to fool them into believing she and Styr had come to love each other.
But Styr was standing there in shock, not at all returning the kiss. Her brothers were going to see right through it, to know that she was making this up. His life blood would be upon her hands, and he wouldn’t be able to save Elena.
This means nothing, she willed to him silently. Kiss me back and help me deceive them.
She opened her mouth, wondering if he would ever play along with this. Without warning, his hands seized her face, his mouth conquering hers. Heat poured through her, his tongue sliding within her mouth. She couldn’t breathe from the intensity of the desire that poured through her.
It was dark and punishing, a man who refused to be bent to a woman’s will. And God help her, she had no choice but to surrender. His lips were hard, his tongue invading her mouth with a forbidden power that weakened her knees.
At this moment, she forgot about her brothers standing there. She forgot about honour and promises, completely captivated by the forbidden kiss.
She clung to Styr, knowing her legs would never support her. The kiss was carnal, as if they had already been illicit lovers. And when he broke free, his eyes held fury.
Her lips were swollen, and Caragh no longer knew what to say. Silently, she apologised, but his eyes were upon her brothers.
‘We’re leaving now,’ he said. ‘If you want to bring your supplies and join us in searching for your younger brother, I’ll prepare the boat.’
Caragh’s heart was pounding, her breathing unsteady as he strode off towards the shore. He was livid with her for daring to kiss him, for forcing him into this position.
She shouldn’t have done it. She’d only meant to fool her brothers, to give them a reason to leave Styr alone. Instead, she’d forced the Lochlannach into a betrayal he hadn’t wanted. Likely he despised her, and she desperately wanted to beg his forgiveness.
‘Come with us, if you like,’ she said to her brothers, trailing after Styr. She stopped only once to pick up the basket of preserved fish and a container of water, hurrying down to the shoreline.
‘She’s lying,’ Terence predicted. ‘If our sister is in love with that Lochlannach, then I’ve grown a pair of wings.’
Ronan studied Caragh and the way she’d run after the Viking. She was wanting to protect the man, but for what reason, he couldn’t fathom. It had been almost a year since he’d seen his sister show any interest in a man. Kelan had broken her heart, and she’d shunned any of the others who might have taken the man’s place.
Until now. Whether or not there was anything between them, there was no doubt the kiss had affected Caragh.
‘I want to watch them together,’ Ronan mused. ‘She should marry. It’s been too long since Kelan.’
‘But a Lochlannach?’ Terence eyed the man warily. ‘They’re not to be trusted. And did you forget, he nearly killed me just now?’
‘If that were his intent, you’d be dead,’ he countered. ‘You shouldn’t have taunted him.’ Ronan would have done the same, had he been in the Viking’s place. ‘When Kelan tried to steal, he fought on her behalf. I saw him go after the man.’
‘And you want our sister with a man who can’t control his temper?’
‘He was controlling it,’ Ronan said. ‘Just as he did when he threatened you.’ At his brother’s grimace, he continued, ‘I want her with a man who can defend her. I don’t doubt this Loch lannach would protect her from every harm.’ He handed the horses to Terence. ‘Bring our supplies and leave the animals with Iona. We’ll accompany our sister to Áth Cliath, as she suggested.’
His gaze passed over Caragh and Styr, who were standing near the boat. His sister had been unhappy for too long. Although he didn’t believe there was anything between them, his sister had defended the man. She did care about his welfare, whatever the reason.
Terence walked at his side along the shore. ‘You don’t think he’ll harm her?’
Ronan shook his head. ‘I won’t pass judgement over him until I’ve watched them together. But if he isn’t to be trusted, we’ll leave him behind in Áth Cliath.’
His brother shot him a sidelong glance. ‘You’re matchmaking, aren’t you?’
Ronan stopped walking, holding his brother back while he studied Caragh and the Loch lannach. ‘Only if he’s worthy of her.’
‘If he’s not, there might be an “accident”,’ Terence suggested.
Ronan absently rubbed his beard, staring at the two of them. Whether or not his sister realised it, the Viking never took his eyes off her. The man most definitely had feelings towards Caragh, but Ronan couldn’t guess whether it was lust or something more.
‘We’ll know within a day,’ he predicted. ‘Give them a moment before we join them.’
As he observed the pair of them, he saw the way his sister was looking at Styr. It had been a year since he’d held her while she’d wept upon the evening of her wedding. The day Kelan had ruined by abandoning her, for love of another. He’d watched his sister retreat into herself, spending all of her time with the elderly folk of their tribe. She’d thrown herself into service, as if trying to escape her own life.
And when their parents had died, she’d not allowed herself to grieve, but instead had taken responsibility for Brendan.
Caragh needed a life of her own and a man to give her a home and children. If this Loch lannach could bring back the sister he loved, so be it.
But if he dared to break her heart, Ronan wouldn’t hesitate to tear the man apart.
‘Don’t ever try something like that again,’ Styr warned. His fury was teetering on the edge, barely contained. While it may have been only a kiss, one meant to fool her brothers, the dishonourable act enraged him. How did she dare to throw herself at him, pretending that they were lovers?
Caragh blanched at his tone, apologising quietly. ‘I know my brothers. They drew wrong conclusions from Kelan’s words. I was afraid they would harm you.’
‘I can defend myself,’ he reminded her. Using his full height, he glared down at her. ‘I have no need to justify my actions to them. You took me prisoner. I was only trying to return to my wife.’
He saw her flinch at the mention of Elena. Good. She needed to remember that he wasn’t a man she could use upon a whim.
You didn’t have to kiss her back, his conscience reminded him. You could have pushed her away.
And that was the splinter that dug into his guilt, blistering his rage. If he hadn’t dared to continue the deception, he would never have known what it was to be kissed by Caragh. He had reacted on impulse, only to be stunned by the physical response he’d never anticipated. But there was no one to blame, save himself.
Right now, he wanted to plunge his head into icy seawater, to clear away the confused thoughts. He wasn’t a man to be unfaithful. In all his five years of marriage to Elena, never once had he looked at another woman. Honesty and loyalty meant everything to him. He would never forsake his wife, no matter how one woman’s kiss had affected him.
‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured, ‘but my brothers aren’t forgiving. They won’t harm you if they believe that we mean something to one another. That you are a man of honour.’
‘I am a man of honour,’ he shot back. Though it didn’t feel like it now. He turned his back on her and waded into the frigid sea, welcoming the wind that tore through his chainmail