Scandalized by My Prince Read online

  Killian wasn’t sure if he should believe her. She had to have realized what he’d been alluding to. He hadn’t exactly been speaking in code. His words were as blunt as he’d dared to utter in public. The lady requested wine, and he’d make sure to get a nice bottle. Perhaps she needed it to alleviate nerves. If this was her first time, that would make a bit of sense.

  “Can I have a bottle of wine to take to my room?” he asked a serving girl that had paused at his table.

  “Wine is served on the other side, my lord,” she said.

  “I’d rather not go over there if I can avoid it,” he replied. “Could you please help a desperate man out?”

  He hoped his flirting was up to snuff. It had been a while since he’d actually tried to do it. Aubriella didn’t count. What he’d been doing with her couldn’t be fully described in that manner. He’d boldly propositioned her, and she had taken the bait.

  The serving girl smiled at him. “Will you be needing a glass to go with it?”

  That was a good sign. “Aye,” he said. “You’re a dear one. I’d be grateful if you could get both.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” she said and wandered away.

  The serving girl came back with a bottle of wine and two glasses. She set them on the table. “I’d be happy to join you if you’re wanting company.”

  His flirting either worked better than he’d thought or she saw him as a prospective client. He didn’t like to think of her as a potential lover. All he wanted was to strip Aubriella bare and kiss every inch of her skin. This serving girl would be a poor replacement for the one he wanted.

  “I’m afraid I have an appointment with someone else,” he said as regretfully as he could manage. Killian slipped a sovereign into her hand. “Thanks for your help. I do appreciate it.”

  She frowned and slid the coin into her pocket and sighed. “She’s a lucky girl. Have a pleasant evening my lord.”

  He fully intended to do just that. Denying what he felt for Aubriella hadn’t worked. Maybe having a night with her would cure his obsession with her once and for all. He hadn’t believed she would ever truly be his, and now that the opportunity to have her was at hand he wasn’t sure if he should take advantage of it. He was regretting the sudden spark of morals burgeoning inside of him. He’d take the wine to their room and determine what he’d do later. She might have changed her mind, and he wouldn’t press if she had.

  Killian picked up the bottle of wine and glasses and headed toward the room. He rapped on the door a couple of times, not entirely sure what she was doing. Interrupting her in the middle of changing appealed to the roguish side of him. Hell, who was he kidding? The idea of her naked skin would suit him rather well.

  She didn’t answer his knock, and he was afraid something might have happened to her. He pushed the door open and strolled inside. Aubriella sat at the table with a deck of cards in her hand. Several cards were spread across the table. What kind of game was she playing? Had she not been waiting for him to arrive?

  “Oh,” she said. “It’s you.”

  He frowned. “Were you expecting someone else?”

  “Not at all,” Aubriella said dismissively. “I got bored waiting and found these cards to entertain myself with.” She glanced up at him. “Do you care to join me?”

  Killian narrowed his gaze. Something had changed in the short time since she’d left him in the common room. Maybe she had changed her mind… Until then, he would play her game awhile and ask bluntly when the time was right. He could wait a little while longer to feel her silky skin beneath his.

  Chapter 8

  Killian sat down in the chair opposite of Aubriella. He’d taken his time coming to their room, and she’d not been sure how to handle the situation. This wasn’t any kind of normal, and her nerves were frayed down to the thinnest edge. She debated whether she should be honest with him. The devious approach never quite worked out the way it had been imagined. Drugging him would be the cowardly way out. She still wasn’t against doing it if it saved his life, but she would avoid it if she could.

  “What game is this?” He gestured toward the cards on the table. “It seems familiar.”

  Aubriella picked up the cards and shuffled them. That game had gone nowhere and she had a choice. Either start a new one or invite him to play a game of a different sort. “That was something known as Solitaire,” she told him. “Though you might know it by another name, it’s similar to Patience. Have you played that before?”

  He shook his head. “I haven’t played,” he said. “I have heard of it before though. Will you teach it to me?”

  “It’s not a two-person game. Wouldn’t you rather play a game we both can be involved in?” She met his gaze. “I can always teach you this one another time.”

  She had an idea of a few they could become involved in. If this were modern times, strip poker might even be an option. It amused her to imagine what his face might look like if she suggested such a thing.

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “I think that if you’re willing,” she said. “We can do something a bit more challenging.”

  “Explain,” he demanded. “And don’t leave any details out.”

  Aubriella shuffled the cards and considered her next words. She set the deck in the middle of the table and rapped her knuckles on them. “Are you a betting man?”

  “Depends on the odds,” he replied. “And the stakes.”

  She grinned. A lot was on the line and she was willing to lay herself bare to win. “Let’s play a good ole’ game of war. Have you played before?”

  “Aye,” he said. “I’m familiar with how it works. What are we betting on?”

  This was where she had to be careful. She didn’t mind losing in general, but not when his life was the thing she’d be forced to relinquish. “We’ll divide the cards up in the usual manner. For every hand each of us wins, we have to answer a question from the other person.”

  He frowned. “Even if we don’t like what the answer is?”

  This was the difficult part. She kept her secrets close to the chest, and he did the same. He was hiding something regarding his family, and her curious nature wanted to uncover every last one of them. Killian didn’t believe her regarding her family. If he asked about them, she’d be forced to tell the truth.

  “Especially then,” she agreed. “This is the one chance we’ll have to find what we seek. Do you think you can handle it?”

  “Aye,” he said. “But that’s not a bet in the traditional sense. Usually the one that wins gains a boon at the end.”

  “By all means,” she agreed. “We can’t negate that aspect. At the end of the game, the victor wins the spoils. Whoever wins can demand something from the other person, and they have to comply.”

  She had to win. This was her one chance to keep him with her. He might not like it, but he would do it. His honor wouldn’t allow him to do anything different. She didn’t quite understand why he was so insistent to attend the gathering in Manchester anyway. He didn’t exactly have a horse in this particular race.

  “Deal,” he said. “Let’s see where this leads us.”

  Aubriella divided the deck of cards up evenly between them. There was potentially twenty-six questions she would have to answer. That was the worst-case scenario though. The odds of her losing each round were slim. After she set the last card down she picked up her stack of cards and then glanced up at him. “Are you ready?”

  He nodded. “Flip your first card over.”

  They simultaneously flipped their cards over. He had a ten and hers was a three. She gulped down a lump in her throat. Would she be able to handle his question and answer it as truthfully as she’d like?

  “What’s your first question?” she asked as he swiped the card over to his side of the table. “Make it a good one.”

  He grinned. “I’ll go easy on you with the first one.”

  “No need to,” she replied. “I was aware of the stakes when we began this
game.”

  Secretly she hoped he would go easy on her though. She didn’t want to see the light go out in his eyes if she had to tell him she was a time traveler. He’d probably not believe her.

  “Tell me why you were really on my lands,” he demanded.

  That one was actually easy enough to answer. “To save you.”

  “That makes no bloody sense. I don’t need saving. Try that one again.”

  She shook her head and smiled. “I answered truthfully, my lord. I don’t owe you any more answers than that. If you want to know more, you’ll have to win another round.”

  His brows scrunched together. He hadn’t liked that answer, and he was dying to dig in and make her tell him more. Even if she couldn’t feel his frustration, the determined look on his face would have given that away. The muscles in his cheek twitched as he clenched his jaw.

  “Very well,” he said. “Another round. Flip a card, lass.”

  She held back the grin that wanted to sprout and did as he suggested. This time she won the round and could demand he answer a question. She should go easy on him, but the mercenary inside of her wouldn’t let her. “Are you ready?” she asked.

  “Get it over with,” he gritted out.

  She licked her lips. He stared as her tongue slid over them. His lust washed over her, raising her own desire to new heights. Killian would abandon this game if she suggested they get naked. She was still willing to do that, but later. This was too important to abandon yet.

  “Was the former earl your father?”

  She had some suspicions but couldn’t prove them. His answer would tell her if she was heading in the correct direction. The glare he shot her told her far more than his words ever would. He wasn’t particularly happy with her.

  “No,” he said reluctantly.

  Aubriella wanted to press him, but left it alone. The rules of their little exchange were clear. If she wanted to know more she’d have to win another round. She could wait until then.

  She reached for a card and flipped it over. Apprehensively, Killian did the same. He won again and let out a slow breath. Wow, he really didn’t want to answer the next question. His luck wouldn’t hold out all evening though. They still had to do this twenty-three more times. If he was this nervous, what did he think she’d do with the information she gathered? He already admitted the earl wasn’t his father. Surely that was more dangerous than who had really sired him.

  “Your move, my lord,” she reminded him. “What would you like to know?”

  “Why do you think I need saving?”

  He probably wouldn’t like the simple answer of because you’re a bloody fool… “We’re here, aren’t we? You’re about to go walk into a dangerous situation that you might not make it out alive from. I could ask you why you’re suicidal, but I won’t.”

  He opened his mouth and closed it quickly. “It’s hard not to ask a follow up question immediately. I didn’t think this through. Your assumption is rather silly though. There’s nothing that’s going to end my life in this village.”

  “Not here, no,” she agreed, but didn’t expand on her reply. He could think of that what he would. “Let’s continue.”

  They flipped the cards several more times. She won each round, but didn’t press him on who his father was—yet. That was a question she wanted him to give her willingly. They were down to four cards each and his frustration grew with each flip of the card. They both turned over a card, and he shouted with excitement. “About bloody time I won again.”

  She smiled. “It was bound to happen eventually. What’s your question?”

  “This one might be a little difficult for you to answer,” he warned her. “But I would like to understand something. I realize you said you’re here to save me, but there was no way for you to know I was in danger. I made no decision to travel until the day before we left. You arrived a sennight before that.”

  “I don’t hear a question in there,” she said warily.

  “Are you a witch?”

  She laughed. “I’ve been called that by my stepsisters from time to time, but no, I’m not.” Aubriella sighed. “It might be easier to explain to you what my particular gift is.” She decided to go easy on him and give him more than what he’d asked her for.

  “And that is?” He lifted a brow. Skepticism spread through him like wildfire. That, and he hadn’t even learned about her time traveling aspect…

  “I’m an empath,” she said. “Emotions are a part of me on a much deeper level. I don’t have the power to see the future.”

  He chuckled lightly. “Is that all? Most women feel more than men anyway.”

  “Not the way I do,” she told him. “It’s all right if you don’t believe me.”

  She picked up her cards ready to let it go. If he didn’t want to understand her, then she wouldn’t force him to. The game still had to be won, and she was ahead in the stakes. Truthfully, they could end it now and she’d still win.

  “You honestly believe this,” he said quietly. “Tell me what it’s like to be you.”

  She glanced up at him and felt his sincerity. He did want to understand, and she’d dismissed him out of habit. Aubriella took a deep breath and tried to describe it. “When I let my shields down, I feel everything from everyone around me. Sometimes, when they are particularly strong, they can cross over from enormous distances.” She paused a moment. “Would you like a demonstration?”

  He nodded. “If you think it would help.”

  She closed her eyes and lowered her shield a fraction, reaching out to him. His emotions were a mixture of hope, disbelief, and… Her eyes flew open and she met his gaze. That couldn’t have been right. She tilted her head and studied him. “You love me?”

  “What?” He stood up and knocked the table over in his haste to put distance between them. “That’s ridiculous…

  No man wanted to have feelings he wasn’t sure of himself thrown at him. Aubriella should have thought better of it, but they’d surprised her so much she couldn’t stop herself. What was she going to do now? He would close himself off to her, and she might not get anywhere with him. Perhaps if she gave him something to focus on other than that particular blunder, he’d let it go. “What if I told you something even more outlandish?”

  “I think we have had enough surprises for one night, don’t you?”

  Her heart was breaking inside of her chest. She’d fucked up good this time. “I know you have more questions. How about I give some of them to you freely, and if you still don’t want to talk anymore, I’ll leave quietly.”

  Killian had been pacing the room like a caged tiger. She couldn’t stand seeing him so uncertain. He froze at her words and ordered, “You’re not going anywhere. You leave this room, and I’ll hunt you down and bring you back in seconds.”

  She smiled and crossed over to him. With each step she took, she unbuttoned the top of her dress. When she reached him, it was completely undone, allowing her to push it over her shoulders. Killian stared down at her as her dress pooled at her ankles. Every decision she made led her to this moment with this man.

  “What are you doing?” His voice was hoarse and filled with an indefinable emotion.

  “Giving you something words can’t,” she replied. “Please…”

  After that, no other words were necessary. He yanked her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around him and reveled in the desire flowing over them. A million sensations tingled across her skin, almost overwhelming her. Her breath hitched for a moment as she tried to regain control of her emotions. Killian lifted her and carried her toward the bed. He set her down on the floor in front of it and tore off her shift. His gaze raked over her naked flesh, and she blushed as pink as he thought she would. Fire spread through her belly and he’d barely touched her.

  When his mouth covered one of her nipples, her moans echoed through the room. He brought one of his hands to cup her mound. He skimmed her clit with his finger, and he pushed anoth
er deep inside of her. How had she gone her entire life and never felt anything like this before. Emotions were her thing, but this—it was indescribable. She wanted to beg him to give her more. As soon as she thought she couldn’t take more, he proved her wrong. Her moans of pleasure filled the room as she experienced her first climax.

  She should have found someone to give her this sooner, but then she’d never have found Killian. Aubriella couldn’t imagine doing this with anyone other than him. Killian picked her up and set her on the bed and removed all of his clothing. He joined her moments later, settling between her thighs. His cock was hard and thick as he pressed himself inside of her. It burned with each movement. Aubriella wrapped her legs around his waist and met every one of his thrusts. She scraped her nails across his back as her peak started to build again.

  Killian kissed her everywhere, her cheek, her lips, down the side of her neck. He whispered words of love and lust. Each one bringing her even closer to the edge, and when her orgasm hit, the world went black and she opened her mouth to cry out, but the world went black. For the first time in her life she was overloaded with emotion.

  Killian’s climax hit the same time Aubriella’s had. He’d never felt anything like it, and he didn’t think he ever would again. When she’d blurted that he loved her, it had scared him. Love was the one thing he hadn’t thought he’d find and never wanted to. He hadn’t realized it, but somehow in the short time he’d been with Aubriella, he had fallen hard for her. This little sprite of a woman had buried herself inside his heart and not let go. It didn’t matter anymore what her secrets were. She owned his heart.

  He rolled off of her and pulled her next to him. “Lass,” he said.