‘I’m not about to abduct the daughter of a king, just so you can avoid marriage to a Norman,’ he continued.Though he was well aware of his own hypocrisy, he knew better than to take her from Laochre with the number of guards and suitors watching over her.‘The MacEgans would murder me if I dared take you beyond those gates.’
‘You already tried to abduct me at Bealtaine before,’ she argued.‘Why would it be any different now?’
The gleam in her eyes made him uneasy.His previousplan had been a reckless idea to remove Fergus as chieftain.She’d been right—it never would have worked.And now she wanted to become his hostage?
‘You warned me, the last time I took you, that it could start a war.Why would we want your family to believe you’re in danger?’
‘But I would go with you willingly,’ she argued.‘You’ll escort me out of the castle and keep me safe.At least until my brother is found.’
‘No.’He folded his arms across his chest and shook his head.‘If you defy your father and flee, everyone will think I’ve stolen you.’
‘Or they might think I chose you as my husband.’Her voice held a note of teasing, but he didn’t respond.
‘Everyone would know that isn’t true.’
His words were dull, emotionless.And yet, her expression shifted into one of sympathy.‘Why would you say that?’
‘Because a king’s daughter would never choose a bastard.’He knew the truth, even if she clung to her ill-placed belief in him.
Mairead studied him for a long moment.‘Are you afraid to travel with me?’
She took a step closer, her voice gentle, as if she were trying to tame a wild animal.Her dark hair rested over one shoulder, and he couldn’t deny that she fascinated him.He’d tasted those lips once before—but it hadn’t been nearly enough.
She drew so close, she was hardly more than a breath away.Her green eyes stared into his while she awaited his answer.
Balor slid his hand to her waist, wanting her to understand all the reasons why this was a bad idea.In the spacebetween them, heat seemed to rise, and he was fully aware of the temptation to touch this woman and taste her lips once again.But he needed to push her away, back into the protection of her father and uncles.
Balor held his ground and stared back.‘Maybe I don’t want to protect you.Maybe I’m the one you should be afraid of.’
‘You wouldn’t hurt me if I went with you,’ Mairead said quietly.‘You’re a man of honour.’
She was looking at him as if she truly believed that.As if she saw something in him of worth.And damn her, the words broke the restraints around him.
‘That’s the last thing I am,a mhuirnín.I have no honour at all.’
With that, Balor tangled his hands in her silken hair and claimed her mouth in the kiss he’d been craving since the first time she’d pressed her lips to his.He tasted the sweetness of her innocence, the softness of her mouth.
It was both an indulgence and a reminder to Mairead that he was not the man she wanted.He fully expected her to shove him away and demand that he leave her alone.Even as his tongue slid inside her mouth, he was waiting for her to strike him.
But instead, she wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back.Damn her for it.
Her kiss met his challenge and took apart his intentions.
He didn’t know why she’d done such a thing, but he was starting to understand that Mairead was a woman of her own defiance.He’d issued a challenge, and she’d answered it back with one of her own.
When her tongue slid against his, desire roared through him.His shaft went rigid as her hips pressed close.Gods help him, this wasn’t supposed to happen.She was supposedto be outraged, to draw her knife on him the way she had last time.Instead, she was pulling him closer.
God’s blood, but he wanted her.Mindless need and longing tore at his control, and he pressed her against the wall, ignoring the voices of logic that reminded him that a king’s daughter was far better than him.
But her response was more than he could bear.Her lips were soft, answering his fierce kiss with her own needs.He broke it off, keeping his hands upon the wall on either side of her.
Because if he succumbed to his own desire, he was going to peel back the layers and touch her bare skin.
Mairead’s breathing was unsteady, but she stared at him unflinching.‘I’m going to talk to my father now and you’re coming with me.’She seized his hand and pulled him towards the door.
But he remained in place.‘I’m not yours to command,a mhuirnín.’
She faltered at that.But there was no outrage in her expression.Instead, she changed her tactic and asked softly, ‘Will you help me, Balor?Please?’She released his hand and waited.
