Page 28 of A Kilted Marriage of Convenience

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

Ciara felt guilty. Undeniably, Aidan had understood her suggestion, yet she felt awful because of it. Yet still, hopeful.

But what would Lillie think of me if she kent that I was using her brother to escape my terrible life? Ciara groaned, waving away the unwelcome thoughts in her head.

She groaned once again as another horrible thought filled her head. What if they find out before I can convince Aidan of how beneficial a marriage to me could be?

Ciara shot out of her sitting position on the bed and paced the room, her heart filled with dread. Would they chase her away? Send her back to her father with a pretty bow to be punished by him as he deemed fit? Worse, would they lose all trust in her and decide that she was exactly like her father, cut from the same cloth?

Ciara did not know why her third fear was worse than the others. She guessed it was because, during her time at the MacDonald keep, she had grown oddly attached to them. It would break her to be separated from them.

She knew she was attracted to Aidan. Her mind had been filled with thoughts of how gentle, handsome, and caring he was, even with his moods. He was a terrible captor, but she was glad for it. He had treated her better than her father had, even though he had every reason to make her miserable.

At that moment, her door opened. Aidan was there, staring at her. She immediately sat up, almost rolling off the bed, dropping a book she was holding on her face. She smiled at him, unable to stop herself, and was about to say something when she saw that his gaze was fixed on the book.

"Och, I asked the guard to bring me something to read. I hope it isnae a problem. I wouldnae want him to get in trouble because of me,” she rambled nervously.

Aidan was looking at her strangely, and she felt her heart beating faster in her chest. This was it. Her stupid decision to manipulate him and get him to marry her had backfired and now he had understood her ill intentions. He was here to toss her out and send her back to her father.

"Why did ye nae tell me?" he asked suddenly, and she felt her stomach drop.

"Tell ye what? I…”

"Why did he nae tell me ye were the one who saved Lillie?" he finally finished.

"When ye found herself here," Aidan continued, “ye could have told me at any point that ye were the one who fed her, took care of her wounds and helped her escape. Why did ye choose to be a prisoner when ye could have told us the truth and we would have been grateful and thanked ye properly?"

"I didnae take care of her just to receive her gratitude. I did it because she wasnae supposed to be there in the first place. If my father had been a better man, an honorable man, ye wouldnae have had to rescue her at all. I think it is enough that she is safe now where she belongs, and that is completely fine with me," she said honestly.

Ciara tracked Aidan’s movements as he walked from the door and made his way over to her, sitting next to her on the bed.

"Ye may nae have done it to receive our gratitude, but ken that my family will forever be indebted to ye.” Aidan took her hands in his, looking earnestly into her eyes. “Thank ye, Ciara. I mean that sincerely from the bottom of my heart. Thank ye for taking care of Lillie.”

Ciara smiled at him, mesmerized by the sincerity in his beautiful gray eyes. She looked away for a second, overwhelmed by what she saw there, especially since she had not been honest with him so far. Like father, like daughter.

"I am glad that I did that. Since I have been here, Lillie has proved that I made the right decision. She has been lovely to me, treating me like a guest instead of a captive, even though she had reason and more to hate me, considering what my father did. She has been such a good friend…" Aidan was staring at Ciara in a way that he never had before, and she did not know why but it made her nervous. "Aidan…" she whispered, trailing off as he leaned in close.

Her eyes closed involuntarily, and she lifted her face to meet his lips halfway. There was an explosion at the back of her head as their lips touched.

"Aidan," she whispered again, over and over. He deepened the kiss, his tongue engaging hers in a dance that had her moaning into his mouth. She was completely lost in him as he lowered her until her back was firmly on the bed. He straddled her and broke off the kiss to look at her face, regarding her until she began to feel self-conscious.

"Beautiful…" he murmured, kissing her lips. A light kiss that suddenly seemed so sensual and left her wanting more. "So beautiful…"

Ciara felt her body heat up under his words, under the ministrations of his lips. Everything about his mouth seemed to have been sweetened like honey, and she grabbed hold of the front of his shirt and brought him down heavily upon her.

Aidan laughed with a voice as light as a feather. "Dinnae hurt yerself, Ciara. I will give ye everything ye want, I promise."

He pressed his body against hers, and she released a moan at the feeling of him atop her. How she craved him! Him! She did not know what it was exactly that she wanted, but she knew she wanted everything from him. As if he had read her thoughts, he looked her in the eyes.

"What dae ye want, my sweet Ciara? Tell me," he murmured as he thumbed her bottom lip.

"Everything… I want everything," Ciara moaned.

"Is that really what ye want, darling? There is so much more ye have yet to experience, and I dinnae wish to overwhelm ye."

Ciara smiled at the look of concern on his face.

"I am sure," she said.