Chapter Thirteen
Damn, he wanted to kiss her. Silas slapped himself mentally to stop lusting for Gwennore and instead focus on the irate queen, who was hurtling toward them like a fired cannonball. He could practically see the steam coming out of her ears.
The three ladies-in-waiting accompanying the queen didn’t appear at all angry. They remained behind Her Majesty, exchanging grins. No doubt, they were excited to witness such a scandalous moment. It wouldn’t take long for them to spread the news around the castle that he’d been caught kissing his mistress in the hallway.
If only he had kissed her. That had been the original plan. But once he’d pulled her into his arms, he’d found himself unable to force a kiss without her permission. So he’d tried to make it look like he was kissing her. Unfortunately, the more he had resisted doing it, the more he’d wanted it.
If they had been alone, would she have let him? Fool. If they had been alone, he wouldn’t have needed the distraction. Clearly, he was too overwhelmed with lust at the moment to even think straight.
Holy Light, he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to do more than kiss her.
“How dare you!” Freya stomped a foot on the wooden floor. “It’s one thing to bring a mistress to our castle, but to fornicate in the hallways is really—”
“We hadn’t progressed that far,” Silas muttered. He glanced over at Gwennore and noted a blush creeping up her cheeks. Even her cute ears were turning pink. She must be embarrassed. Damn, now he felt guilty in addition to feeling frustrated. But it couldn’t be helped. Until Margosha managed to make her escape, he had to keep this scenario going.
Freya scoffed. “If we hadn’t interrupted you, you would have been fornicating.”
He groaned inwardly. I can only hope.
“Do you realize you’re misbehaving right in front of my bedchamber?” Freya continued.
“Ah.” Silas glanced at the nearby door. “My apologies, Your Majesty. We were caught up in a blazing inferno of passion. Right, Gwennie?”
Her ears turned a brighter shade of red.
“See how hot she is?” He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “My darling Gwennie is practically feverish with desire.” When a sound escaped from her, somewhere between a groan and a whimper, he winked at her. “I know it’s hard, snookums. I can barely wait, myself.”
The glare she shot at him was so heated, he half expected sparks to shoot from her eyes and sizzle across his skin. Holy Light, if they did have a moment of passion, they might set the bed on fire.
“Patience, bunnykins. We’ll find a bedchamber soon.” He spotted Margosha slipping out the dressing room door, behind the queen and her three ladies. With her arms filled with supplies, Margosha scurried away from them, down the hallway.
Freya crossed her arms, scowling at him. “I have never seen you behave like this before. The elfin whore is clearly a bad influence on you.”
Silas’s hand tightened on Gwen’s waist. “Disparage me if you wish, Your Majesty, but do not speak ill of Lady Gwennore.”
Freya huffed. “You defend her? An elf?”
“She’s beautiful,” Silas declared, and he felt Gwennore stiffen beside him. Did she think he was lying?
“She can never be anything more than a mistress,” Freya hissed. “Surely you know that Norveshka would never accept an elfin queen!”
With a gasp, Gwennore tried to pull away from him.
He held on to her, keeping her pressed against his side. “Whenever I marry, whomever I marry—that decision will be mine.” He swooped Gwennore up in his arms, ignoring her small cry of surprise. “Good evening, Your Majesty.” He strode toward his bedchamber, carrying her.
“What are you doing?” Gwennore whispered, her hands clutching at his shoulders.
“Making a dramatic exit. I want them to focus on us and not Margosha. Can you see her?”
Gwen peered over his shoulder. “She just went into a room on the other side of the stairwell.”
“That’s her bedchamber.” He nodded. “We did good. And the queen?”
“She and her ladies have gone into her bedchamber.” With a groan, Gwen ducked her head. “That was so embarrassing.”
“Why? Are you embarrassed to have me as your lover?”
She gave him an incredulous look. “Has it never occurred to you that I don’t like being the subject of gossip? Or that I hate having my reputation ripped to shreds?”
He winced. “I am sorry about that. At the time, it seemed like the best way to keep you and Margosha safe.”
“You don’t find this embarrassing?”
“No. I’m actually flattered to have such a beautiful lover.”
She scoffed. “This is not real.”
Ouch. Why did that hurt? Because you still want to kiss her, you fool. “It…” Don’t say it. Once you say it, you can’t take it back. “It could be.” Dammit, why did you say it? “It could be real, if you wanted—”
“Put me down.” She squirmed, but he pressed her harder against his chest.
“You seem to have forgotten the first rule for dating.” He angled his face close to hers. “When you go for a ride, you hang on tight and never let go.”
“That’s not for you. It’s for dating a dragon.”
“Ah. So you still want to date Puff.”
“I never said that.”
Silas let out a sad sigh. “Poor Puff. He’ll be so disappointed. He’s very sensitive, you know.”
She blinked. “Then he does like me?”
“Ha! You do want to date him.”
“Do not.”
“You shouldn’t toy with his feelings, Gwen. Rule number two for dating a dragon is to remember they have extra-large hearts. That means they can love fiercely, but they can also be terribly hurt.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Extra-large hearts?”
He nodded. “So be careful if you decide to date him.”
“I can’t possibly date a dragon.”
“Then date me.”
Her mouth fell open.
She looked a bit dazed, but damn, he still wanted to kiss her. He motioned with his head toward the nearest door. “Can you open that for me?” When she turned the knob, he kicked the door open and strode inside.
She peered around the room with a confused look. “This isn’t my bedchamber.”
“No, it’s mine.”
She gasped. “Put me down.”
“As you wish.” He headed for the bed.
“Stop!” She struggled against his hold. When he set her on her feet, she made a wild dash for the open door.
“You didn’t answer me.”
She paused in the doorway. “Answer what?”
“Will you date me?”
She gave him an incredulous look. “Are you being serious? Because I never know. As far as I can tell, everything is a joke to you. I’m just snookums and bunnykins, and you’re playing with me.”
He walked toward her. “I’m not playing now.”
“How can I believe anything you say? Or don’t say. You keep hiding things like the fact that you’re the heir to the throne.”
“I didn’t think it was important.”
With a scoff, she impatiently brushed her hair back from her brow. “It’s extremely important, for it gives you motive. If the king’s children were truly murdered, then the next in line—”
“What?” He halted with a jerk. Holy Light, what did she think of him? “You—you think I could harm children?”
“No.” A pained look crossed her face. “Others might believe it, but I don’t. I saw how you were with Eviana.”
“You thought I would make a good father.”
She hissed in a breath. “You heard my thoughts. Do you have any idea how mortifying that is for me?”
“Yes, I do. I heard your reaction.”
With a groan, she covered her face.
“Don’t be embarrassed. I like the way you think.” I like you. He took a deep breath. “H
earing your thoughts helped me to get to know you well.”
When she lowered her hands, her eyes were glimmering with tears. “It didn’t work both ways, for I hardly know you at all. And it doesn’t help when you deceive or trick me. Or when you neglect to tell me something important. I … I need you to stop hiding things from me.”
He swallowed hard. There was one thing he could never reveal. “We all hide things, Gwen. Our worst fears. Our secret desires. What we truly think about each other.”
She blinked away tears. “I don’t know what to think about you.”
“What would you like to know? How much are you ready to know?”
She bit her lip, then ventured a quick glance at him. “Do—do you truly think I’m beautiful?”
“Yes. You’re more than beautiful. You’re clever. Brave and loyal. Those are the qualities that are the most important to me.”
She took a deep breath, and her breasts nearly popped out from her tight bodice.
Holy Light, he wanted to kiss her. “I have a question for you. Did you … when we were embracing, did you want to kiss me? Were you tempted?”
She looked away, her cheeks turning pink.
“No answer?” He stepped closer. If he took her into his arms, would she stop him?
She retreated a step. “This is happening too fast. I met you only yesterday.”
“We can slow down. We have plenty of time.”
“No, we don’t.” She met his gaze. “I’m leaving in a month.”
He swallowed hard. He’d forgotten about that. “I could still see you. I could visit you—”
“To what end? It is true what Her Majesty said. I would never be accepted here.”
“I don’t give a damn what people think.”
“If you become king, they will be your people. So you should care.”
“Gwen—”
“No.” She lifted her chin. “I won’t date you. And I will not be … tempted.”
It felt like a jab through the heart. He did his best not to recoil.
She strode through the doorway and shut the door.
In his face.
Dammit. He clenched a fist, ready to punch a hole in the damned door. He still wanted to kiss her. He wanted to tempt her. Hell, he simply wanted her.
To what end? Her words echoed in his mind, and he let his arm drop to his side.
If he started something with her, how would it end? Would he end up trying to separate her from her adopted sisters and making her miserable instead of happy? He’d never known anyone from the Three Cursed Clans who had managed to have a happy relationship.
He sighed. He needed to keep his priorities straight. They had work to accomplish, so he should be concentrating on that.
But he still wanted to kiss her. With a groan he realized what the real question was. Not if he wanted her. That was a clear yes. But she was leaving in a month. The real question was—if he fell for her, would he be able to let her go?
* * *
While Nissa untied the laces on Gwennore’s gown, her thoughts kept returning to the scene in the hallway. She’d come so close to kissing him! Good goddesses, she’d been so tempted. And then he’d asked her to date him?
She shook her head. Of all the things to focus on, that’s where her thoughts kept going? She should be making more plans on detecting the poison and debunking the so-called curse. But as she slipped on her nightgown, she kept wondering what Silas would think of her now. Would he still find her beautiful?
She glanced at the door that led into his dressing room. Was that the sound of running water? Was he bathing?
Don’t think about him. But how odd that he’d mentioned that Puff had an extra-large heart. When she’d done a reading on him, she’d noticed the same thing about him. It seemed like a strange coincidence—
“All done, my lady.” Nissa’s words interrupted her thoughts.
“Thank you, Nissa. You may go now.”
“Good evening, then.” Nissa bobbed a curtsy and made a quick exit through the bedchamber.
Gwen glanced once again at the door to Silas’s dressing room. He wouldn’t dare … she winced, recalling how close he’d come to kissing her. And all those outrageous comments he’d made. She’d been feverish with desire? And they’d been caught up in a blazing inferno of passion?
Oh, he would dare, the scoundrel. She dragged a chair over and rammed it against the door. He could probably hear the noise she was making, but that should make it clear that he was not welcome.
She strode into her bedchamber, closing the door to her dressing room behind her. As tense as she was, she feared she would have trouble sleeping. But it had been such an awfully long day that within minutes of crawling into the large bed, she fell fast asleep.
Some time later, she stirred when a sound emanated from her dressing room. It’s nothing. She rolled over and snuggled deeper into the wide, comfy bed.
The door to her dressing room made a slight creaking noise. Her eyes fluttered open, but she couldn’t see anything. The fire in her hearth had gone out during the night. A few glowing coals provided enough light that she could barely discern the blurred outlines of a few pieces of furniture. It’s nothing.
A shadow moved into view.
With a gasp, she sat up. It’s definitely something.
“Don’t be alarmed.”
It’s Silas! “What—what are you doing here?”
“No one will believe we’re lovers if the servants discover us sleeping in separate beds.”
He meant to sleep with her? “No!” She dragged the red velvet coverlet up to her chin. “You’re taking this lover pretense much too seriously!”
“Shall I take it lightly then?” He bounced onto the bed.
“What are you doing? You can’t get into my bed.”
“Oh, that reminds me.” He pulled back the edge of the coverlet. “I need to be under the covers, so it looks like I slept here.”
“You’re not sleeping here.”
His grin flashed in the dark. “You want to do something else?”
“No!”
“Ah, rejected again. How many wounds must I endure?” He pulled off his shirt.
“What are you doing?” She scooted to her edge of the bed.
He tossed the shirt onto the floor. “We have to make it believable. I never sleep with a shirt on.” He fumbled underneath the sheet.
She eyed him warily. “What are you doing now?”
“Just a minute.” He lay back and raised his hips. “There.” He sat up and pulled his breeches out from underneath the sheet. “I never make love with my clothes on.”
She gasped as he tossed the breeches across the room. “This is outrageous! Are you totally…”
“Naked? No, I still have on some drawers. But it might be more believable if I take them—”
“No!”
“Very well.” He flashed another grin. “Anything to make you more comfortable.”
“I’m not comfortable!” She grabbed a spare pillow and jammed it between the two of them. “Don’t you dare cross this line.”
“So you’re all right with me staying?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Gwennie.” He stretched out on his side, his head propped up on his hand. “I have the upmost respect for you. I won’t do anything to upset you.”
“I’m already upset.”
“I’ll stay on my side of the bed and leave you alone. In fact, you’ll be even safer with me here, because I can protect you. So go back to sleep.”
“How could I possibly sleep with you in my bed?”
He shrugged the shoulder he wasn’t lying on. “You ignore me.”
Ignore him? When he was practically naked and the sheet only reached his waist? And his chest looked so … interesting. She turned her head, focusing on nothing in front of her. “I won’t be able to sleep.”
“Are you not used to sharing a bed?”
“I am, actually.”
??
?I’ll kill him.”
She snorted. “You’re always joking.”
“Not always. Who is the bastard who shared your bed?”
She gave him a wry look. “Your sister. And if you don’t behave yourself, I’ll tell her what you called her.”
He grinned. “You slept with Sorcha?”
“At the convent, yes.”
He lay down, crooking his arm beneath his head for a pillow. “What is she like? Are you close to her?”
“Very close. I’m only six months older than her. I … I can’t remember a time when she wasn’t a part of my life.”
“You miss her.”
Gwen pulled her knees up against her chest. “Yes. I miss all my sisters.”
“You’ll see them again.”
Gwennore nodded. In a month. Brody had promised to check on her in a week. “Brody said he would bring me letters from them.”
“That’s good.”
“The—the jewelry you loaned me tonight—”
“Not a loan. I gave it to you.”
“You shouldn’t have. Those pieces belonged to your mother, so they should go to Sorcha.”
He shrugged his shoulder again, causing her gaze to return to his broad chest. “Would you mind telling me about her?”
She tilted her head. “Who?”
“Sorcha. Unless you’d rather sleep.”
With an inward wince, she realized she’d been staring at the curious-looking ripples along his abdomen. She turned her head away and scooted back so she was sitting against the headboard with the coverlet up to her chin.
“Are you cold? I could build up the fire.”
“No!” The thought of him wandering about in his underpants was too much. “I—I’m feeling warmer.” Her face flushed with heat. “Do you still want to hear about Sorcha?”
“Yes. She seemed very … straightforward. And strong.”
“She is strong. I’ve always envied that about her.”
“Why would you? You’re strong, too.”
Gwen shook her head. “I let people look down on me. If someone sneered at Sorcha, she’d probably punch him in the face.”
He chuckled. “Probably so. But I still think you’re strong. You have an inner strength that doesn’t give up. And once it’s added to your cleverness and sense of loyalty, it makes you formidable. Just look at what you’ve been through the last two days.”