Leaning down, he came almost nose to nose with her.
“Think what ye will of me,” he whispered, “but I’ll make one thing clear, here and now. I would never force me attention on an unwilling person.”
She blinked slowly, like a cat. Was it a challenge? He couldn’t tell, but she stayed quiet, so he continued.
“Some men believe it is their right to take what they want. By force, if need be. I’ve ken men who believe their wives are their own property, and that any woman they meet has a price, and an affordable one at that. I am nae such a man.
“But I will say now—and I expect ye to believe me—that I never forced any intimacy on ye, nor did I nag for it like a petulant child. I’d be grateful if ye would trust me on this.”
She stared back at him for a full second, then cleared her throat and lifted her chin.
“Right,” she said, her voice catching just a little. “I see.”
“Besides, yer defiance is hardly alluring,” he added.
It would have been wiser to stay silent and let the moment pass. Too late now.
“Medefiance?” she gasped, her eyes widening. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means what I said. It means…” He leaned in further, feeling the warm rush of her breath ghost across his face. “… that I ache to tame ye.”
Her pupils dilated. He was close enough to breathe in the lavender and roses in her hair. He could count the colors in her eyes and every eyelash. His belly quivered, his chest tightening as if he were diving underwater.
“As if ye could,” she breathed. “Tame me?Never.”
He grinned, letting his mouth inch wider and wider. Her eyes dropped to his lips, tracing the curve with her eyes. In turn, he let himself look at her lips.
A mistake, of course.
They were pink and soft. He remembered in a juddering rush how intensely he’d imagined kissing those lips before. Had he ever come close?
Nae as close as this.
“Oh, lass,” he whispered, shaking his head. “Ye would be surprised at how easy it would be to make ye beg for me.”
Her breathing quickened. He could hear the shudder of air coming from her, sharp breaths sliding out in a jumble. He could see her chest rise and fall, her skin a pink blur beneath her nightdress. The garment was too large on her, the neckline loose.
He could hook a finger under the collar and gently slide it sideways, easing the neckline off her shoulder. He imagined it: the slow reveal of warm skin, the tickling gasp of her breath against his cheek. In the same scene, he imagined himself seizing the collar in both hands, applying his strength and tearing the material enough to let the whole garment fall apart, dropping away from her as if she were shedding a second skin.
“Is that the only reason?”
He blinked, jolted out of his sensuous reverie. “What?”
She was still staring at him, her eyes pensive. “Is that the only reason we didnae lie together, or kiss, or even spend much time together? Is it because ye believed I didnae want ye?”
His imaginings vanished, the heat cooling in his chest as if he’d jumped into an ice-cold pool.
“Well, nay,” he said, before he could think twice about his answer.
As expected, she spoke again, asking the obvious question.
“What were the other reasons?”
He wavered, wondering if now was a good time to end the conversation. Back home at the keep, he would end uncomfortable conversations with persistent partners by simply walking away and relying on his long, brisk stride to leave them behind.
Here, there wasn’t really anywhere to strideto.
I cannae lie to her. I never could.
