Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“What did he mean?” Katherine demanded, her words echoing in her chambers.
She turned the corner of her room, following the edge of the space. Earlier, she’d thought that she was going to crawl out of her skin. Now, she was sure that if she stopped moving, that was exactly what she’d do.
Her fingers, desperate for something to do, plucked the ribbon from her hair. As she made her frantic rounds in her chambers, she released her braid. Then, after freeing her tresses from any tangles, she deftly plaited her hair.
“I thought he was a man,” she muttered furiously when she’d retied the ribbon, her heart aching but her body poised as if she were ready for a fight. “Men daenae just run away from women after they’ve kissed them! It isnae fair to me!”
She pressed the heels of her palms against her eyelids.
At this point, she didn’t even need to see where she was going.
She could walk the perimeter of this room with her eyes closed in complete darkness.
It seemed she had started pacing during her free time, all because Liam constantly confused her.
I’m goin’ to end up walkin’ a hole in the stone.
It felt as if the moment they made any progress, when they could stay in the same room together or when she might actually be falling for him, he pulled away.
The dichotomy was dizzying. One day he was finding every reason in the world to stay away from her, and the next he was waiting just outside her chambers and kissing her breathless.
“I should sleep,” she said though she made no attempts to approach her bed. Her entire being seemed vehemently against that idea. “The ceilidh is only a few days away. I have preparations that I must assist with. Agnes has lessons that I cannae be exhausted for.”
Even as she spoke each reason she shouldn’t continue her pacing aloud, none of them were compelling enough to get her to stop. The anger and confusion were running through her mind. Even if she were to lie down and close her eyes, she wouldn’t have a bit of quiet. She’d be up all night.
I have to get an answer. He cannae keep doin’ this to me. I cannae allow it.
With that in mind, Katherine left her quarters without stopping to grab her robe.
Her need to protect herself and understand what Liam meant with his constant push and pull was much stronger than her need for modesty.
Besides, it was late. She doubted she’d run into anyone on her way to confront him.
Her fury didn’t fade, not even when she saw his door half-open. She stormed through it, not bothering with knocking. If he could arrive at her door whenever he pleased and kiss her before disappearing, she thought she had every right to walk into his chambers whenever she pleased.
Once inside, she worried that the room was empty. The candles were lit, and the hearth was roaring, yet she didn’t see him on his mattress or in either of the chairs. It wasn’t until she stepped toward the hearth that she realized Liam was here.
Is that…?
Lying on the rug before his hearth was Liam. He stared into the flames, seemingly unaware that he was being watched. Katherine took a hesitant step forward, her foot scuffing against the ground and finally drawing his attention.
“Liam?”
* * *
Katherine’s voice was soft and curious, but Liam could hear the underlying anger. He could see her frustration in the way her shoulders were set. He knew he’d upset her, but it was different to see the effect he’d had on her so viscerally.
I kent gettin’ close to her would only cause her agony.
Sitting up, he growled, “Did I nae tell ye to keep yer distance?” His eyes dragged over her form, the thin nightgown doing nothing to keep her modest. It felt almost as if she were trying to goad him into touching her. “Especially when ye look like that.”
He was still reeling from his conversation with Cillian and the whiskey he’d sipped to get through it. His friend had repeatedly tried to convince him that he wasn’t the poison that contaminated the well. It wasn’t something he could accept, though.
“I need answers,” Katherine said, apparently unfazed by his sharpness.
She stepped over to him, apparently taking advantage of his seated position.
“Why are ye one way and then suddenly the other? I’m frustrated, Liam.
I daenae ken why ye are behavin’ the way ye do around me.
I daenae care if ye’ve told me nae to visit ye when I’m lookin’ like this!
Ye daenae seem to care what ye’ve been doin’ to me. ”
“Ye think I behave this way because I daenae care?” Liam asked, finally pushing himself to his feet. His own anger flared, matching hers. “It is quite the opposite.”
“Ye could have fooled me,” Katherine replied, stepping in closer.
It was a challenge and a temptation all wrapped into one. And day by day, his resolve was crumbling.
“Me touch is a curse, Katherine,” he said, his voice dripping low. “And ye are as temptin’ as sin. I tell ye to stay away for yer own good.”
“Who are ye to decide what is good for me?” Katherine demanded. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her breasts so tantalizingly present. “I’d be inclined to believe what ye’re sayin’ if ye actually behaved as me husband.”
“Ye want me to behave like yer husband, then?” Liam said, marching over to the door and slamming it. He stalked back to Katherine, each footstep deliberate. Even though he made himself larger, she didn’t shrink away. “That’s what ye want?”
She kept her chin high, refusing to back away. Even when he took hold of her, his hand coming up to fist her hair, his other grabbing onto the curve of her waist, she held his gaze. She didn’t flinch nor pull away. It was overwhelming to see how little she cared about the strength he had over her.
“I’m a beast, Katherine,” Liam said, almost disgusted with himself at the way he’d snapped. Still, he didn’t release her; he couldn’t. “Tell me to stop.”
Her breath hitched, but she stayed stubbornly in place. If anything, she leaned into his touch. Her lips jutted out. It was as if she were testing his resolve.
Ach, she’s so bonnie. So perfect.
His touch softened. He loosened his fingers in her hair and shifted his grip on her hip to something more respectful. Moving even closer, allowing their chests to rest together, he took a deep breath.
“Tell me to stop, Katherine,” he said again, his voice a low whisper.
A shiver ran through her, and the last of his restraint broke. He pressed their lips together again, this time more controlled than the previous kiss they shared. It was a deliberate act—a slow press of his mouth against hers.
She practically melted into the contact, her hands finding his elbows. A gasp escaped from her, and he swallowed it greedily. Drinking in the soft little sound, his body screamed at him to take more and more.
This was why he couldn’t stop himself from chasing after her. No matter how much distance he put between them or how hard he tried to protect her, he would always come back to her. He would always crave this.
Licking into her mouth, his hand moved from her hip to the curve of her bottom. He grasped it, squeezing the soft flesh and groaning at the feeling. His arousal grew stronger, desire almost overtaking him.
When Liam’s tongue found Katherine’s, she moaned. The sound was sweet, going straight to the pit of his groin. He wanted more, to hear each and every noise she could make, to map the places that made her gasp and squirm.
I want every last bit of ye.
He turned them then, putting her back toward his mattress. It was a subconscious gesture, his mind knowing exactly where he wanted her even if he wasn’t taking her there immediately. He couldn’t take her there though he was running out of reasons to stop himself.
Katherine’s palms moved up his arms, her skilled fingers pressing against his muscles. It was as if she was tracing the firm lines he usually kept hidden beneath his doublet. Knowing she desired him just as he desired her only drove him to move even closer.
Holding onto her tightly and never breaking the kiss, he walked her backward just a few steps. He didn’t take her all the way to his bed. Not yet; he just couldn’t.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling herself even closer to him. Letting go of her hair, he grabbed onto her other buttock. In a display of his strength, he lifted her from the ground.
“Liam!” she squeaked into his mouth.
The sound of his name gasped against his lips only made his cock harder. His tongue traced the line of her teeth, mapping them out with devastating focus. His palms squeezed the firm flesh of her bottom.
He couldn’t stay away from her if he tried. Kissing her was something he’d never be able to give up. Even if he deluded himself into thinking that putting distance between the two of them was the only way to keep her safe, they would always end up here.
As he walked them even closer to his mattress, stopping only a few steps short, he lowered her to the ground.
She kept her arms around his neck, even after her footing had settled.
Stubbornly, she refused to break the kiss.
It pained him to break away, but he had to give her a chance to walk away before he did something he’d never be able to take back.
“Leave,” he said, the command weak. “Before I go any further, leave.”
Her arms remained wrapped around his neck, her forehead resting against his. He could feel every breath she took against his lips. And when she opened her mouth, he already knew the words she would speak before she voiced them.
“I’m nae leavin’, Liam,” she whispered, her lips brushing against his as she spoke. “I’m stayin’ right here.”
And that was worse than her insisting he keep going.