“I think I am just realizing how very much you actually do love me.”
“Just now?” she accused, this time with a playful punch to his stomach.
He hugged her closer. “I think you may have realized the same recently yourself.”
Wintra tilted her head as if in question and surprisingly said, “You could very well be right. The thought that Kellmara could be my father was not half as upsetting as his intention of annulling our marriage. That he would take from me who I loved most tore at my heart. You are too much a part of me for me to ever let you go, which is why we will make certain that Kellmara thinks we obey the King’s command.”
The knock startled them both and Torr went to open the door.
Flanna rushed in and looked to Wintra. “The Earl of Kellmara is insisting the keep be searched from top to bottom before he begins his search elsewhere. It seems he feels you will try to trick everyone and remain safely within the keep.”
“No doubt something he himself would do,” Torr said with a grin to his wife.
“The hiding spot,” Wintra said and she and Flanna hurried over to a section of the stone wall.
“What hiding spot?” Torr asked. “And how do you know about it.
“Cree’s men discovered a small hiding room upon inspection of the keep after he took occupation of the castle. It is on the wall opposite the fireplace. Dawn told me about it in case we needed to make use of it.” Wintra said.
Torr shook his head when the concealed door was finally opened with his help and he got a look at the small space barely big enough for two people. It was dark and musty, not a place you would want to be stuck in too long. He was about to tell her it wasn’t necessary for them to hide. He would confront Kellmara and put an end to this nonsense when they heard footfalls on the stairs.
“Hurry,” Wintra urged as she shoved him into the confined space and yanked on the metal ring as Flanna pushed from the outside.
Before he could protest the door closed shut and they were pitched into complete darkness.
Wintra tried to tell herself not to panic when she realized she could not move an inch. The space was so small and the air so musty that she felt as if she needed to gasp for breath. She grabbed hold of Torr’s shirt, squeezing the linen in her hands and not dare letting go.
He felt her body grow cold and shiver. She was afraid, and he could not blame her. The confined space would tempt anyone’s sanity. And the stale air would not last long. He reached out to grab the metal ring and open the door when he felt her grab his hand to stop him.
“This is—”
She pressed her finger to his lips and her body tightly against his.
Her shiver turned to a tremble, and he wasn’t sure what she feared most, the dark confined space or him confronting Kellmara. He decided it was best to let her have her way for now and to let her think that he would hold his tongue when it came to Kellmara.
“For now,” he whispered, “you can have your way.” And before she could argue with him, he reached for her chin and tilted her head up so that he could bring his lips gently down on hers. At first she seemed reluctant to return the kiss, but he remained patient and determined. He intended to break through her worry and have her relax and fully taste the kiss.
He kept the kiss soft so that she was not compelled to return it, but rather to simply relax and enjoy. He allowed his tongue to gradually slip in and tease hers into responding, which she did with some hesitation.
Her body remained tense and no doubt her mind was overwrought, and they had only been in the room for a minute or more. He needed her to forget where they were, to think of nothing but the two of them.
There was just enough space for him to slip his hand down along her back to her bottom and he gave one round cheek a gentle squeeze as he urged her firmly against him. The kiss had aroused him, growing him hard, but as she fit herself against him and snuggled there, he grew even harder.
He ended the kiss, needing to take a breath and rested his face in her sweet scented hair. She smelled so good, felt so good, and he wished they were in bed so that he could strip her naked and…
The groan that echoed in the small space came from him as her snuggles turned to a deliberate grind against his ever growing arousal. Her hands remained gripped to his shirt and her brow rested against his chest.