Page 85 of The Forest Bride

“My men and I will go to the gates and demand the girl back.”

“What if she is not there? What if they shoot from the battlements? One arrow to the heart and you are slain.” She poked him in the breastbone. “That worries me.”

Slain indeed, by her sweet fierceness. “We have shields, bows, and fine archers.”

“Give me a horse and a good bow. If they have the king’s daughter, I want to be there when you bring her out.”

“I will not put you at peril. We will do all we can and bring her back to you.” He moved forward.

She gazed up at him. “Duncan, I cannot sit by. I need to find her.”

“That responsibility you bear is tripping you up. I will do this. Refuse De Soulis from a distance. I will deliver your note.”

“I want Lilias and I want my pin. He will not give either to you.”

“Then I will tear it from his cloak.” He dropped the arrow and placed a hand on the tree above her head, the other on a sturdy branch. She looked up at him, her head brushing his raised arm. Her copper-gilt hair sifted over his tunic like silk.

“Well,” she said, “I would not mind if you tore the pin away. He deserves it.”

“Ah, now we learn how you feel about the man.”

“I hope you know how I feel about him. I never want to see him again. But I promised him my answer.”

He leaned closer. “You do not owe him one.”

She drew a breath, those magnificent moss-green eyes softening, lifting to meet his. “But I owe you one.”

“When you have it.”

She lifted her chin higher. Inches away now. He felt her breath soft on his face. “I suppose you have an advantage over the other knight.”

“I am here. He is not.” He leaned a little closer, lured in, willing.

“True.” She glanced at his lips, licked hers lightly. His body surged.

“Would you—back off, Mungo,” he said as the dog nosed between them.

“He wants to protect me,” she said. “Mungo. Sit.”

“He wants affection. Like most of us. Down.” He pushed the dog away with one hand, replacing it just over her head. “The lady must decide, true. And the knight will wait. But there is a condition.”

She tilted her head. “What is that? The price of a kiss?”

That surge again, hot and sure. “If that fee is offered, I would take it.” Standing so close that he felt heat bloom between them, he drew a breath as hope and love and desire poured through him all at once. Bending a little, he touched his brow to hers.

She caught her breath and kept still.

“There is another price,” he whispered. “The lady must promise the knight to never put herself at risk.”

“I may be in harm’s way now.” Her gaze met his, her lips quirked in a near smile.

He hooked a finger under her chin. “You are always safe with me.”

“I know,” she whispered. “But I fear I have lost my heart.”

“Then we will look for it somewhere in this forest, for I lost mine too.”

She caught a little sob. He kissed her then, slow and sure, felt her sigh against his mouth, felt her sink a little as if she melted inside as he surely did. He had to shore up every reserve, every fiber within him, to pull back, for he burned for more.