could not see how much it amused her. It should have been the other way around!

I am the one who didnae get my way and ended up in a cell after all!

The doors finally closed. Ciara could hear Aidan grumble low in his throat as he made his way out of the prison. As soon as he had gone, she looked around and confirmed that the other cells were indeed empty. She could not help but wonder whether there really were no other prisoners, or whether Aidan had placed her in an isolated area far away from the brigands who had done only God knew what to end up there.

As much as he frustrated her, and although he was technically a stranger, Ciara suspected that the laird would not put her in harm’s way.

Ciara could hear his voice as he spoke to the guards down the corridor, toward the door that they had come in through. "Make sure to keep an eye on her," Aidan ordered.

"Aye, sir," she heard them reply.

Ciara scoffed at that. Keep an eye on me? What exactly daes he think that I will dae here? Pick the locks? Dae away with the guards, and somehow escape from here? When I came by my own choice?

She rolled her eyes as she finally heard his footsteps receding. She sat back down, trying to get comfortable, not that it was easy. The dungeon was quite cold, and it was growing colder the longer she sat motionless on the ground. Ciara could not help but wish that there was a torch or at least a blanket around. It would have made it easier for her to warm herself up.

She shook her head as her thoughts traveled to Lillie. Poor Lillie had been in her father's dungeon that was much colder and darker, smelly, and filled with people of questionable repute. Men of questionable repute. How scared she must have been to be in such a place!

There was also the fact that she had been tortured. The only torture Ciara had suffered was seeing Aidan naked and being humiliated, but that was nothing, all things considered. From the way she had reacted, it seemed it was actually the opposite of torture. Still, she could not form into words whatever she felt when with him earlier. Or why.

She shook her head. She needed to be grateful that the people who wanted to take revenge on her father had decided not to treat her as her father had treated Lillie.

Mind made up, Ciara huddled to the closest flame beyond the bars. She placed her head between her knees, prepared to sleep. If God was gracious, he would grant her a decent dream.