Chapter 8 #2
“I suppose this is a little awkward, isn’t it?
To try to have a civil conversation after all this time at one another’s throats,” she said, a little chuckle in her tone.
“But I want ye to ken I mean this. I want to have a talk with ye that is real and true. Without guarding ourselves. I think it’s the only way we can reach any sort of arrangement that we can both be happy with. ”
He cocked a brow. “Do ye believe yerself to be in a position as such? Ye are nae a guest here, Kira. Ye’re my prisoner.”
“Perhaps right now, but we can work together. I dinnae ken if ye believe me when I say it, but I too wish to see my faither taken down. Surely a common enemy can unite us in some way?”
Her glacial blue eyes were bright right then, not clouded by anger and retribution.
And her hand squeezed his arm when she said unite us.
Immediately, Hunter was suspicious that she was trying to manipulate him, but he was far too curious to see just how much bolder she would get if he played coy for the time being.
“What do ye propose?” he inquired.
“I will write down all that I ken about my faither and his work. I even ken some of his trade agreements with the other large clans in the Highlands. And whilst ye verify the information to be truthful, I have this routine time out of my room. Perhaps a meal here or there with ye or Edine. Then, once it is verified, I can live freely here until yer revenge on him is complete. I will nae run if I have nothing to run from, Hunter.”
That certainly piqued his interest. “Nothing to run from? Do ye nae itch to get away from me?”
She shook her head. “I never have. I only wish to be free of feeling like a prisoner.”
He stopped walking, studying her closely. “And what of ye when my revenge is complete? Do ye think I’ll release ye back to Laird Barclay?”
Her eyes sparkled in the afternoon sunlight, and the corners of her lips tugged upwards ever so slightly. “I have nae thought that far ahead. Can we nae cross that bridge when we get there? For now, let’s work together.”
“And what if the information ye provide proves to be wrong?”
“Ye can give me lashes in the courtyard for all to see,” she replied without hesitation. “So long as it’s done by yer hand, I’ll submit willingly.”
Her final words hung on her tongue, her fingertips brushed against the inside of his arm, and his thoughts darkened.
Hunter’s entire body was reacting in conflicting ways, his heart disturbed by the imagery of her wounded and bleeding by his hand for all to see—but his body completely entranced by her confidence and flirtatious tone.
In that moment, his attraction was winning the war in his mind over hatred.
With a firm tug of her arm, Hunter pulled her closer and brought his face to hers. “What are ye doing, Kira?” he whispered. “If ye are trying to seduce me with these teasing touches and words, I assure ye… Ye will nae be able to bear the consequences if I give in to this charade.”
Her eyes were wide and searching his, but then, he saw it—her cheeks were darkening. Was she embarrassed for being called out? Was it at all possible that these attempts were sincere?
“Forgive me,” she breathed. “I… I only wish to ken if there’s still a spark between us.”
The words were the most sincere he had heard from her in years.
The shyness overtaking her face was enough to convince him that even if all of it was a ploy to manipulate him, some part of her was being truthful.
Kira did want to know if there was still something innate between them, that romantic chemistry that had been there since their later teen years.
They had only moved from friends to something more within the year leading up to her great betrayal.
He had only ever kissed her cheek and held her hand, but even that had been enough to ignite something deep within him back then that asked for more.
Taking hold of her chin, he tilted it up before she could avert her gaze. “Perhaps a kiss will tell us,” he suggested.
When his eyes fell to her lips, he felt his manhood throb. All the nights he spent chasing after her in his dreams just in hopes to taste her were finally not in vain.
As he dipped his head to bring his lips to hers, he could hear her inhale and hold her breath. At first, his lips only grazed hers. The light tickle of skin-to-skin titillated him, made him crave more. Ever so slowly, he moved his lips against her plush mouth.
It felt like a bomb went off inside him, his flesh aching and burning from the explosion, and Kira was the only balm that could remedy the wounds.
Her mouth moved in harmony with his, their lips crashing together again and again.
Hunter’s other hand reached for the back of her head, his fingers knotting at the roots of her blonde hair.
Kira’s arms snaked around his neck and her chest pressed to his.
An animalistic desire to shred her clothes nearly overtook him.
All of that anguish, all the yearning… It was all confirmed in that kiss. No matter how much he hated her and no matter how long he spent plotting her downfall, there was still something deep inside of him that craved her.
He craved her like a drunk craved whisky.
It was all-consuming, the desire bleeding into every aspect of his life, and once he had this taste, he was sure to drink himself to ruin.
When her body tried to mesh against his, he ripped away from her. While he wasn’t ashamed of his arousal, he couldn’t let her know just how much of an effect she had on him. And his shaft was alert, standing at attention, and seeking her out for relief.
“Nothing,” he breathed. “Nae a spark to be had. But all is well. We shall work on it after the wedding.”
With that, he pivoted and walked ahead of her, needing a moment to pull his head out of hormonal clouds and back to reality.
He was going to marry Kira for political reasons, and the fact he wanted her like this was a complicating factor, as he assumed that now she heard his plans, she would go right back to hating him. Which was fine with him.
Kira could hate him all she wanted, she would still be his.