Though the great hall was crowded and the line of nobles wishing to congratulate him seemed never-ending, Jerome couldn’t help but keep one eye on Elaine all night.

That bastard de Brechin was hogging her to himself, pretending to be the gallant gentleman while keeping her pinned to his side. De Brechin wasn’t the only man casting appreciative looks at Elaine, but it was de Brechin’s nigh constant hand on Elaine’s that had Jerome seeing red.

She was not de Brechin’s to touch, God damn it. The problem was, she wasn’t Jerome’s either, but logic didn’t penetrate the fog of frustrated longing that clouded his mind.

Besides, with Finn still locked in deep conversation with the Bruce, Jerome felt responsible for her protection. So he watched her from afar, silently cursing de Brechin, but also himself for being fool enough to let himself care about a lass he could never have.

Until he saw de Brechin follow her like a wolf stalking a lamb as she slipped from the hall.

He’d been in the middle of a conversation with the Gordon Laird about improvements to his curtain wall. Without preamble, Jerome strode away from the man.

“What in…” Laird Gordon sputtered, but Jerome paid him no heed. The hall and everyone in it seemed to fall away and his vision narrowed on de Brechin’s receding back.

He had to unceremoniously push his way through several groups of nobles, uncaring of the surprised exclamations that followed in his wake. Naught mattered except for Elaine in that moment.

When he heard her muffled cry on the other side of the arched corridor entrance, he broke into a sprint for the last few strides.

What he found sent white-hot rage into his veins even as icy fear spiked hard in his gut.

De Brechin had Elaine pinned against the wall. Kissing her. Restraining her.

Jerome’s mind went blank and he let his body take over.

He ripped de Brechin away from Elaine so roughly that he sent the man careening into the opposite stone wall. Elaine, too, stumbled, for de Brechin jostled her as he went flying.

Jerome gripped her waist, propping her on her feet. In the precious moments while de Brechin struggled to regain his footing, he met her tear-filled eyes.

“Are ye all right?”

Her bottom lip, which was bruised from de Brechin’s mouth, trembled, but she nodded. “A-aye.”

He rounded on de Brechin then. Just as he raised his fist, preparing to smash it into the bastard’s face, two of the nobles from the great hall appeared in the corridor’s entryway.

“What goes on here?” one asked.

“Naught,” Jerome snapped. “Return to the celebration.”

As the two men retreated into the great hall, Jerome turned to de Brechin once more. The man stood panting, his eyes wide and fixed on Jerome’s raised fist.

Jerome ached to drive his knuckles into de Brechin’s mouth, but the nobles’ interruption gave him several precious seconds to regain his wits.

Damn it all. Jerome was the King’s representative now. Here he was ready to kill a man who’d been one of the lords to add his seal to the declaration. He couldn’t be caught brawling on the eve of departing for his most important mission yet.

And yet nor could he let de Brechin’s offense against Elaine go unanswered. He stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and de Brechin, but instead of punching the man, he caught his throat and thrust him back against the wall.

“What the bloody hell do ye think ye were doing, accosting her like that?” he demanded through clenched teeth.

“S-she has led me around by my nose all night!” de Brechin sputtered, pointing at Elaine.

“Nay, I didn’t!” Elaine breathed. Though Jerome couldn’t see her face, he heard the emotion clogging her voice.

He squeezed de Brechin’s throat tighter. “I watched her all night,” he said, leaning closer to the man. “She did no such thing. And even if she had, that doesnae give ye the right to assault her when she was clearly struggling.”

“It was a misunderstanding!” de Brechin croaked, his blue eyes rounding. “A game!”

“If ye want to play games,” Jerome ground out, “next time why dinnae ye pick someone yer own size to tangle with—like me.”

It took all his willpower, but Jerome forced himself to release de Brechin. The man folded over, clutching his throat and coughing.

“Get out of my sight before I decide to give ye what ye deserve,” Jerome snapped.

Once de Brechin had scurried back into the great hall, Jerome let himself look at Elaine.

She stood pressed against the wall, her wide eyes brimming with tears and her gaze fixed on him.

In one step he was before her, but he forced himself not to yank her to him. She had been through enough tonight without having another man grab her. Yet to his surprise, she looped her arms around his neck and pulled him into an embrace.

She buried her face in his shirt, and he could feel her warm tears dampening the linen. He simply held her for a long moment, feeling her tremble in his arms and silently cursing de Brechin with every foul word he knew.

“I was so scared,” she said against his chest. “I prayed you would come. And then you did.”

Something broke deep inside his chest in that moment. Yet it wasn’t a shattering, but rather a cracking wide open to accommodate the flood of warmth swelling in his heart.

“Come,” he murmured. “I’ll see ye safely to yer chamber.”

She nodded, her arms slipping slowly from around his neck. She dashed away the lingering tears with her palms, bravely straightening her back.

Jerome fell in behind her as she headed down the corridor. He glanced over his shoulder into the great hall to ensure that de Brechin hadn’t caused a scene. The celebration continued and his and Elaine’s absence seemed to have gone unnoticed. At least he hadn’t endangered his mission by nearly throttling de Brechin within an inch of his life. Yet thoughts of his assignment left him surprisingly cold compared to having Elaine in his arms.

After winding their way through the corridor for several moments, Elaine halted before a door.

“I’ll tell Finn ye’ve retired for the night,” Jerome said, clasping his hands behind his back to stop himself from touching her again. “Bar the door when ye are inside and dinnae open it for anyone.”

He willed himself to keep his voice firm and emotionless. Aye, this was how it had to be. He would leave tomorrow for France, and he would likely never see her again. Whatever he’d briefly felt—an attraction, a fascination, a longing for more—was over now. His mission came first. He couldn’t afford even the slightest error or hesitation, else the shadow from his past, the shadow cast by his father’s actions, would catch up to him at last.

Yet when his gaze landed on Elaine, who stood in the dimly lit corridor looking up at him, his iron grasp on control began to slip.

“Don’t go,” she said, her blue eyes tracing his features. Jerome’s skin prickled as if she’d caressed him. “Don’t leave me alone with the memory of de Brechin’s kiss.”

He gritted his teeth. “If I stay, I’ll do something that we’ll both regret.”

“I will never regret spending every moment I can with you,” she breathed, dropping her gaze. A blush rose from her neck to her creamy cheeks.

Jerome exhaled, raking a hand through his hair. “I depart on the morrow for Avignon. And when ye return to Trellham, yer father wishes to see ye wed—no doubt to some border lord or other.”

She flinched as if the reminder hurt her. Damn it all, it hurt him too. But it was true.

“Then at least give me something to remember you by.” She met his gaze once more, and he saw that spark of determination in her eyes. “Leave me with a memory to replace what de Brechin did.”

“Ye dinnae ken what ye are asking for,” he ground out. Bloody hell, if he kissed her now, he feared he wouldn’t be able to stop, wouldn’t be able to accept the fact that they could never become more.

“I’m not a child,” she replied. “I know what I want. I want you to kiss me.”

His control snapped then. His hands found her waist and he pulled her to him. Just before his mouth claimed hers, though, he froze.

“This is what ye want?” he rasped.

Her warm breath fanned his lips, her scent invading his senses.

“Aye.”

He closed the distance between them, his lips meeting hers with a hunger like none other he’d experienced.

Their first kiss had been slow, gentle. He’d savored every corner of her lips, and then the heated depths of her mouth, thinking to draw out the sweet contact.

Now he was like a man dying of thirst, and Elaine was a cool drink for his parched soul.

And this would be his last taste of her.

He delved his tongue into her mouth, no longer able to hold back. When he met the velvet heat of her tongue, fire shot through his veins—straight to his manhood.

Distantly, he felt her fingers clutch the front of his shirt, holding him close. She leaned into him, her breasts pressing into his chest.

He had the wild urge to push her against the door and grind his hips into hers, showing her just what she did to him. Yet she was an innocent, some last shred of sanity reminded him. Besides, the invisible threat that kept drawing them together would be snapped come morning.

That thought wasn’t enough to make him stop kissing her, though. He was a greedy bastard, and selfish too, yet like her, he wanted to remember this long after they parted.

One hand slid from her trim waist to her narrow ribcage, gliding along the blue silk of her gown. He dragged his thumb along the underside of her breast, the tantalizing softness sending a new ache into his cock.

He could feel her heart hammering wildly, her breath coming short as he traced just under her breast once again. Heaven help him, he was barely touching her and yet she seemed to nigh crackle with desire.

They would have been good together, he thought distantly. Judging from her fierce reaction to even his lightest touch, and his own rock-hard cock beneath his kilt at a mere kiss, they would have likely set the bed linens aflame with the heat that burned between them. But they’d never know. They only had this moment.

At last he lifted his hand and cupped her fully. They both sucked in a breath at the same moment, their mouths stilling for a heartbeat before they lost themselves in the kiss once more. Her nipple was already taut and pebbled against the silk. God, how he longed to strip her dress away and lick each breast until she writhed against him and cried out his name.

When he slid his callused palm along her peaked nipple, she made a noise deep in her throat that was nearly his undoing. She arched, giving herself over to him. He rewarded her by circling her nipple with his thumb. Her breaths grew ragged and her fingers were like talons against his chest, but he gave her no quarter, teasing her breast even as he claimed her mouth.

A peal of distant laughter drifted down the corridor from the great hall. He jerked back, breaking their kiss with a muttered curse. Elaine gazed up at him, her blue eyes glazed with passion and her lips parted and red from his attentions.

“Christ,” he breathed, withdrawing his hands from her. “I shouldnae have let it go that far.”

“I wanted you to,” she said. That bonny blush was back in her cheeks again, but she held his gaze. “I asked you to give me something to remember, and you did.”

A sudden realization hit Jerome like a punch to the chest. “I dinnae ken what the King has planned for our sendoff tomorrow morning, but I doubt we’ll get another moment alone together.” He swallowed, his jaw tightening. “We had better say our farewells now.”

She pulled in a breath, her eyes flickering with pain, but then she nodded.

“I wish we’d had more time,” she said softly. “You seem to carry a weight in your heart that I long to understand.” She swallowed, her lovely eyes shimmering with emotion. “But I do know one thing—you are a good man, Jerome Munro, a man of honor. I am grateful to have met you.”

Fourteen years past, when his father had nearly destroyed the clan and Jerome along with it, Jerome had hardened his heart, thinking to ward off dangerous weakness. Never in all those long years had he come close to opening up to someone, to allowing his heart to soften—until Elaine.

He swiped away a tear as it rolled down her cheek.

“I am glad to have met ye too, lass. Remember something for me—no matter what anyone else thinks, ye are brave. Ye have a fire in ye. Let it burn bright.”

She gave him a wobbly smile, the tears running freely down her cheeks now.

“Good luck with your mission.”

Jerome stepped back and gave her a stiff bow. How he ached to pull her into his arms once more, to forget what tomorrow would bring, even only for another moment. But it would only make things harder come morning. The longer he remained near Elaine, the more in danger he was of destroying everything he’d worked for these past fourteen years.

So he walked away. He felt her gaze on his back but willed himself not to turn around. He listened for the sound of her door opening and closing, and then the reassuring thunk of the bar falling into place.

He let a breath go, but inside his chest compressed painfully.

She was safe. And she was gone from his life.