Alex. She stood so close Clara thought for a moment she might hit him.
“And you are sorely mistaken if you think to find another woman such as this one.”
With that, Emma Waryn winked at her and promptly walked back to the castle.
Clara stared after her for a moment, unsure of how to feel. Then she met Alex’s eyes, and both of them burst into spontaneous laughter.
“She thinks highly of me,” Alex said, teasing.
“I tend to agree with her,” Clara said.
As Alex made his way toward her, Clara shifted on the flat rock.
“Even after last eve?” he asked.
He reached out a hand.
She took it.
“Despite my better judgment, aye.”
He didn’t let go of her hand when she stood. Instead, he wound his fingers through hers. They fit nicely between her own, and the contact sent a wave of warmth through her.
Alex led her away from the castle and toward the shore.
“Wait,” he said, coming to a sudden stop. He removed his leather boots and looked at her, nodding. She took the hint and removed her own as well. They tossed them aside, and he took her hand again as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Though the sun had not yet set, it would do so before long. “This is my favorite time of day,” she said.
“Why?”
They continued walking, the sand now wet beneath their feet as they moved closer and closer to the water’s edge.
“My father worried about everything. Reivers, enemies, even allies. The more fearful and suspicious he became, the less inclined he was to allow me to accompany him on his travels. To compensate, he built an elaborate bench and even fashioned a pile of rocks that funneled water from a nearby stream through the garden. I could sit there, just before dusk, and listen to the sound of flowing water for hours.”
Hand in hand, they stood listening to the gentle lapping of the waves as they came ashore.
“Did you fall back asleep last eve?”
She almost lied, knowing the truth would upset him, but decided against it.
“Nay.”
“I’m sorry, Clara. I was a fool to promise to stay and then break that promise by leaving.”
“You are a fool,” she said, “but for other reasons.”
He turned her toward him. “That may be so,” he said. “But I only spoke the truth.”
She wasn’t sure they were talking about the same thing.
“I don’t know what you want, Clara.”
His laughing eyes were strangely dark, uncharacteristically serious.
“You,” she said. “I want you, Alex.”
The look he gave her was clear. This was why he’d come.
He was finally going to give her what she asked for.
She could sense the change in his mood. Her mouth, moist and ready for him, opened just slightly. He leaned toward her, his mouth moving over hers in a kiss meant to claim. Their tongues dueled in the way he’d taught her, and the groan she heard was her own.
They pressed together so tightly she could feel the evidence of his need against her. Tearing himself away, he discarded his tunic, leaving her with a view even more spectacular than the one to her right. She wanted to touch every inch of him, and she did. Clara caressed and grasped him, his muscles tensing under her fingers, as he moved his mouth from her lips to her neck. She leaned her head back to give him better access, and he took it.
His other hand moved to her bodice. She hadn’t noticed him untying the laces when his bare hand moved over her breast. He squeezed gently, in rhythm with his mouth, and she unabashedly pressed herself toward him, the feeling between her legs building.
“Just the surcoat,” he muttered. She didn’t know what he meant.
He abruptly changed course and, before she understood his intent, Alex pushed both fabrics aside to allow for better access. He cupped her breast in his hand and lowered his mouth to it.
“Alex!”
His tongue circled her nipple, hard beneath his deliberate ministrations. He teased and tortured her until she called his name again. He took her nipple into his mouth and nipped it, holding it lightly between his teeth. She sucked in a breath and forgot to let it back out.
“I. . .” She didn’t know how to describe what she was feeling.
He lifted his mouth and looked directly at her, his eyes hungry.
“I know,” he said.
What did he know?
He reached down and pulled up her surcoat, under tunic, and shift in one easy motion.
“I’m going to remedy that.”
“What—”
She never finished the thought. Alex moved his