Page 37 of Kilted Sins

Will either o’ us sleep tonight?

It seemed unlikely. The room was warm and the bed was comfortable, even more so than the one in the chambers Enya occupied, but she could feel the heat radiating off Cillian, as well as every small movement he made. Even with her back turned to him, and even knowing that he, too, had his back turned to her, the intimacy of their position was painfully clear to her.

It was only for one night, she told herself. Even if the storm continued, she would return to her rooms. Enduring the cold seemed like a much easier task than enduring this.

Cillian had a problem; he had a quite big problem, in fact.

He didn’t know what could have possibly possessed him when he agreed to share his bed with Thora. He should have known better than to think nothing would go wrong. He should have insisted to stay in her rooms or at least go to the great hall, where the servants and the soldiers had gathered to battle the cold.

What he shouldn’t have done was share his bed with her, as now the mere thought of having Thora that close had affected his body in ways he should have easily predicted. His manhood twitched against his thigh, hardening with every passing moment as his traitorous mind provided him with all sorts of unlikely scenarios regarding how the night would end.

For what seemed like hours to him, he tossed and turned, and irrationally wished it wasn’t so warm in the room, after all. He was flushed, sweat beading on his forehead, and no matter how much he tried to keep his eyes firmly shut and fall asleep in the hopes that his predicament would be resolved on its own, sleep evaded him entirely.

I must dae somethin’.

He needed some fresh air, Cillian decided, and so he slipped quietly out of bed. He had hardly placed his feet on the floor, though, when he felt Thora shift and when he looked at her, he found her wide awake, leaning up on her elbows as she stared at him.

“Where are ye goin’?” she asked.

Cillian stayed silent for a few moments, no excuse coming to mind. “Naewhere.”

“Then why are ye out o’ bed?”

“I’m nae.”

Thora gave him an incredulous look, so Cillian slowly lay back down, making sure that he was hiding his erection. He hoped that Thora could see nothing in the dim light of the room, as the only illumination came from the fireplace, but he had the irrational fear she had somehow sensed it.

“Ye’re actin’ strangely,” Thora said, and though the accusation was fair, Cillian rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I dinnae think it concerns ye how I act,” he said, instantly turning defensive. The sooner this conversation was over, the sooner he could go back to fighting his own body.

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, Thora said, “Ye’ve been restless this entire time! How am I meant tae fall asleep when ye keep movin’?”

“I’ll stop movin’.”

“Why were ye movin’?”

From the corner of his eye, Cillian glared at her, wishing she would simply drop the matter. “I couldnae sleep.”

“Are ye cold?”

“Nay.”

“Are ye hot?”

“Nay.”

“Then why are ye like this?”

“Can you stop badgerin’ me?,” Cillian said, turning to face Thora fully, eyes narrowed and voice dropping low.

“I’ll stop when ye tell me what’s wrong,” said Thora. She, too, was worked up now, sitting up straight on the bed to glare at Cillian. “I dinnae ken why ye insist on treatin’ me like this. I asked a simple question an’ ye act as though… as though I am a villain! What are ye hidin’?”

Cillian was quickly losing his patience, a sinister headache creeping over the back of his head. If he had had the suspicion he would not get any sleep that night, it was now confirmed. “Naething.”

“Tell me.”

“Thora,” he said in a warning tone, but Thora didn’t heed it.