19 EYES DON’T LIE #2
And even though Ailsa was tall, he was much taller, and she had to crane her neck to meet his gaze.
“You read things wrong,” he said quietly. “And if you thought that was what I was insinuating, I apologize.”
She tensed, searching for the lie in his voice. There was none. She took Kayla’s advice then, trusting her gut. It told her his words were sincere.
Ailsa cleared her throat. “There are folk in Braewall who whisper” —she hesitated, then forced the words out— “that I’m so strange I must be a changeling. Maybe I am.”
He pulled a face. “That’s just people being cruel.”
“But what if they’re right?”
What if Kayla looks at me and doesn’t know what I am either?
The urge to spill her guts to him barreled into her. She carried such a weight these days; it was starting to crush her.
But no, she couldn’t bring herself to.
Some things were just too awful to say out loud.
And it was Kayla she needed right now. Her mentor knew things. She’d be able to make sense of these changes. Somehow, she’d be able to put things right.
Unbidden, tears welled in her eyes.
Dale made a noise in the back of his throat. “Ach. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You haven’t,” she managed. “It’s me. It’s always been me.”
To her surprise, he stepped forward, bridging the remaining gap between them.
He then lifted his hand—hesitating for the briefest moment—and cupped her cheek. Without questioning herself, she leaned into the warmth of his touch.
Was she imagining it, or was he vibrating with tension?
“There’s nothing wrong with you, Ailsa,” he said gruffly.
Their gazes fused. This close, the now-familiar scent of him enveloped her. Horse. Leather. And the musky male scent that made awareness tug at her belly.
His heat enveloped her too. Were all men’s bodies so warm? She had no idea.
Her attention traveled down from his eyes to his mouth. Those sensual lips, the upper curved and slightly longer than the lower.
She wondered what he tasted like.
And then, before she could dwell on it any longer, his head lowered, and he kissed her.
Her breathing caught, her lips parting in surprise.
For a heartbeat, he held there—giving her time to pull away.
She didn’t.
His tongue swept her lips apart, sliding against hers.
Ailsa couldn’t help it. She groaned. Gods. His mouth was so hot, and he tasted so good.
This was what she’d dreamed of.
Not the act itself, not even the pleasure, but this closeness.
Just another person holding her as if there wasn’t something wrong with her—wanting her.
Dale’s hands slid through her hair to cup the back of her head, deepening the embrace.
Ailsa’s mind swam.
His kiss consumed her. He knew exactly what to do with his lips and his tongue, and she was an eager student, opening for him, letting him deepen it.
Her hands lifted, splaying across his chest. The leather vest he wore provided a barrier, yet she still felt the thunder of his heart under her right palm.
This excited him as much as it did her.
“Fuck,” he growled against her lips. “Ailsa.”
He turned her then, walking her backward. Her spine hit the wall, but she barely noticed. She was too busy devouring his mouth as he did hers. The rasp of his rough stubble against her chin, the softness of his lips, and the wicked slide of his tongue—all of it made an ache rise between her thighs.
And then, their bodies were flush, pressed hard from chest to hip.
His arousal was evident: a huge, hard column straining against her belly.
She should have been intimidated by the raw strength in him. Instead, her pulse kicked, and something inside her unfurled.
She rolled her hips, inviting him closer.
A moan tore from his throat.
Emboldened, she raked her hands through his hair, its softness whispering against her fingers.
His hands slid down, exploring her body through the layers of the tunics she wore to keep warm.
Ailsa’s breathing came in ragged pants. By The Maiden, she wanted him to rip her clothes off. She wanted his hands on her naked skin. She wanted to chase her dread and desperation away—to believe everything would work out—just for tonight.
She nipped his lower lip with her teeth, gently tugging at his hair now. Making it clear that she needed more. In response, his kisses grew hungrier still, another moan rumbling through his chest.
The sound was raw, stirring something inside her.
She wanted to hear him moan again, to drag it from him.
And as his tongue plunged into her mouth, mating it, Dale ran a hand down her flank, over her hip, and to her thigh. He then hiked up her skirt and caught her leg under the knee, lifting her up and bringing their groins together.
She wore woolen leggings underneath, yet he was closer to her now. His hardness pressed against her softness then, and Ailsa gasped.
Grazing her lower lip with his teeth, he ground against her, letting her feel every inch of his iron-hard prick.
Want tightened low in her belly, sharp and demanding. She was aching for him now, rolling her hips to meet his as they moved against the wall in a steady rhythm. They were both still fully clothed, yet, somehow, it made what they were doing even more erotic.
Pleasure drew tighter and tighter every time he ground against her. It felt so good, she could hardly bear it.
“Gods!” she whimpered as he buried his face in her neck.
Her outburst roused him, seeming to draw him out of the haze of lust. He lifted his head, and their gazes met.
Ailsa stiffened. His eyes had changed again—bright gold, rimmed in black, the pupils drawn thin and predatory.
She should have recoiled at the strange sight. His eyes should have frightened her, yet they didn’t.
Instead, a strange ache tightened in her chest.
Marking her reaction, he stilled. “What is it?” His voice was hoarse with lust.
“Your eyes … they’re—”
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.
And then, cutting his gaze from her, Dale reeled back, as if scalded.
Alarmed by his reaction, she reached for him. “Dale, it’s—”
He stepped away, his movements jerky now. The cold rushed in where his body had been.
He moved toward the door. “I need to check on Rùn,” he said roughly.
He glanced at her once more, and then, before she could ask him anything else, he yanked open the door and disappeared into the night.
Ailsa watched him go, heart racing, lips still tingling.