Just a tug on my hand, then boom. Carden swept me off the path, behind a rock. And then he kissed me. Hard. His body pressed mine against the cool granite. I’d been shivering before—the night was freezing and flurries had begun to drift down from the night sky—but no more. He was as cool and solid as the rock at my back, and yet heat blazed through me. My body—my blood—hummed in perfect recognition. This was where I belonged. With Carden. He pulled from me finally, and I drew in a shaky breath. I’d been nervous what he might say. Nervous he’d be mad to have found me with Ronan. Our conversation surely had looked like more than just a chat between student and teacher. It had been more than a simple chat. But this intense kiss? I hadn’t expected this. “Carden…what was…wow…” I gasped a laugh, trying to get ahold of my senses. Was this his way of taking my mind off the keep? Because it was working. “What was that for?” I couldn’t see him clearly, but I felt his eyes bore into me through the darkness.
