Chapter 15
Katie sat on the edge of her bed, staring out the window into the inky darkness. The moonlight filtered through the curtains and cast silvery shadows on the room. Her heart was racing, and sleep was a distant possibility.
She shivered with delight and wrapped her arms around herself, savoring the taste and heat of Aiden’s kisses, caresses, and unmasked passion. The seed of hope that she had thought fruitless had blossomed into a seedling of possibility.
As she calmed down, her thoughts kept pulling her back to the web of decisions and events that had led her to this moment. Sitting up on her bed, she let the narrative play out in her mind so that she could explore it further.
It had all started with that one lie. A harmless falsehood, or so she had thought at the time. She had been desperate to escape the life her mother had planned for her, a life filled with dull suitors and meaningless chatter in the drawing rooms of London.
So, she had momentarily fabricated a tale of a Scottish betrothed, a man she had met on her travels.
The fib had rapidly spun out of control, more quickly than she had anticipated.
Her mother had been so thrilled, so eager to see her married to someone of status, that the fictional fiancé had become the reality she could no longer escape.
Aiden had appeared before her at the ball. The first time she saw him, he was nothing like she had imagined. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with a face that could have been carved from granite. There was a ruggedness to him, an intensity in his gaze that had unsettled her from the start.
But it was his outrageous, indecent proposal that had truly shocked her.
He would agree to play a role in her deception, provided that she would in turn agree to five nights of his choosing.
It was the most scandalous thing she had ever heard, and yet there was an intensity in his eyes, something dark and unspoken that compelled her to agree.
But now, as she sat in her cold room, she wondered what she had gotten herself into.
Can I trust him? Is tonight’s passion a sign that our situation has changed, or was it yet another ruse to convince me to once again fall victim to his whims and aspirations?
Until tonight, he had kept his distance from her, and when they had spoken, his words had been curt and full of irritation.
He’d behaved as though he despised her, and yet he had been the one to run after her tonight, after she’d believed all hope was lost. Why?
What had driven him to such lengths? And why now?
Her thoughts spiraled further into dark possibilities. Was there another woman? Perhaps someone he’d loved, someone he had been forced to give up to marry her? The thought made her heart clench painfully.
Or maybe… maybe he didn’t like women at all? Or perhaps he simply didn’t want a marriage, didn’t want children, didn’t want any future that included her in any way? She sensed that her ruminations were likely ridiculous, but she couldn’t shake them.
Katie buried her face in her hands to block out the questions for which she had no answers.
Her reputation was already in tatters. Everyone believed they had known each other before their engagement, and that they were deeply in love.
But the truth of the matter was far more wretched and far more dangerous.
What have I done to myself and my good name?
If she didn’t marry Aiden, the scandal would ruin her.
People would assume the worst—that she was already pregnant, that she had been caught in a sordid affair.
But, if she did wed him tomorrow in the presence of her family and friends, then the charade would be complete, and there would be no turning back.
Katie was overwhelmed by the gale of fear and uncertainty that churned in her mind.
She felt trapped, cornered by the very steps she had initiated and the very decisions she had made thereafter.
And, worst of all, she was utterly alone.
Aiden, the one person who could have reassured her, who could have made her burden easier to bear, had instead bid her goodnight and retired to his chambers, leaving her alone to confront her worries.
Why was she the only one losing sleep over this dilemma? Why was she the one suffering while Aiden slept comfortably, as though none of this affected him?
Annoyance bubbled up inside her and rapidly turned into self-righteous indignation.
How dare he! How dare he treat her like this, after everything she had sacrificed to keep up this charade to protect both of their reputations?
She felt miserable in spite of his arduous kisses, touches and promises in the corridor.
She realized she would be entering this marriage with dread instead of joy, and he was sleeping through it all, indifferent to her plight.
The images in her mind infuriated her, and before she knew it, she had jumped out of bed and pulled on her long overcoat and cloak.
She wasn’t going to let him get away with this.
She needed answers—no, she demanded answers from him.
If he loved another woman, if he didn’t want her, then she would force him to confess it to her.
She deserved that much. And if he didn’t want marriage and didn’t want children, then why had he invested his time in this farce?
Surely he could not have gone through with this complicated ruse purely for the sake of appeasing his family and the council!
The questions burned in her mind, fueling her determination as she tightened her slippers around her ankles and marched out of her room.
The castle was eerily quiet as she crossed the hall and into Aiden’s wing.
The only sound was the soft rustle of her cloak as it brushed against the stone floor.
Her heart pounded in her chest, a mix of bitterness and anger driving her forward.
She had never been one to confront people, especially not men, but tonight, she was through with remaining passive.
She was done letting Aiden control the narrative of her life.
The hallway outside Aiden’s chambers was dimly lit, the long shadows stretching across the cold stone. She stopped in front of his door, her hand hovering just inches from the wood. For a moment, she hesitated, her resolve wavering as doubts crept into her mind.
What if he gets angry at her for barging in like this? What if he refused to answer her questions and threw her out? But the anger inside of her and her need for explanations quickly overpowered her hesitation.
She knocked on the door loudly, the sound echoing through the quiet hallway. There was no turning back now. She was going to get the truth from him, no matter what it cost her.
Katie stood at the door, her hands trembling as she waited for Aiden to answer.
When the heavy wooden door creaked open, he stood before her half-dressed, his shirt untucked and unlaced, and his hair slightly tousled from sleep.
His blue eyes locked onto hers, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.
The silence between them was formidable.
“Katie,” he finally said in a rough voice, as though it pained him to say her name.
She took a deep breath, her resolve hardening. She had come this far, and she wasn’t going to back down now. “I want this to be our second night,” she said, her voice steady despite the storm of emotions raging inside her.
His eyes flashed. “Leave,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous.
“No,” she replied, standing her ground. “We need to get our nights over with, Aiden. Then we can move on and never have to see each other again.”
His brow furrowed, bewilderment replacing the anger in his gaze. “This… this isnae necessary.”
“Isn’t it?” she shot back, her voice rising with the intensity of her ire. “Until this very evening, you’ve ignored me, avoided me, and behaved as though I’m some burden you can’t wait to be rid of. I’m just trying to make it quicker and easier for both of us.”
Aiden took a step back, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “That’s nae what this is,” he said, his tone exasperated. “Ye dinnae understand…”
“Then make me understand!” Katie snapped, her emotions boiling over. “I tried to apologize to you, Aiden. I tried to say I am sorry that you have been coerced into marrying me, and that you’re now stuck in this situation because of a lie I told. But you won’t even talk to me about any of it.”
Aiden let out a low snarl, the sound echoing through the small space. “Ye think I’m the one who should be angry? Katie, I should be the one apologizin’ to ye for draggin’ ye into this—for… well, for everythin’.”
The strain between them hung in the air like a fully charged storm cloud ready to burst.
“You don’t have to apologize,” she whispered, her voice softening. “But you must talk to me, Aiden. We’re supposed to spend the rest of our lives together, and we can’t even spend five nights.”
Aiden clenched his jaw, his eyes boring into hers with a force that made her heart race. For a moment, she thought he might yell and push her away again. Instead, he closed the distance between them in one quick stride and reached out his hand to grasp the door behind her.
“I cannae do this,” he muttered, his voice barely audible. “I cannae…”
Katie felt the solid wood at her back as he pushed the door shut, his body now mere inches from hers. Her breath caught in her throat, the heat from his body seeping into her skin, making her feel alive in a way she hadn’t in so long.
“I should go,” she whispered, her voice shaky and her resolve crumbling under the weight of his stare.
As she turned to leave, opening the door, his hand shot out and slammed the door shut, trapping her between him and the heavy wood.
His other hand cupped her chin and tilted her face up to meet his gaze.
For a long moment, he just stared at her, his eyes searching hers as if he were trying to figure out what to do, what to say.
And then, before she could even register what was happening, his lips were on hers, soft and gentle, yet full of all the pent-up emotions he had kept hidden. His kiss was brief, almost hesitant, but it was enough to make Katie’s heart flutter with need, desire, and relief.
When he pulled back from her, his breathing was ragged and his eyes had perceptibly darkened. “I want ye,” he murmured, his voice hoarse with the effort of controlling himself.
Katie’s hand trembled as she reached up to touch her lips, which were still tingling from the brief contact. She wanted to say something, anything, but all she could think about was Aiden touching her.
“Dinnae go,” Aiden whispered, his voice soft, almost pleading.
Katie’s heart twisted at the vulnerability in his eyes, the raw emotion he was barely keeping at bay. For the first time since this whole ordeal had begun, she saw the man behind the stoic facade, a man who was just as scared and confused as she was.
“Do you really… want me?” she asked, her face bright red.
“More than anythin’,” he whispered, and she sighed when his hands began roaming over her curves. “More than anythin’.”
“I want you too,” she admitted, and that was all the permission he needed.
Their lips met again, but this time, Aiden’s fingers were working on her ribbons and buttons, pushing her shift down her chest and exposing her bare flesh. He quickly lowered his head, licking and tasting her flesh as she moaned and whispered her pleasure in his ear.
She was warm and enthusiastic, and he wanted to taste more of her.
She rocked her hips as his hands wrapped around her buttocks and dipped between her legs, rubbing her seductively.
She groaned in ecstasy as he drank in the hunger in her eyes when he pressed and pulled her flush against his rough fingers.
In a rush of sheer pleasure, she called out this name before capturing his lips again, her hips rocking slowly against him.
“Good lass,” he moaned. “Sweet, moist, and so soft.”
“Aiden…” she breathed, pulling on his hair as she feverishly kissed his lips.
Her hands danced over his collar, and his tongue flicked against the swell of her breasts as he continued rubbing the spot between her legs.
“Is this what ye want?” Aiden asked, grabbing her chin gently and making her look at him. “Is this what ye want? Me?”
“Yes,” she whispered without hesitation, her arms circling him to hold his face to her neck, gently cradling his head as he tasted and kissed her flesh.
“Ye’re mine,” he managed to breathe, licking a pattern across her breasts that drove her into a frenzy.
Aiden spread her thighs further and expertly rubbed circles around her pearl with his finger. She shuddered in response and cried out for more. He caressed her folds and separated them to slip two fingers inside her moist, hot cavern while his thumb continued to rub her pink nub.
Katie howled as her ecstasy rose to unimaginable heights and powerful currents shot through her. She ground herself against his hand in a desperate plea for more. Aiden pumped his fingers in and out of her wetness until she screamed with unbridled bliss and climaxed.
The sizzle of their torrid affair lingered between them and ebbed away slowly, but they were too wrapped up in one another to notice. Theirs was an intimate, cozy silence, the rhythm of their breaths matching their heartbeats as they found comfort in each other.
“This was easy,” Aiden admitted, making Katie smirk. “I wish we’d kenned it sooner.”