Page 64 of The Dragon Laird’s Obsession

She let out a slow breath and tried to stay calm.

I mustnae trust him. I cannae.

There was only one week left until the binding, and now, she felt more torn than ever because she still had no plan for escaping.

She rubbed at her brow.

“This is foolish,” she murmured to herself.

She had come here intending to make Gordon reject her. Instead, she lay awake, thinking about how his eyes softened when he looked at Lileas.

The way he carried the responsibility for his entire clan as though it were all that mattered.

The way he kissed me.

She groaned softly.

“Utterly foolish.”

A knock sounded against the door. Before Ailis could answer, Marion stepped inside with Jane following behind, both carrying folded linens.

“There ye are,” Marion said warmly, her smile immediately offering Ailis some level of comfort.

“The adjoinin’ chambers have been prepared for ye and Lileas. It is time ye moved out of this place.”

Ailis managed a smile as she folded the blanket she held one last time then handed it to Jane.

“It is where the Laird intended me to stay, though, is it nae? He only allowed me to move now because of Lileas.”

Marion nodded. “But he didnae mean it an insult,” she said. “Makin’ ye stay here, that is.”

Marion’s smile faded as they walked the halls, heading up the landing to the larger chamber where she would be next door to Lileas. They entered, and Ailis drew in a deep breath. Sunlight poured through two narrow windows, warming the stone floor. The smaller adjoining chamber stood beyond it, perfectly suited for a child.

“The chamber beside the kitchens was his heaven for the longest time,” she revealed. “After Alistair brought him here, he was given that little room below.”

“He told me that,” Ailis said, shaking her head still in confusion. “But I daenae understand it. Why would his own uncle make him stay there? It is awful and tiny.”

“It served as his trainin’. Gordon has led a difficult life,” Marion revealed with another small smile. “He understands what it is to rule and protect everyone, but he doesnae understand much about carin’ for himself.”

Marion’s words made Ailis recall the tingling sensations she had felt the night before with him, and the way her body still hummed with pleasure, and she wondered if he had felt the same way too when he touched her.

Her cheeks warmed from the direction her thoughts took. Ailis quickly turned from Marion before she noticed it and cleared her throat.

A great many things about him were beginning to make sense.

The bare study, the empty bedchamber, and the hidden paintings in the chest.

Gordon had a part of him he never really showed anyone.

Ailis drew a long breath then looked around the new chambers once more.

An idea bloomed in her head almost immediately.

She smiled brightly then clapped her hands together. “So…”

Marion looked suspicious and eyed her slowly. “What is that smile?”

“I have a thought about somethin’.” Ailis clasped her hands together again. “Would ye both help me?”