Page 14 of In Bed with a Highland Liar

“I dinnae claim tae be perfect,” Aaden said and his earnest tone caught Lilith by surprise. It was all an act, she reminded herself. A role that he played too well. “Far from it, in fact. But I would never treat me wife in such a way, I promise ye. It is why I have remained unwedded for so long.”

“So what?” Lilith demanded. “Ye will force yersel tae change intae a better man simply because ye’ll wed?”

“There is nae matter o’ forcin’ it,” Aaden said. “Once I wed, it all stops. It is what I want. I would have tae be a terrible hypocrite tae ask a lass tae be faithful tae me without givin’ her the same in return.”

Once again, Aaden sounded truthful in a way that threw Lilith off. She didn’t know what to make of it. She didn’t know if she should believe his promises or if his words were nothing but lies, carefully crafted to lure her in.

After all, that was precisely why he was there. If it was her status and her father’s wealth that he wanted, then he would try to make himself as appealing to her as possible.

“I can only ask ye tae forgive me fer what ye’ve heard,” Aaden continued. “But I am askin’ ye tae give me a chance. I can assure ye I can seduce ye like nae other man ever could.”

Lilith couldn’t help but laugh right in his face, shaking her head in disbelief. “Is that so? An’ how, precisely, dae ye think ye’ll dae that?”

A dangerous smirk spread over Aaden’s lips as he sauntered closer. Lilith had to force herself to stay still, every instinct in her commanding her to step back. If she did, though, it would feel like losing a game neither of them even knew they were playing.

“Shall we make a bet?” he asked. “I bet ye that I can kiss ye without touchin’ yer lips. If I win, ye must praise that ye’ll be kinder tae me an’ allow me tae court ye.”

Lilith scoffed, rolling her eyes so hard that they threatened to fall out of their sockets. “That is impossible,” she said. “Ye’re only settin’ yerself up fer failure.”

“If ye’re so certain, why dinnae ye accept?”

For a moment, Lilith considered it. She couldn’t see the harm in it, since she was sure she would win the bet. But could it truly be so easy? Surely, Aaden himself had to know this wouldn’t work, so why would he propose it?

In the end, her curiosity won over her hesitation. She wanted to see what it was he was planning.

“Very well,” she said. “Show me.”

Leaning closer, Aaden pressed his lips against hers. It was a chaste kiss, a soft brush of lips followed by a quick, almost imperceptible swipe of his tongue, and the shock of it had Lilith frozen in place, unable to speak let alone move. Her traitorous heart skipped a beat at the kiss, her cheeks heating and her stomach twisting itself into a knot, but surely, that was only a natural reaction to being kissed. The fact that it was Aaden kissing her meant nothing.

Confusion settled heavy upon her, but Aaden was smiling as he walked backwards, leaving her to stew in her own uncertainty and anger at the sudden kiss.

“That was the best bet I ever lost!” he told her.

It took a few seconds for Lilith’s brain to catch up, but when she understood the ploy, she growled in rage, the blood rushing to her head in that way that always gave her skin a furious, unbecoming shade of red. She had half a mind to chase after him, but she suspected Aaden would enjoy that, amused by her antics.

Damn ye! I’ll have me revenge still.

If he thought a kiss like that was enough to sway her, he was mistaken. With a trembling hand, Lilith wiped her mouth as if it had been stained by his lips, rubbing away the tingling sensation that still lingered.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Lilith stomped all the way to back into the castle, up the stairs, and over to her room, throwing the door open only to find Freya there, flinching at the sudden sound of wood against stone. Seeing her sister dampened Lilith’s rage, at least, and she collapsed next to Freya on the bed with a sigh, a hand coming up to rub her eyes.

“Where did ye go?” Freya asked, assuming that careful tone she always did when Lilith was angry, not so much because she feared her reaction, but rather because it always helped sooth her.

“I wanted tae see what Aaden would tell Cameron,” Lilith said.

“So ye spied on them?”

Lilith looked at Freya from under her hand. “So, what if I did?”

Freya gave a small shrug. “I spied on faither an’ Evander.”

The casual way in which Freya said that drew a chuckle out of Lilith. “Did ye? What did they say?”

“Tell me about Aaden first.”

With a sigh, Lilith pushed herself up to her elbows, glancing over at the window that overlooked that large oak where they had stood. “I heard him tell Cameron that he isnae worried about me rejectin’ him because he kens how tae court lasses. An’ then he told him that he bedded the friend o’ his lover an’ she still forgave him but I dinnae understand how he could have possibly managed that. He is naething but a scoundrel.”