Hiding Katherine by GG Shalton (most difficult books to read txt) 📕

away not able to meet his stare. His words swayed heavy in the air and she couldn’t answer. This man intrigued her, and his attention was making her feel warm. She felt him touch her hair pulling it back from her face, and he slowly leaned down and brushed his lips across her closed mouth. She kept her eyes open watching him close his eyes. The kiss was soft and so gentle. He pulled away and took hold of her hands again. “Now you can say you have been kissed.”

Her heart twisted with a bit of anger—he thought of her as a child. She could feel it by his kiss. “I am not dense. I know it was only a chaste kiss of friendship. In that case, I have been kissed before.”

He raised his brow and questioned, “Indeed? Your innocence does hold a bit of mystery. Perhaps you challenge me?”

She looked down questioning her own brazen statement. Slightly panicked, she didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. “Forgive me for my impertinence. If I made you think I was skilled in the ways of kissing. Rest assured that I am not.”

He pulled her closer to him. “Not yet.” He leaned down and kissed her again, this time not quite as gentle. He opened her mouth with his tongue and deepened the kiss, tasting her and teaching her at the same time.

She was stunned by the intimacy and the feel of his body pressing against her. Not wanting to pull away, she soon learned the rhythm of his kiss and matched him. He pulled her closer and eased up on his kiss, instead nibbling on her bottom lip and letting out a groan. “You learn fast.”

She pulled back unsure of what to say. He took her in his arms and brought her head to his chest kissing the top her head. “We should get some rest.”

Cuddling closer to him, she kept quiet and tried to fall asleep.

“Do you think she is safe?” Deanna looked past the fire to see her sister wrapped in a fur leaning against the leader of the other group.

Dorian took her hand. “He has claimed her as untouchable. Trust me—no man among us will touch her.” He chuckled. “My men about fell over when she took off her covering. Who knew what she looked like? No wonder you kept her covered. It makes sense why Clan McEntee wanted to use her for financial gain.”

Deanna searched his face cautiously. “Are you among my sister’s admirers?”

Doran reached for her hugging her tightly. “Nay, I like my women a little spicier.” He bent down and gave her a long kiss.

She pulled away wanting to continue their conversation. “She is naïve to the world and her own beauty. My older brothers and father were very protective of her. She was practically a prisoner. Sometimes beauty is a curse when women have to be at the mercy of men.”

Dorian turned her chin to meet his eyes. “You are beautiful to me.”

Deanna looked down shyly unable to think of herself as beautiful. “Tell me again about him. Do you think he will take advantage of her innocence? He doesn’t seem like the kind of man who would respect her or any woman for that matter.”

Dorian took a drink of ale swirling it his mouth savoring the brew before swallowing. After a moment he answered, “I am acquainted with his older brothers more than with him. He is the fourth son of seven. His reputation is fierce. Even his own kin are a little wary of him. When he was younger, they called him the silent one, as he barely spoke. After he proved his battle skills, his name changed. His family is very rich and powerful in our lands. Their keep is the biggest I have ever seen. They built it into the side of a mountain and added multiple towers for each one of their children.”

Dorian laid back and patted the blanket beside him. Deanna laid down and put her head on his chest waiting for him to continue. “Rumor is that Ian was sent to foster with some legendary warriors at a young age. When he was fifteen, he left his foster family and disappeared for a year. During this time, it is believed that he studied the art of fighting with outlaws and acquired a few close friends. But he never revealed where he was during that year. When he returned to his family a year later at sixteen, his growing size shocked them, he was bigger than all his family. They say he had changed tremendously and was knighted the next year. His skills were far superior to any of his older brothers. He could best any of them. I remember his older brother told me once that he showed no emotion in his fighting and was called Cold-Heart after a battle where he killed all the prisoners of war. He left nothing. Their father worried about him as people spoke about his reign of terror. His men are very loyal and half of them come from other areas than his own clan. It caused some hostility within the ranks. He is definitely the rebel in his family.”

Deanna pulled the blanket around them. “He recognized you today?”

“Aye, I was a little surprised. Last year I went to visit his older brother for a festival. He introduced us, and I barely said a few words at him during that time. He must have a great memory and recognized me. Today’s meeting could have gone a lot worse.”

Deanna began running her fingers over his chest. “Is he married or betrothed?”

“Not that I am aware of. He is probably around twenty-four or five. His parents would have little say about his nuptials. I would be surprised if he took a wife. He seems to enjoy battle and not sure if he would domesticate himself with a family. A few of his brothers had an arranged marriage that aligned