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With her heart in her throat, Saoirse inched closer to the bed. Her eyes widened as they landed on his bare skin, his naked body interrupted only by the vines of the twisted blankets… and they hardly covered anything. Her first thought was to turn away as heat rushed to her face, but she was too transfixed as he mumbled her name in his sleep.
Catching her breath, Saoirse licked her dry lips as she studied him a while longer. His broad, bare chest glistened with sweat, and the ridges of his abdomen tightened with every repetition of her gasped name. She very nearly gasped as her gaze moved lower, following the lines of his stomach to his hips. It was clear he was enjoying himself.
Goodness…a small part of her wanted to reach out and touch him. She wanted to feel his manhood in her hands, exploring the unknown. Yet, that felt like too much of an invasion while he slept.
Hesitantly, she stretched her hand out over his thigh, and brushed her fingertips across its muscular contours. Noah’s body shivered under her touch, sparking a matching tremor in herself. A sensation of pure desire that she’d never expected to experience.
“I’ll be gentle,” Noah growled in the back of his throat. “I swear it.”
Saoirse knew she shouldn’t be seeing Noah like this, but she couldn’t turn away. Watching him dream of her caused her to tingle with such intensity that her whole body began to tremble. That, in turn, ignited an ache throughout her entire being that startled her with its power. It was pleasure and pain combined, and only he could put it in balance. With every thread of her body and soul calling out to him, she leaned as close as she dared.
Without warning, Noah’s hand came up and grasped the back of her head. He pulled her to him and crushed his lips to hers. The flood of emotion poured out of her like a dam with the gates left open, coursing with a torrent of new sensations and longings that she didn’t know she was capable of desiring. This wasn’t the slow and hesitant kiss of last night, but a kiss of the fierce passion that he’d promised. And it threatened to consume her.
Noah’s tongue slipped into her mouth, exploring. He tasted like whiskey and honey. A heady blend that Saoirse couldn’t help but get drawn into, just as she couldn’t help but get lost in his kiss. Her lips moved to his guiding rhythm, her tongue tentatively brushing against his so she could savor the taste of him even more. If someone had told her that such an act could be pleasurable, she’d have laughed. Now, she knew better. In fact, she never wanted to stop.
Slowly, Noah pulled away. With wide eyes, Saoirse stared at him, her mouth parted, stunned by her boldness… and what was about to happen. It was too late for her to run and hide. He was waking up.
His eyes fluttered as a sleepy smile turned up the corners of his lips. He looked so peaceful and content that just seeing him so blissful made Saoirse’s heart swell.
“Good mornin’,” she whispered, praying he hadn’t been all the way asleep. Maybe, he’d kissed her in that dreamy spot between waking and slumbering.
Noah’s eyes shot open, stark and wild. He sat bolt upright and scoured the room for a moment before his shocked gaze settled on her face. Snatching the blankets and coverlets, he jerked them across his body to hide his nakedness.
“What are ye doin’ in here?” he snapped. “Did I nae tell ye these chambers are forbidden to ye? How dare ye disobey me! How dare ye invade my privacy!”
Saoirse faltered, gesturing frantically at the table by the fireplace. “But… I brought ye breakfast.”
“Ye think I care about such triflin’ things?” His glower chilled her to the bone. “What were ye thinkin’? Ye’ve nay right to come in here without my permission. It doesnae matter if ye’re my wife. Ye cannae do as ye please!”
“I… I heard ye through the door,” Saoirse whispered: her heart sinking like a stone. “Ye called to me. Yedidgive me permission, or I never would’ve entered.” The joy she’d felt just moments ago vanished, any lingering embers doused by his derision.
“I did nay such thing,” he shot back.
The force of his angry words sent Saoirse scrambling backward, away from him. Her spine bumped into a table, upsetting a vase of lilies. She failed to grab the vase before it fell, as panic had made her palms slippery. It crashed to the ground, splintering into jagged pieces. Her heart knew just how it felt, for the hatred on Noah’s face cut her deeper than she expected.
“Are ye satisfied now?” he spat. “Have ye caused enough trouble for one mornin’ or would ye like to desecrate the rest of the room, too?”
Tears welled in her eyes, seconds from spilling over. “Today… is my first day here, in my new… home,” she stumbled over the word, “It is our first proper day as newlyweds, and… this is how ye want to greet me? I… just wanted to do somethin’ nice. I just… wanted to be seen by ye.”
“Well,” he said coldly, “I think I’ve seen more than enough.”
CHAPTER11
Noah stared at Saoirse,his chest tightening. It was clear by the wet shine of her eyes; she was hurt. But Noah couldn’t push back the embarrassment coursing through his body. It was as if she had violated every sacred inch of his chamber, catching him at his most vulnerable.
“Get out,” he growled at her. “Did ye think I forbade ye for a jest? Ye have nay right to be in here. And, so help me, if I catch ye in here again—”
“Ye’ll what?” Saoirse croaked. Her lips twitched as tears streamed down her face. “What is it that ye’ll dae to me? Nae that it matters now. Ye daenae have to worry about me makin’ the mistake again. After last night, I thought… nay, that doesnae matter, either. So, I’ll give ye what ye want.”
Still panting from the shock of waking up to her face and the dream that he’d been having, Noah clutched the blankets and tracked her as she stormed to the doorway.
“I’m yer wife, Noah, like it or nae,” she said, her voice cracking. “But I can see now what this marriage means to ye. It’s a lie. It’s nothin’ but a show. I understand that there will be nay kindness in this Castle. I understand that there will be nay love, nay affection, nay joy, nay unity. Ye are cruel, and as cold as the stone that forms this Castle. I swear, I’ll never disturb ye again. Ye willnae even ken that ye have a wife. That, ye can count on.”
Without another word, Saoirse wrenched open the door and stepped out. The door slammed hard behind her, leaving Noah alone in the dark chamber. He let out a heavy sigh as he looked about him, feeling a chill in her absence, like someone had put out the fire. Yet, it still blazed in the hearth.
For an age, Noah stared at the closed door. Each slowed breath he took eased his embarrassment, but each second trickled guilt through the cracks in his mind. Dropping his head into his hands, he let out a heavy sigh.
I was barely awake, Lass. Why did ye do that? I told ye nae to come in here, so ye cannae be upset that ye got in trouble for disobeyin’.Anyone would’ve been startled, waking up to the face of someone they weren’t expecting. At least, that was what he told himself, but Saoirsehadbeen upset.
