Chapter 12
Killian glanced over Leah's shoulder, and a knot of unease tightened in his stomach.
There lingering in the crowd, Killian spotted Fraser.
Fraser crossed his arms, furrowing his brow.
His gaze was direct. Killian wanted to let out a little chuckle.
Seeing Fraser watching them with the intensity of a storm brewing was entertaining.
Yet, the reason Fraser was even there as a witness irked him.
Killian knew Fraser harbored doubts about Leah and was convinced that the whispers of her being a spy were more than mere rumors.
To Killian, however, it was an affront to her character, yet he understood Fraser's loyalty to the clan.
Still, the weight of that scrutiny was suffocating, and it stained the joy of the moment he had envisioned.
"Killian?" Leah's voice broke through his thoughts, laced with concern. "Are ye well? Have ye had somethin' to eat that tasted funny recently?"
"Nay," he answered with a shake of his head that cleared the fog from his head. He blinked and focused on Leah's soft, pleasant face and steely gaze.
"Ye sure? Maybe ye were poisoned some other way."
"What makes ye think I've been poisoned?" Killian grumbled as he leaned closer.
"Where to start? The dress… the meal… the kiss." Leah let the last one slip through her clamped teeth. "Ye’re all over the place. Ye throw complements out like they're sweets and with yer other hand ye punish anyone who dares to take them."
"Ye daenae have a clue what it's like to be the laird," Killian said in hushed tones that forced Leah to lean in closer if she wanted to hear him.
"Nay, cannae say that I do. I do ken that ye told me to play a role and that is what I'm doin'. But ye’re makin' it very difficult to see the line," Leah confessed.
Killian wanted to reach out to comfort her, but the movement in the corner of his eye caused him to pause. Shifting his attention to the shadows, Killian found Fraser with his hand on his dirk at the ready. All Killian had to do was give the word, and Fraser would pounce.
"What are ye doin'?" Leah gasped as Killian snatched her by the wrist and forcefully placed her on his lap.
"Be still if ye want to live," Killian said, removing all emotion from his tone.
"This isnae funny."
"Aye, do ye see me laughin'?" he hissed as he curled his arms around her body. How he savored the floral scent swirling around her. It was as if she had taken a bath in a fairy pond and captivated him. "Now sit pretty and let them all see how happy ye are."
"Killian, I daenae ken what ye’re doin' but…"
"Ye're goin' to have to trust me on this," he whispered as he noticed her loose hair flowing over her shoulders, shrouding the skin of her neck.
"I trust ye as far as I can throw ye."
Killian couldn't deny her response made him want to laugh. Leah was smart and witty. The fact that he didn't intimidate her made her all the more alluring. How he wished he could stop time and keep her there on his lap.
"As well as ye should. But right now, I'm nae yer biggest threat."
"Ye see a threat?" Leah asked. He could hear the skepticism in her tone.
"Aye," Killian said as he hoisted her with ease from one position to another.
Killian's attention shifted once again to the shadows and to Fraser.
In the depths of the shadows, Killian could see Fraser's expression harden.
Determination swelled within Killian as he turned back to Leah.
Her sweet, innocent eyes bore into him. In her eyes, Killian could see the worry and the fear brewing, but she did not yet know what threatened her.
Killian pulled in a long, deep breath and brushed his fingers over her cheeks. How could Fraser ever see someone so beautiful as an enemy?
"Killian?"
"Leah," he began, his voice steadying, "there's somethin' I should tell ye."
Her brow furrowed slightly, a hint of worry crossing her delicate features. "Aye, go on then."
He took a deep breath, his words heavy on his heart.
"Fraser doesnae trust ye. He thinks ye’re a spy and willing to accuse the councilman who brought ye here as a conspirator.
Now, as much as I would love to see that man get justice, I'll nae have innocent blood on me hands. That includes yers as well."
Leah's expression shifted, shadows of doubt creeping in. "But I've done nothin' to deserve that kind of suspicion. When ye asked me to play this part, ye never said anythin' about puttin' me life on the line."
"I ken," he replied, compensating for Leah's squirming. There was no doubt she struggled to get away from him. But he wasn't going to let her go so easily. Tightening his grip, he compensated for every wiggle and jolt Leah did.
"Let me go," she hissed as Killian only clung to her tighter.
"Nay," Killian growled in her ear. "We had a deal. And I promise nay harm would come to ye. Which is why ye’re goin' to take the food I'm about to offer ye, and eat it with utter pleasure. Do ye understand?"
"Aye," Leah answered as Killian reached for the fork and stabbed a boiled potato. He glared a warning at her. The way she slowly opened her mouth caused little bumps to ripple through Killian's body. He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have her lush lips all over him.
"Now there's a good lass," he whispered, letting the words drip off his lips like water from a duck's back.
Leah's ire burned within her gaze as she chewed the food meticulously, refusing to drop her seething glare.
It was a look Killian had grown to adore.
It wasn't quite menacing enough, but he could see she was deadly serious.
"Tell me about Mason," he prompted, offering another bite of the food.
Leah arched her eyebrow and folded her arms over her chest. “I’ll tell ye whatever ye want me to so long as ye let me go.”
The play was clearly over. It pained him to have to let her go. He'd grown accustomed to her body resting on his legs and warming him. But the jig was up. The crowd had been appeased and Fraser no longer stalked the shadows.
"Now ye want to talk about yer brother?"
"If I dinnae want to ken, I wouldnae have asked," Killian answered as he let her slip off his lap and settle into the empty seat beside her.
"He's doin' better. Although I daenae think that lanky man should be seein' him anymore. He always makes Mason so aggravated and I daenae think it's good for his recovery," Leah said. It didn't take long for Killian to realize who Leah was referring to.
"Alan?" Killian asked.
"Aye, that's the name."
"Alan is a good man," Killian answered as he served Leah some of the lamb. "We both have learned a great many things from that man."
"Mason told me that Alan was the only one who stood up for ye after the accident," Leah said. Shock and dread raced through him like a stiff wind. He swallowed hard as he stared at her for a moment.
"Accident? Is that what they've called it?" Killian hissed as he tried to tame the fire smoldering in his bones. "And what do ye ken of the accident?"
"Nothin'," Leah answered, the conviction in her tone left nothing to doubt. "Just that there was a horrible accident involvin' ye and Mason and yer faither. Only, yer faither dinnae make it."
Killian shuttered as the memory pranced dangerously close to the edge of his mind. Letting such thoughts have free rein was never a good idea. Killian rolled his shoulders back and cleared his throat.
"I daenae think that this is a topic for dinner," Killian said with every ounce of emotion drained.
"Nay, perhaps it's nae," Leah said as she placed her napkin on the table. "I'm afraid I've lost me appetite."
Frustrated, Killian tossed the utensils down and pursed his lips into a tight line. Why did he always find a way to ruin things? A small gasp of shock escaped Leah as she sat straighter.
"Sit," he ordered. Noticing the fear flickering in her eyes, Killian pulled in a long, deep breath as he scraped off the "please" from the tip of his tongue.
"I daenae like bein' made a spectacle of," Leah said as she glanced to the bay windows. "Ye said we werenae to go public until after the party. We still have two weeks."
"Aye, but things are progressin'," Killian said. "And I didnae ken how else to get ye alone to tell ye. I could have brought ye into me study, but by closin' the door it would ruin yer reputation."
"Me reputation? Since when have ye cared at all about that?"
"I daenae," Killian answered. "But seein' as how most of society does, I ken what it would happen to ye should they all think somethin' more is goin' on between us. We must do things properly, as tedious and annoyin' as it is."
"Hence the dress?"
Killian glanced up from his plate of food to really take in Leah's dress. A smirk danced on his lips as he thought of how easy it would be to rip it off. Then, their uninvited guests would be sure to get a show. But Killian wouldn't do that to Leah, not when she managed to get under his skin.
"Happy accident," Killian answered. "I didnae have a clue as to what the dress maker came up with. But seein' as how ye daenae have very many and the one ye did have was tragically ruined."
"Tell me the truth, did ye put the soldier up to doin' that?"
"As cunnin' as that was, I had nay part in the matter. But ye cannae say ye’re nae a bit accident prone."
Leah's cheeks flushed a soft rouge as she settled back into her seat.
Killian found it amusing watching her jump from one emotion to the next.
How easy it was to ruffle her feathers, but at the same time, he wondered why he was enjoying it so much.
Was it the way her nose crinkled as she mulled over his words?
Or perhaps the way she continued to steal glimpses of him despite the ire lingering in her gaze.
"I believe ye, but why did ye do it this time? Ye daenae owe me anythin'," Leah said. "And if it's some sort of bribe, well, I'd rather walk back to me room in me shift than continue to wear it."
A flash of intrigue flickered in his eyes as his body tightened. The thought of watching her run through the corridors sent his fantasies flying.
"As enjoyin' as that would be, the dress just as tonight was all part of the plan."
"I see," Leah sighed. "Well, since we no longer have any witnesses, then I can take me leave."
"Please, daenae," Killian said as his hand shot across the table to grab her. His fingers curled around her wrists as his longing overwhelmed him.
"Killian…"
He rose from his seat, pulled to her by some unseen hand he wasn't willing to fight. The urge to keep her by his side nagged and poked at him. Leaning closer, he could taste the wine on her breath and wondered if he kissed her, would he still taste it?
Curious, he leaned closer and crushed his lips to hers.
As much as Killian wanted to believe that he was doing this for the plan, the truth was that his lines were blurring.
Leah had a way to help him forget all his troubles and worries.
As long as she was by his side, it was as if he could take on the world.
"I should probably…" Leah whispered as her fingers burned his neck, and they trailed its length.
"Go," he answered for her, wishing he didn't have to let her.
"Aye. But if there was anyone else suspicious, well, I daenae think they will be any longer," Leah said, but all Killian could do was shake his head as the kiss clouded his thoughts.
"Ye never ken," Killian answered. "There always seems to be someone lingerin' in the shadows."
"Has anyone ever told ye that ye might be a bit paranoid?" Leah asked with a crooked grin.
"A time or two. Doesnae mean I'm wrong."
"Aye, but it doesnae mean ye’re right either."