Page 41 of Kilted Abduction
“Nae in here, ye’re nae.”
“’Tis me bedchambers,” he replied. “I’ll be sleepin’ in here.”
“Then put me in another chamber.”
He shook his head. “Ye’ll be stayin’ in here with me.”
“I most certainly will nae. I’m a proper lady and willnae share me chambers with a man I’m nae intimately involved with.”
Magnus scoffed. “Except fer the fact that we’ve already shared a bedchamber.”
She opened her mouth to deliver a scathing rebuke, but her words fell away. There was nothing she could really say to that. She had shared a chamber with him already. Not that she had had a choice since she was his prisoner. She might not have been a proper lady, as she’d just insisted, but she was still a lady and did not think this was proper.
“The bed is big enough for the both of us tae sleep in without havin’ tae touch each other,” he said. “It’ll be fine.”
“It most certainly will nae be,” she hissed. “I’m nae sharin’ a bed with ye.”
“Ye already have, so ye can drop the proper lady act,” he said. “After all, I dinnae seem tae recall ye complainin’ all that much when I was helpin’ keep ye warm.”
“Those were extraordinary circumstances.”
“As are these,” he said. “Me braither’s tasked me tae keep a close eye on ye. This is how I’m goin’ tae dae that.”
“Well, ye can tell yer braither this isnae proper.”
“Proper, improper—he just cares that I keep an eye on ye. So, that’s what I’m goin’ tae dae.”
“Magnus—”
“Dae ye think I’m a complete bleedin’ idiot?”
She stared at him, flummoxed for a moment. “What dae ye mean?”
“Yer little stroll around the castle. I ken what ye were doin’,” he said.
“I was stretching me legs.”
“Aye. Sure ye were,” he replied. “So, ye werenae out there countin’ steps tae the doors that lead out? You werenae secretly plannin’ yer escape? Just waitin’ fer everybody in the castle tae go tae sleep so ye could slip out in the middle of the night?”
Ciara once again had nothing she could say to that. She hadn’t realized he was watching her that closely or had such a keen mind. She had clearly underestimated him for a change, much to her own detriment. And it seemed clear he was determined to sleep in the same chamber to keep a close eye on her as his brother had ordered him to do. Ciara gritted her teeth and grumbled to herself, all her plans, in their infancy though they might have been, now completely useless. She would have to be patient and wait for another opportunity to present itself.
“Fine. So be it,” she said. “But ye’re nae sharin’ a bed with me.”
“Then where am I supposed tae sleep?”
“Over in that chair would be fine,” she said, pointing to the large chair in the corner of the room. “Or sleep on the floor for all I care.”
“This is me chamber. Me bed.”
“And as long as I am a prisoner here, I will sleep in this bed and nae have me reputation sullied by sharin’ it with an oaf like ye.”
Magnus rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. “Fine. So be it.”
“Good.”
As Magnus gathered his things and took them to the chair then dropped heavily into it, Ciara’s pulse raced. Her body was warm from the inside out and no matter how she tried, she could not banish the memory of their moment in the river and all the feelings it had invoked. Part of her wanted to feel Magnus’ large, strong arms around her again. Thankfully though, the bigger part of her wanted to slap herself for even having such thoughts.
She disappeared behind the privacy screen and got into the sleeping clothes that had been left for her. And as she tucked herself under the covers, she cast a glance at Magnus, who seemed to be struggling to find a comfortable position in the chair and had to fight the urge to tell him to just come lay down on the bed.
