“I love you and think the world of you.” She hoped her mother didn’t worry about where she was this night, but suspected that Nelly would let her know that they were safe at the castle and would retire to bed when they were ready.
“Love you,” Coinneach whispered against her ear, his hand caressing a breast.
“Love you back, Coinneach.” She figured they would return to their pallets in their respective living areas, but she didn’t want to leave him any more than he made a move to suggest they parted ways and went to their own beds.
Each time she tried to extract herself from his embrace with a halfhearted attempt, he tightened his grip and pressed his faceinto her neck or her hair, mumbling sweet sentiments until she relented.
Instead of leaving the spicery room, they made love again in the middle of the night. Again, she thought they would return to their beds, but they enjoyed this too much and continued to cuddle. She nestled herself against his side, her leg on top of his, and listened to his easy, contented breathing.
Until after sleeping a few hours more, she heard a soft, deliberate knock, so small it could have been a trick of the wind. But then it came again, more insistent, rapping three times at the spicery door, she realized the kitchen staff would soon be in the kitchen, preparing the morning meal.
She groaned. “Coinneach, we must get up. We’ve been caught. I need to get to work.”
He smiled and folded his arms behind his head. She kissed his stomach. “Someone is at the door,” she whispered.
He sighed. “Aye.”
She got off him and hurried to dress. He watched her, smiling as he got up and dressed himself. She knew he was perfectly pleased that others would realize that they had mated.
She opened the door, expecting Cook and the whole kitchen staff to be watching them as they left the spicery room, but the kitchen was empty. “Come, hurry. We must leave at once. No one is here.”
Had someone… Aisling smelled the most recent scent next to the door—Nelly. Had she come to warn them? She must have.
Aisling glanced back at Coinneach and shook her head as he carried his blankets out of the room, looking self-satisfied. Now he would return them to the men’s barracks, and everyone would see him do it.
She gave him a quick kiss and a smile. “’Tis done.”
“Aye. You can decide when to tell everyone.”
“As if the word willna have already spread. No matter. I need to tell my mother though. I’ll see you when we break our fast.”
Then she rushed off to the women’s quarters while he headed to the barracks.
Her mother was just getting dressed when Aisling hurried into the ladies' chamber. She set her bow and arrows down and changed her clothes. She would need to wash them and return them to Elspeth when she was free to do so.
“You mated Coinneach,” her mom said, sounding resigned to the matter.
The other women were leaving to do their work until the meal was ready, casting glances at Aisling and smiling.
Nelly hurried into the lady’s quarters. “Hurry. We’re late.”
“You wouldna have been except you wanted to save me,” Aisling said. “Thanks.”
Nelly smiled, then pulled at her arm. “Come, hurry.”
Aisling realized then that Nelly wanted to know the details of what went on. She glanced at her mother.
“I’m good with it. Get to work before Cook scolds you girls for being late to the kitchen.” Aisling’s mother hugged her. “Congratulations.” Then she hurried off to work.
Nelly raised her brows at Aisling, then hugged her. She whispered, “I guess your mother is finally all right with you mating Coinneach.”
“Aye, ‘tis good.” Which was a good thing because it was done. Aisling wondered if she and Coinneach would be moved to a room set aside for married couples, where curtains would divide them from other couples. Though she and Coinneach weren’t officially married yet, mating with another wolf made it a sure thing.
When she and Nelly arrived at the kitchen, Cook just shook her head at them. But then she smiled. “The spicery pantry?”
Nelly and Aisling laughed. They would have to find some other semi-private place to make love again.
Aodhan laughedwhen Coinneach arrived at the barracks carrying the blankets. “So it’s a done deed?”
