Get a hold of yerself, lass.
Beatrice tried to wriggle out of his grasp.
“Leo, nay,” she whispered.
His kisses slowed.
She placed a hand against the side of his face and stared into his eyes. “Ye ken we cannae. We are nae even hand-fasted.”
His brow furrowed, a darkness gathering in his features. He didn’t move away from her, still holding her tightly as if he were about to ignore what she had said and continue kissing and biting and caressing her flesh. But then he released her and exhaled long and slow through his nose.
“Aye, we cannae. Thank ye for remindin' me. This doesnae change anythin' neither.”
He spoke clearly, each word carefully enunciated, but Beatrice could hear a tremor in his voice that hadn’t been there before. However much he pretended, however much he hid his feelings, she knew him now.
Aye, Leo. Yer blood runs as hot as mine.
She slid her hands off his shoulders, going the long way down his arms, mapping his muscles. He took a step back and stared at her for a moment, as if waiting for her to change her mind. She held his gaze, unsure if she should be proud or ashamed of what had just transpired.
“Leave me,” he muttered.
Beatrice stepped towards the courtyard without a word, keeping her eyes on his until she was at the entrance. Only then did she turn away from him, feeling his gaze bore into the back of her head as she disappeared from his sight.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Sleep didn’t come easily to Beatrice that night, and when she woke up the next morning, every part of her that Leo had touched still tingled. He had left imprints on her, impossible to remove, as physical as a bruise but created out of desire.
Is this what they mean when they speak of… it? Bedroom games, marital congress, ruttin'…
It was not a sensation she was used to, though she had heard other women mention it in hushed tones. Men were prisoners to lust; it controlled them and made them into beasts. That was why women needed to refuse them, needed to be strong enough to remain chaste.
But Leo is already a beast. He will be a creature beyond any human command if the lust overtakes him again.
Venus’s vacant eyes watched from above the hearth as she wiped away the sweat that had beaded along her hairline during the night.
Beatrice sighed and looked at the flat goddess, jealous and prickly at her imagined judgment.
“Ye could just sail away on a clamshell and leave us mortals to our foolishness,” she snapped.
She knew she couldn’t risk causing Leo to lose his mind, and since hers was in danger of floating away whenever he put his hands on her, she decided the best thing was to avoid him. The castle was large; there were places for her to stay out of the way. As long as he didn’t come looking for her, she figured she would be fine.
But what if he does come lookin’? What if he wants what he almost got last night?
Her blood had turned too hot, an insistent pulse that had needed to be relieved. There in her chambers, she could only deny it for so long, but when no fingers were pressing into her and no warm mouth was pressing kisses to her throat, saying no wasn’t a challenge.
She imagined saying no to him a million ways, pointing a finger in his face and speaking in a voice so powerful that it shook both of them. But if he wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled her against him, the only thing she could do was surrender.
She got dressed in the steely light just before dawn. As she floated through the hallways, she could hear life in all parts of the castle.
The servants were already up and about, moving through their day and whatever chores needed to be done. A few guards were going about their rounds, their expressions stoic and distant.
Beatrice had thought she might have the sunrise to herself, but the castle was a living thing that shifted and shuddered hours before her awakening.
There’s a lot to take care of in Laird MacSween’s domain.
She started towards the courtyard, hoping to sequester herself in the garden until she thought it was safe to venture out for breakfast. As she approached the entrance though, she heard the familiar clash of steel against steel, and knew the soldiers were training like they had been the day before.
A few of them were practicing their swordsmanship, but most of them were gathered around Leo, who was speaking in a calm, clipped tone.
