Mayhap he’d gone too far by kissing her silky throat or taking her fine breast in his hand. She’d been firm and full in his palm, her nipple taut, as if eager for the heat of his mouth. And she had moaned with pleasure when he’d caressed her.
She hadn’t pulled away. He wouldn’t have persisted if she had.
Indeed, she had ground her body against him, stoking the inferno of his desire with each flex of her pelvis against his.
William lifted his shoulders in a shrug, as though he didn’t care. “I’ll have to try harder next time.”
Reid smirked. “If ye think there will be one.”
William let his gaze linger on her as he recalled for the countless time the eagerness of her kisses. “Ach, aye, there will be.”
He said it with such confidence, he almost believed it himself.
After all, he’d always attracted women. It was effortless on his part. They’d seemed drawn to him. Until Kinsey, who appeared absolutely unaffected by him. The more he tried, the less she cared.
At least until that kiss.
The longing nearly drove him mad. He wanted to kiss her again, hold her again, take things further than he had the first time.
All too soon, they were riding through the slanted streets of Edinburgh, making their way up the steep hill toward the castle. Toward William’s father.
William allowed his army free reign of the city, with instructions to meet back at The Pig and Pony, an inn he’d stayed at previously. The place had good ale and was mostly free of vermin.
Among those who dispersed was Kinsey, without even a backward glance at him.
Reid stayed at William’s side, as he always did. They arrived at the castle and deposited their steeds with a stable lad. Inside, the halls bustled with activity, suggesting the king had already arrived as well.
“William.” The familiar voice coiled around William’s chest and squeezed.
He turned to find his father making his way toward them in an immaculate red tunic embellished with gold thread. His thick gray hair fell to his shoulders in purposeful waves.
Laird MacLeod was a proud man. Proud and cold.
They met without embracing. “I trust ye have a victory to announce,” his father said.
William’s heart sank, knowing the disappointment he would lay at his father’s feet. Dread washed over him like an icy wave.
He shouldn’t care, damn it. He wasn’t a lad anymore. He was a man, one who made careful decisions, who put his men before glory.
“I see.” His father’s gray eyes narrowed. “I’d like to speak with ye.” He redirected his glare at Reid. “Alone.”
Reid inclined his head. “Aye, Laird.” He cast a quick look at William, as though wanting to lend his support and decline the laird’s offer. In the end, he said nothing and turned toward the Great Hall.
Laird MacLeod led William up the winding stairs to a small private room. Though nearly the size of a privy chamber, the quarters that William’s father was given to stay within was an honor. William, however, would be sleeping at the Pig and Pony, along with the rest of his men.
Once the door was closed, William’s father turned toward him with such vigor, his tunic rippled. “There was no victory, I take it?”
“No’ on our first attempt.”
“There was a second?”
William squared his shoulders. “No’ yet. The guards were alerted to our presence, so I thought it best to come to Edinburgh rather than engage in a second attack. Lucky that we did, else we’d no’ have made it on time.”
His father lifted his chin. “Ye failed.”
William could have offered excuses. Especially in regard to the new weapon the English had used. “’Tis only failure if I stop trying. I intend to go back. And next time, I will be successful.”
Laird MacLeod shook his head. “Ye take after yer mum. Her head was in the clouds more than on the ground, like ye.” He frowned with disapproval. “Men canna have the luxury of such distracted focus.”
“Dinna speak of her in such a manner,” William said, raising his voice.
His father smirked. “Ye dinna even know her.”
“I know she gave her life for mine.” William glared at his father. “And I know she had fortitude enough to endure yer cruelty.”
Laird MacLeod’s mouth opened in outrage.
William put up a hand to stop anything his da meant to say. “I’m too damn old to care for yer approval.”
His father smiled knowingly. “Ye’re never too old to stop caring for my approval.”
Rather than argue further, William turned and left the small room, refusing to give his father the satisfaction of seeing that he was right. Reid waited for him downstairs and lifted his brows in silent question when William approached him.
“It went as expected,” William replied.
“Ale?” Reid asked.
“Aye.”
Ordinarily, William would also want a woman or two with his ale, lusty lasses to drain the tension from his body with a long night of debauchery. But now there was only one woman he wanted.
The one he clearly could not have.
Kinsey had been to Edinburgh once before. A lifetime ago. It had been when she and her family traveled to Scotland from England after her da’s death. She remembered the city being large and overwhelming.
But it hadn’t just been the eyes of a child who saw it that way, for it was the same now. Buildings were pressed together and rose high in the sky as people rushed this way and that, their pace hurried. An unmistakable fetid odor hung in the air, so great it could only be produced by an area so populated.
She explored the city on her own for a bit with her dagger tucked close in her belt and her bow and quiver slung over her shoulder. But no matter what shops she discovered or the sweet currant and honey pastry she’d eaten, she couldn’t stop thinking how much more enjoyable it would be to do with someone else. Her mum or Clara.
Or even Sir William.
Her stomach fluttered. He’d tried to flirt with her after the night of their dagger throwing competition. His wink had left her pulse racing, and the grin on his lips made her want to press her mouth to his. But she’d maintained a cool air. She had, after all, been the one to lay down the declaration that nothing would change between them after that kiss.
But it had.
Oh, it had.
At night, it inundated her dreams with heat and temptation. During the day, it chased away most other thoughts. And through it all, her body raged with desire.
After her time exploring, a sunset streaked the sky with fiery red, orange and purple over the city. It was then the day’s drizzle became a hearty rain and forced her back to the Pig and Pony Inn for a hot meal and a dry kirtle.
By the time she’d changed and squeezed as much moisture from her curls as possible, she made her way downstairs, where the tantalizing scent of savory stew emanated. The tavern wenches were clustered around one table in particular, and she caught the familiar face at their center.
Sir William.
He drew women like shite drew flies.
Kinsey had thought herself different, immune to his charms. But now she was well aware that she too was just another lass under his spell.
Irritation tightened through her. She strode past him and Reid with a nod to them both and took a seat along an empty bench by herself.