His warm palm pressed against the outside of her upper thigh, only a few inches below her hip. His hand moved, fisting the material of her nightdress. His fingers moved deftly, pulling up the hem of her nightdress inch by inch. She could feel a rush of cool air around her ankles, then her exposed calves, then her knees, then there were only a few inches to go before he could slip his hand under the hem, putting his palm directly on warm, shivering flesh, and then?—
Abruptly, Evander pulled away.
Skye’s eyes flew open at once, and she let out a ragged breath, disoriented by the loss of warmth and pressure. Her waist felt lighter without his arm. He released her nightdress, letting the skirt drop, the too-long hem pooling on the floor around her feet.
For a moment, he stared at her. With his back to the flickering candle, it was hard to read his expression. He was breathing heavily, however, his chest rising and falling deeply. Was that a tremor in his hands?
He cleared his throat and lifted his chin, but Skye managed to speak first.
“I didnae tell ye to stop,” she whispered, in a wobbly voice thatsurelycould not be hers.
He lifted an eyebrow. “I daenae follow yer commands unless I wish it, lass. Ye might be Lady Bryden, but I amLairdBryden.”
She reddened. “That’s nae what I meant.”
He glanced away. “I ken what ye meant. But this is a bad idea. It has already gone too far.”
“I daenae… I’m nae upset with ye.”
“I ken. Do ye think I never thought of claiming ye?”
She swallowed dryly, lifting her chin and meeting his eyes as squarely as she could. “Well, I am right here, am I nae?”
He bit the inside of his cheek. For an instant, the air turned still between them. He watched her through slanted, fox-greeneyes with a stillness that made her think of a predator about to pounce. Then he let out a ragged sigh, shaking his head.
“Ye are safe with me, lass. Let’s nae complicate things. I daenae want ye to feel as though I cannae be trusted. Trust is in short supply these days. These… impulses that bother ye will ease up soon enough, I’m sure of it.”
The corners of her mouth tugged downwards. “But what about the feelings I described? Me heart racing, me mouth turning dry?”
He gave a quick, mirthless grin. “From what I hear, those are perfectly normal reactions around a man like me. Plenty of women have said so.”
Color bloomed in her cheeks. “Ye are a wretch!”
With a huff, she leaned forward, her hand shooting out to slap him on the chest.
Instead of ducking, he grabbed her wrist in an effortlessly powerful grip, chuckling. “Enough of that, lassie.”
She made to tug her hand free, but before she could, he lifted her arm, turned it upwards, and pressed a quick, close-lipped kiss to her soft wrist.
“It’ll be dawn soon,” he said, letting her arm drop. She drew her wrist back to her chest, almost protectively. “We’ll leave then.Dress and prepare to leave. Neither of us has slept well, but there’s nothing to be done about that. I’ll wait outside.”
He turned away and strode out of the room, leaving her standing alone, staring after him, her heart still pounding.
What just happened? And what on earth is going to happen next? Should I be afraid?
Maybe she should have been.
She was not.
