Page 52 of Taken By the Vicious Highlander

“Do ye wish to ken what tonight’s activity will be?”

The question lingered like a summer heat, lapping at her skin.

“Tonight?”

“Aye, tonight.”

“So, have ye finally sorted out yer plan?”

“I have,” he said and pointed at the bed. “Share the bed, in sleep alone, with me tonight. I promise it will remain above board.”

“Truly?” she asked, resting a hand on her hip impatiently.

Damon smirked and lowered his chin affirmatively, playfully drawing a cross over his heart. “Honest.”

She looked between him and the bed once, twice, and a third time before finally relenting. “I really dinnae wish to sleep in the armchair again, so if ye swear ye willnae do anything, then I’m fine with sharin’ the bed wit’ ye tonight.”

His smile was devilishly promising, and her mind raced with the secret he had just shared with her in great detail. A pressure built between her hips as she watched him get ready for bed.

Lilith pulled the blankets up and tucked them around herself tightly as if creating a barrier between any untoward activities. Damon watched and then laughed before he climbed into bed with her.

The room was quiet except for the low crackle of the fire in the corner. Damon lay on his back, staring at the ceiling beams, his hands tucked beneath his head. His wound was throbbing, but if he was going to get any sleep, he would have to try to sleep as normal.

The bed was smaller than the one in his chambers at the keep, and Lilith’s proximity was making it impossible to relax. He could feel her presence, even without looking. He could hear her soft breaths as she lay beside him.

The silence between them felt fragile, like it could shatter at the slightest word. He thought she had drifted off to sleep when her voice broke the stillness.

“I look forward to goin’ back home in the morning,” she said softly, her tone distant.

Damon remained silent as she continued.

“I miss me bed.” She stretched out like a cat next to him. “It will be odd havin’ Ryder back there, ye ken. He hasnae been at the keep since… Well, it’s been a while.”

She started describing a distant memory of the last time Ryder had been inside the castle, but Damon didn’t catch any of it.

At the sound of another man’s name on her lips, he had held his breath, the ringing in his ears throwing his mind into a wicked distraction.

I should punish her for utterin’ another man’s name in our bed…

He turned his head toward her, his gaze narrowing but a smile playing on his lips. “Ryder, eh?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Aye,” she said, shifting slightly. “I just… He was hurt, Damon. I cannae help but worry.”

Damon pushed himself up onto one elbow, his expression darkening. “Ye’re thinkin’ about Ryder right now? While we’re sharin’ a bed?”

Lilith turned to look at him, her brow furrowed in confusion. “I wasnae tryin’ to upset ye,” she started to argue, and his smile turned devilish. “I’m?—”

“Upset me?” Damon interrupted, sitting up fully now, positioning himself to face her. His voice dropped, a low growlrumbling in his chest. “I’m nae upset, but do ye think I want to hear his name in a bed we are sharin’, lass?”

She blinked at him, clearly startled by his sudden intensity. “That’s nae what I meant,” she said quickly, sitting up as well.

“Do ye nae understand how it sounds, Lilith?” Damon pressed, hoping to see that blush creep up her cheeks once more. “To lie here beside me, touch me, and speak of him?”

Her lips parted as if to respond, but he didn’t give her the chance.

“When I ken what was on yer mind just moments ago when ye asked me if I wished to kiss ye again?”

His eyes landed on her throat, which bobbed and…