Page 43 of In Bed with a Highland Liar

“So?” Lilith asked, playing along. As Aaden came closer, she moved back until her shoulders hit the wall and she was suddenly caged between his arms. “I’ll tell them ye’re a brute who doesnae ken how tae behave in polite company.”

“A brute, is it?” Aaden asked, eyes gliding with mirth rather than tears now, before he bent down to bite the curve of her neck, drawing a yelp out of her.

Shocked, she slammed her hands on his shoulders, but Aaden didn’t budge. “What are ye doin’?” she said, struggling to keep her voice quiet. “What if ye leave a mark?”

“Then everyone will ken I’m a brute,” Aaden said and claimed her lips in a kiss.

Lilith would be lying if she said the thought of him leaving a mark behind wasn’t appealing or that his attentions didn’t fill her with need, her body responding to him instantly. She arched into his touch, lips parting with a soft sigh to let him deepen the kiss, and her arms wrapped around him, holding him close.

When they parted, Aaden rested his forehead against hers, speaking quietly, with no real bite behind his words. “Why are ye so insufferable?”

“Ye’re the one who is insufferable,” Lilith countered but the effect was lost when she was already breathing heavily, her skin flushed with want.

Aaden chuckled and kissed her again. “Forgive me. I suppose I can be very insufferable.”

“Stop talkin’ and kiss me,” Lilith said, fingers wrapping around the fabric of Aaden’s shirt to pull him close again, smashing their lips together.

Laughing, Aaden did as he was told, scattering kisses down her jaw and neck. His hands found her hips and then her rear, squeezing around a handful of flesh and forcing a moan out of Lilith, one that she had to bite back.

They weren’t far from the great hall, and there were guards and servants in the castle who could be walking right past them. The thought didn’t give Lilith any pause, though. If anything, the risk of it added to the thrill, making her even more eager for the pleasure Aaden was giving her.

“Shall I take ye right here?” Aaden whispered against the skin of her chest, his hand pulling on the neckline of her dress so that he could slip his tongue under it, teasing her nipple. Lilith had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep quiet, the rough hold of his hand and the wet heat of his tongue driving her mad with lust. “Ye’ll have tae keep quiet. Can ye dae that?”

Lilith nodded frantically, shivering at Aaden’s warm breath over her skin. She would do anything to satisfy this craving, and she was rushing to help Aaden as he pulled her skirt up, but then the sound of footsteps brought her back to reality and she realized they truly were exposed to anyone who walked by or looked up.

The footsteps moved closer and closer with purpose, and Aaden pushed himself away from her as she righted her clothes. At first, she made to leave through the same door she came, but the footsteps seemed to be coming from that direction. Grabbing her by the waist, Aaden pulled her behind a narrow column in the wall, hiding her behind it, but it didn’t take them long to see that she was still perfectly visible, her dress peeking out from behind the stone.

“That way,” Aaden whispered, showing her the far window that would lead her back inside through the corridor. Lilith rushed to it as quietly as she could and gave Aaden one last look where he was leaning against the wall, trying to catch his breath. He looked disheveled, even in the dark, his face reddened and his hair mussed, and Lilith was certain she wasn’t much better herself.

Before she could be caught on the balcony, she slipped back inside, heading to her chambers to become presentable once more before appearing in front of her family.

Aaden stood with his back against the wall for support, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He had almost forgotten everything about the dinner and the reason why he had left the table so abruptly, but when those footsteps reached him and he saw Ruadh there, coming out onto the balcony, the resentment returned with a vengeance, a surge of fury coursing through him.

He didn’t try to conceal any of his rage anymore as he pushed himself off the wall and pointed an accusatory finger at him. “What dae ye think yer doin’ here?”

Ruadh was entirely unaffected by Aaden’s outburst. If anything, he seemed amused by it, pleased to see him lose his temper. He gave a shrug as he paced around the balcony, though his gaze never left Aaden.

“I told ye,” he said. “I came tae meet the brides.”

“The truth,” Aaden demanded. He knew there was more to it than that and he wasn’t simply going to let him get away with it.

Ruadh chuckled. “What dae ye think? Evander wrote tae me sayin’ that ye were takin’ too long tae complete yer task, so I came tae see fer mesel’. Imagine me surprise when I found out ye already had Thomas’ permission. Ye did well.”

“Why did ye send yer men?” It wasn’t so surprising that Ruadh wanted to control the situation himself, but Aaden still couldn’t make any sense of the men who had attacked them. “Why risk it?”

“They were only meant tae scare ye,” Ruadh said. “An’ I didnae ken yer bride would be with ye. I told them tae come find ye when ye were alone but I suppose ye cannae trust anyone these days.”

For a few moments, Aaden could only gape at Ruadh in disbelief. All that just to scare him? “Ye could have revealed everythin’ tae Lilith,” he hissed. “Even worse, ye could have harmed her. Dinnae ye care at all?”

“The lads kent tae leave ye unharmed,” Ruadh said. “They kent tae leave her unharmed, too.”

“Well, yer lad stabbed me in the shoulder,” Aaden pointed out. “He would have stabbed Lilith had I nae stepped in front o’ her when I did.”

“But it all worked out in the end,” said Ruadh. “Thomas agreed because ye saved her life an’ I’m sure it impressed her, too. It was all in yer favor after all.”

As much as Aaden wanted to pull out his knife and stab Ruadh where he stood—and it would be easy now, with the two of them alone—he had to remind himself where he was. He could hardly kill the man in cold blood in Laird Stewart’s home. Besides, with Ruadh dead, there was no telling what would happen to his mother.

It was that thought, more than anything else, which held him back. For all he knew, Ruadh had instructed his men to kill his mother if they received word of his death. Everything else was insignificant. Facing the gallows seemed like a small price to pay if it meant that the world would be freed from a man like him.