His mother jabbed a finger in his direction. “You are to be escorted to your quarters.” With a twitch of her head, she ordered the men flanking her. “See to it that he doesnae slink off elsewhere tonight.”
“What?” Darshan snapped, his voice tight with disbelief. “You are putting him under house arrest for a kiss?” All colour had drained from his face, turning his olive-brown skin a sickly shade. Those hazel eyes darted between Hamish and his mother, frantically seeking the truth.
“Aye,” Hamish’s mother snarled back. “For his own good.”
The guards’ hands had barely touched the back of his arms before Hamish shrugged them off. “I’m going.” He glanced over his shoulder at Darshan. A soft twinge of regret tightened his chest at the sight of the man weathering further berating at his mother’s hands.
I shouldnae have let him kiss me. He should’ve pulled away or pushed Darshan back. Anything to show he wasn’t a willing participant.
But no, he had just sat there like a lump, enjoying himself.
It’d been so long. Years—over a decade, at least—of denying himself any intimate contact. To know, after all that time, that he was still desirable… It had stolen all rational thought.
The guards led him to his quarters in silence. The dull thump of his door closing at his back might as well have been the metallic clang of a cage.
Hamish flopped back onto his bed. He stared at the ceiling, watching as the last of the evening sun set. The room slipped into darkness, save for a single sullen candle grimly glowing on his dresser. He rolled his head and turned his attention to the tiny flame. His had burnt brighter. Had it really been just this morning gone that Darshan had shown his niece and nephews the ability to create fire from nothing?
His stomach rumbled a sullen inquiry as to the whereabouts of dinner. Someone might eventually remember to send some up, but it wouldn’t be enough. It hadn’t been the last time his mother locked him in here.
A faint knock broke the quiet.
Hamish lifted his head. There were only a few who would dare venture near his door after his mother’s tirade and he wasn’t certain if he wanted to speak with any of them. But then, they might also have food. “Aye?” he called out. “What are you after?”
The latch clicked and, as the door slowly opened, Gordon poked his head in. He glanced around the room before entering fully, bearing a covered tray. “We havenae been indulging in spontaneous decorating this time?” Shaking his head, Gordon shut the door and set the tray on the bedside table. “Must be serious.”
Grumbling under his breath, Hamish half-heartedly flung a pillow in his brother’s direction. “What do you want?”
“I was out and about, fetching dinner for me dear incarcerated brother, when some interesting news caught me ear. Something about you and the ambassador locking lips down at The Fisherman’s Cask.”
“And you just so happened to be drifting by to hear the whole thing?” Hamish couldn’t help laughing. There was the real reason why his brother had come a-calling. “You’re almost as bad a gossip as your wife was.”
“So,” his brother drawled. “Is it true? Did you actually kiss him?”
Hamish scoffed, pushing himself upright until he sat on the edge of the bed. “I wouldnae say that. More he kissed me.” Resting his elbows on his knees, he fisted his hair. “It’s nae fair, you ken? You slept with your wife well before she even won the union contest and you didnae get in trouble.”
Chuckling and shaking his head, Gordon plonked onto the bed. “I think your memory of events are a wee bit different to mine there. I got a right bollocking for it.” He bumped his boot against Hamish’s. “And, from what I hear, you didnae exactly stop him.”
Closing his eyes, Hamish’s thoughts drifted back to how Darshan’s lips felt against his. So very sure of himself. I should’ve kissed him back. That would’ve made being locked in here a little more bearable.
“Be careful, ‘Mish, you ken what Mum will do if her guards catch you.”
“It was just a kiss.” But how he wanted more. In one moment, that man had reignited something he had thought long-snuffed. “And Mum’s already well aware of it, so there’s nae need to fash yourself over that. And I’ve nae plans to take it further. He willnae thank me if Mum has him kicked out of the kingdom.” The last thing Tirglas needed was to enter into a war with the Udynea Empire because his mother had offended one of the emperor’s children.
“I’m surprised you were nae subtler about it than last time.”
With his head still firmly resting in his hands, Hamish glared at his brother. “He asked to see a pub and I showed him. I didnae exactly expect him to snog me once he got a few drinks in him.”
“To be fair, you probably should’ve.”
He glared harder, pursing his lips for optimal glowering. Probably right. Not that it mattered. The fact Gordon would’ve thought of it whilst Hamish hadn’t was just another reason not to let his brother off easy.
“Dinnae look at me like that.” His brother gave his arm a shove, almost tipping Hamish off the bed. “Did I hear right in that he also fought Big Billy?”
“Aye.” A grin tugged at Hamish’s mouth, much has it had done in watching the belligerent man go down to someone half his weight. “And then dealt to a pair of Billy’s lackeys.”
“They say he broke Billy’s jaw?” His brother was clearly needling for more details.
Hamish was more than happy to give them. “Billy was doing his usual intimidation tactic. If I’m honest, he probably would’ve tried it even if we’d only had a few
