“I’m plenty warm,” he murmured, his voice husky. He withdrew his sword from the scabbard and turned his head. “Tell me if you hear anything.”
“Very well.” She knew he needed to concentrate on listening for enemies, but the time they had alone was rare and precious. After several minutes of peaceful silence, she felt it safe to whisper, “Earlier, you were going to tell me what you wished for.” She but wanted to know more about him, to learn who he was on the deepest level.
He turned to face her, his breathing close. She perceived his outline in the dim moonlight, but not his features or expression.
“I shouldn’t tell you,” he finally said.
“Why not?” Now, her curiosity was piqued. She wished to know all Keegan’s secrets.
“I’m not sure you would like it,” he murmured in a warning tone.
“Why? Do you wish to be an outlaw?” Could he have such shocking aspirations?
He gave a brief, low chuckle. “Nay.”
“What, then?”
After a long, tense moment of silence, he stepped closer and placed a hand on her shoulder, then ran it into her unbound hair. He drew nearer still, his breath teasing the skin of her face.
“Seona,” he whispered against her forehead, then kissed her there. “This.” Slowly, he kissed her temple, her cheek. “This is what I wish for.”
All the breath left her and she could not draw more in. The kisses on her face created tingles that spread quickly throughout her entire body.
Lightly, he brushed his warm, tempting lips over hers. Hereyes slid closed for surely she had drifted into a dream world.
With his thumb, he gently stroked her face and jaw line. His lips were firm, but at the same time, soft and smooth. The short, rough whiskers on his chin scratched against her tender skin, but it wasn’t painful; it excited her and made her realize how very masculine he was.
His insistent lips compelled her to return his kiss, though she knew not how. She had never been kissed before, but she followed her instincts, pressing her lips against his and mimicking his movements.
“Mmm,” he breathed and kissed her more firmly. His lips nipped at hers, snatching her thoughts and scattering them to the breeze. When he touched the tip of his tongue to her lips, as if he wanted to taste her, a sound escaped her before she could stop it.Heavens!His tongue felt wicked. She wished he would do it again.
Trying to figure out how kissing worked, she parted her lips. He growled and darted his tongue into her mouth. That sultry move stole the strength from her legs, but she held on around his neck. Her breasts and other, lower, parts of her body tingled with a strange magic. What was happening to her?
Keegan tore his mouth away from hers. “Listen.” He turned his head toward the north.
She held her breath, trying to listen. With her heartbeat thumping in her ears, she could perceive naught.
Finally, she heard it. In the distance, horses’ hooves pounded, louder and louder with each moment that passed.
“Someone’s coming,” Keegan whispered, putting her behind him. The sword in his hand glinted in the faint moonlight, straining through the leaves overhead.
She was glad he’d been paying attention to their surroundings during the kiss, for ’twas almost as if she’d been transported to another world, one where sensation ruled. Her hands trembled as she clutched onto the back of his shirt. Not from fright, but because his kiss had disturbed her so much.
The quick hoof beats drew closer and closer, making her heart thump at the same frenzied pace. Were the outlaws searching for them? She peered around his shoulder.
Two horses galloped past the wood along the narrow trail, a hundred feet away, their silhouettes a dark blur against the moon’s reflection in the flowing stream.
A woman screamed.
“Who is that?” Seona asked, icy fear slicing through her.
A war cry sounded not too far away. Horses neighed.
“What the devil? Get on my back,” Keegan commanded, then leaned down in front of her.
“Nay. Why?”
“Do it, Seona!” he growled low. “’Tis Lady Isobel. I have to help her, but I’m not leaving you here.”
