Page 24 of Bear Protector
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Xander arrived at the Great Hall before midday. Kiera hurried in a few minutes later, breathing heavily as though she had run all the way from the fortress.
“Good morning,” he greeted her.
“Hello,” Kiera wheezed out. “I’m sorry, it took me a while to get away today, and I had to take the alleys and double back after the guards dropped me off near the craftsmen’s homes.
“No problem. I just got here.”
“Great. Did you bring the horses?”
“No, I walked. Are you fine to go on foot?”
“Yes, of course,” she panted.
“Great. It is best if you follow my lead when you get to camp,” he told her. “Try not to speak with anyone inside. And cover as much of your face as you can.”
She hesitated for the slightest instant. “I am taking a risk too, you know? I’m not supposed to set foot inside your camp, and now I am visiting in broad daylight.”
He bristled, breathing deeply to calm himself before replying. “So is that better or worse than coming here at night, dining in my cabin, and sleeping in my bed?”
She rolled her eyes. “You know the answer to that. Nothing happened, anyway.”
“I was there. I know.”
“Are you…upset about that?”
He smiled. Well,therewas a question. He had been waiting for her to ask something personal or intimate since yesterday, but she had been all business during his inspections. Sure, he could have layered on the charm, but one surefire path to seduction was not about being too accessible, or trying too hard, and certainly not about asking the woman everything under the sun. He would have come off as trying too hard, and it was not his style anyway. Now that she had laid the groundwork, he could share.
“No. That would be selfish of me. You fell asleep at the dinner table. You were exhausted. Upset? No. However, if you visit my cabin again and the same thing happens once more, I will very likely be…mildly annoyed.”
“I cannot imagine you being, saying, feeling, or doing anythingmildly.”
He looked down into her face and noticed her playful, almost coy expression. “You are full of surprises today, Kiera. I have a mind to invite you over tonight to see where it takes us.”
“You assume I will accept your invitation.”
“You won’t?”
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. You have not actually asked yet.”
“Okay,” he told her, grazing a finger down the side of her face. “Come over, then. Have supper with me and spend the night. Tonight.”
“You are a master of direct communication, Xander.”
“It is not the first time someone has told me something like that, and trust me, what I just said was not at all direct. So, what of your answer?”
She looked over at him as though she was carefully weighing the pros and cons of each option. “Hmmm. Can I trust you to be a gentleman?”
“There is only one way to truly answer that, Kiera. And it is not with words.”
“How do you mean?”
Looking into her jade green eyes, he stepped forward, slipped his hand to the back of her neck, and lowered his face to hers. She opened her mouth to whisper something, but he stopped her with a fierce kiss, taking her mouth as though she was already his. Kiera’s hands wrapped around his waist, gripping his back tightly, yielding to every swish of his tongue as he explored her mouth. He pulled her deeper into the kiss, moving one hand down her side until he felt the rise of her hips. She was whimpering, gasping for air, and if he went any further he would have to take her right here, right now, against a wall or on a nearby table so he could taste every inch of her.
Pulling slowly from the kiss, he released her and did not say another word. He turned and headed to the back exit to start their walk to the camps. Kiera caught up to him a few seconds later. Her breathing was still winded, and her face was more flushed than before. She did not speak or take another look in his direction until they were close to the camp.
“Are you…upset?” he asked when they arrived at the gates of his camp.
