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“What for?”
“I’m sorry for makin’ ye think I’ve been avoidin’ ye. I havenae,” he lied, “I’ve just had a lot to occupy my mind. The brigandsarereal, and I’m due to try and chase them down again in a short while. I’d invite ye along, so ye could see with yer own eyes, but that would rather negate my desire to keep ye safe from harm.”
She tilted her head to one side. “I thought ye were nae allowed to let yerself care for me? Why would ye care if any harm befalls me or nae? Why would ye bother to waste John’s time by havin’ him follow me, if ye’ve already decided that I’m a mistake that ye must see through for duty’s sake?”
“A mistake?” The words left Felix’s throat as a partial gasp. “Ye’re nae a mistake, Edwina.”
Her eyes widened a little, as if that surprised her. “Nay?”
“Our upcoming marriage is… unexpected, but I wouldnae consider it a mistake. A… curious sort of accident might be a better explanation,” he replied, fumbling for the right sentiments. “The pleasant kind of accident, like when ye get lost in the forest but ye find the best blackberries, or ye slip on a rock at the loch and ye fall in, but it’s on the hottest day of the year so it’s refreshin’.” He was rambling, and he knew it, but it was almost worth it to see the shift in her expression as it began to soften.
A quiet chuckle escaped her lips. “I cannae imagine ye slippin’ and fallin’ into the loch.”
“I can show ye where it happened,” he replied, relaxing. “Do ye like to swim? Do ye ken how?”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “I used to live by the sea, Felix. If ye daenae ken how to swim, ye shouldnae be livin’ on the coast. That’s what me faither always used to say.” She paused. “Would ye take me swimmin’ one day, or does that nae fit with yer plans to keep me at arm’s length?”
“We’re nae at arm’s length now.” He reached for her hand, unable to resist the pull of her. It was the same intoxicating spell she had cast in the tower, carried by the potent scent of her honeysuckle perfume. Even through the heady roses and violets that surrounded the pond, her perfume was all he could smell.
Her fingers were rigid as he slipped his between them and took a step closer to her. Testing the waters of her current frostiness, he slid one arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. A soft gasp swelled her bosom, as her eyes turned up to meet his. Slowly, her fingers relaxed, interlacing with his in an easy, comfortable fashion.
“The other night,” Felix began to say, but she shook her head.
“Daenae spoil it.”
“But I want to explain,” he urged. “I was… overwhelmed by ye, Lass. It’s what ye do to me. Ye… overwhelm me. And when I kissed ye and we were… together like that, I—”
Her lips were on his before he could say anything else, stealing away any lingering doubts. Her free hand stroked his neck lightly, sending tingles down into his chest that made his heart thud harder. For someone who apparently knew nothing of intimacy, she seemed to know exactly where to touch him to ignite his longing for more of her.
Letting his concerns fall away, knowing he would not abandon her this time, he kissed her back with all the desire that raged in his heart. His fingers unlaced from hers and cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking her skin as his tongue explored her mouth. She let her tongue dance with his in kind, while her fingertips moved down his throat and traced teasing patterns across his chest… as if she meant to unbutton his shirt.
Out here? She wouldnae. I’m puttin’ my own ideas in my head,he chastised silently, for nothing would have satisfied him more than to lay her down upon the grass and make love to her. His loins throbbed with the possibility.
Slowly, his palm caressed her neck, his fingertips stroking down the nape and across her shoulder. There, he drew his touch back over the edge of her collarbone, seeking out the roundness of her breasts. His lips longed to follow the path that his fingertips were creating, but he did not want to spook her with too much at once.
His hand smoothed over the constrained rise of her breast and on to the curve of her waist, before sliding over her hips to the swell of her backside. He allowed himself a mischievous squeeze as he urged her closer to him, wanting her to feel just how much she stirred him. Her surprised gasp told him that she did, indeed, feel his desire for her, and as her lips curved into a smile against his, he knew she did not fear it.
“I dinnae mean to run,” he panted, dipping his head to kiss her throat.
“As long as ye daenae do it again,” she told him, arching her neck back so he could gain greater access.
Felix could have stayed like that all afternoon, letting others take care of his duties, but the crunch of footsteps slowed his fervor. Drawing his lips away from her warm skin, he turned and frowned at the archway that led into the enclosed pond garden. Edwina continued to cling to him, as her gaze followed his.
“Ah, just the man I hoped to see!” Kenney’s slimy voice slithered up Felix’s neck, as the wretch stepped into the garden. “And my dear cousin, too. What a surprise!”
Felix bristled at the unwelcome interruption, but fixed a polite smile onto his face as the wretch approached. “Ye were lookin’ for me?”
“Ye’re a tricky man to pin down, Felix. I trust I can call ye Felix, now that we’re almost family?” Kenney moved on without letting Felix answer. “There’s a matter that we ought to discuss, though I wouldnae want to mention it with a lady present.” His tone made it clear: he wanted Edwina to leave.
Felix frowned. “Anythin’ ye have to say, ye can say with her here.”
“It’s quite all right.” Edwina gave his arm a squeeze. “I should be on my way to Castle Millar anyway.”
“Are ye sure?”
She nodded with a smile. “I’m still nae takin’ an escort, though I imagine I’ll spot John ridin’ behind at a “polite distance,” so ye neednae fret.” She raised up on tiptoe and kissed Felix’s cheek, before whispering in his ear, “Try nae to kill him before the weddin’. We’ll be rid of him soon enough.”
“I’ll do my best,” Felix promised, reluctant to see her go.
