WARNING

This chapter is written as a mixed POV between Mikal and Keziah so it may get chaotic in reading, but that's why I wrote it that way. Happy reading.

Crazy.

Have you lost your mind?

Mikal couldn't say what possessed him to kiss her, but as he walked home, his conscience tore him apart. She was annoying. It was all she aimed to do with all the questions. She wanted to annoy him. He was sick of it. And he had a right to be sick of it. He mentally battled with himself. It was no reason to force a kiss on her. For that, he was ashamed, but battling with words obviously never worked since she kept revisiting the same topic every second they were together.

He slapped the back of his head hard and increased the strength with each successive hit. Kissing her was the worst option on the table, and for the life of him, he couldn't understand what made him do it. Was it her nearness? Maybe. She looked particularly beautiful. Of course, she always looked fantastic, but her in that riding outfit had been a red flag from the start. Everything hugged her in those clothes. Her skin glowed under the moonlight like it always did, and her perfume saturated the air. Especially, because she was right in front of his face.

But kissing her!

He scrubbed his face hard as he walked into the compound. He didn't hear the guard speak, he didn't hear his mother call for him or his father repeat his name when he walked by them. He took the stairs two at a time, rushing to enter his room and slam the door shut.

Keziah slapped her hand against the shut door and turned, resting her head against it as the night's events played over in her mind like a nightmare from a bad movie. She licked her lips, her hand against her chest. She felt the rough beats against her palm. She should have slapped him or acted indignant. Done something other than stare at him after they looked at each other.

Keziah ran to the sink and grabbed her toothbrush. She dragged some paste over it and shoved it into her mouth, brushing furiously. She opened her mouth to make sure she got every crevice. The memory of his boldness in kissing her, using his tongue, his hands on her hips, inflamed her. She was hot with embarrassment. Goodness, she allowed it to happen.

Even worse! She kissed him back.

She moaned and washed her mouth out. She splashed water on her face, scrubbing her cheeks, and forehead, doing whatever she could to get herself to cool down. But she smelt him everywhere. His hands had locked behind her back when she stopped struggling. She was practically melted against his skin with how close they had been. Her fingers remembered the texture and softness of his hair. Why could she still smell the bastard?

Mikal wiped his mouth with his hand and shook his head. He grabbed his jacket and removed it jerkily.

Keziah looked down at herself. She looked at her hands, the hands that engulfed his shoulder. She stared at her jacket, the jacket that had been plastered to his body. The jacket. She stripped out of it quickly and unbuttoned her corset next.

Mikal unbuttoned the first three buttons of his shirt and dropped on his bed, mindlessly taking off his shoes. Keziah stood in her bathroom, wearing only her jeans and bra. She grabbed a soap and turned the tap on as she furiously began scrubbing her skin. She scrubbed her neck, her jaw, down her chest, and her hands. She scrubbed to remove any trace of him from her body.

"Mikal?"

He raised his head, finally hearing the knocks on his door. She was the last person he wanted to talk to. The whole reason he had even left the house and ran into Keziah. It was to escape her desperate attempt at matchmaking that he walked out for the evening. Now, he had to speak to her and pretend that her reasons for the dinner were not valid.

"Not right now, Mom."

"Mikal, it's important."

Keziah swallowed nervously, her breathing returning to normal as she towelled her hands and neck. She set it aside and gripped the ceramic sink. She took a second to collect herself and then changed into new clothes. She sprayed herself with some perfume, covered her skin with her most scented creams and stepped out of the room.

"I really am not in the mood to talk, Mom," Mikal repeated as he stood in front of the open door.

"Did something go wrong on your walk?" She asked.

"No. No, the ride was fine." Keziah nervously smiled as she sat at the dinner table. "David, how was work?"

"Tiresome. I haven't had a moment even to eat properly today."

"Then enjoy." She smiled weakly and faced her plate.

"Can you look at me? We need to talk."

"Sorry, Mom, what can I do for you?"

"You came in like a bat out of hell. Your brother told me you were going for a walk."

"I needed to clear my head."

"And by the looks of things, it didn't work."

Keziah's soft sigh came to mind, and he relived the pressure of her fingers on his shoulders, making him turn to his open balcony door. The last thing he needed when his mind was fracturing in different places was to struggle to hold a conversation with anyone. He needed to be left alone to think about what to do next.

"We had a guest today." His mother continued. "I was hoping for you to be there."

"A guest?"

"A few of them."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Well, I thought I did. It must have slipped my mind. I came to inform you earlier in the evening so you'd get ready, but Hallan informed me you stepped out. I called and called."

"I needed to clear my head." He repeated.

"What happened to your lip?"

Keziah's hand shook as it rested on the edge of her bottom lip where Mikal had bit her. She hid her skittishness with an embarrassed laugh and rested her hand back on the table.

"Bit my lip."

"Ouch." Kamari winced.

"Where was your head? Were you riding the horse too hard or thinking too hard?" Kingsleigh joked.

"Don't remember."

Kingsleigh inspected the bruise before smiling. "It doesn't look too bad. Just a bruise. Doesn't even look like it bled."

Mikal had touched the bite with his tongue after his teeth released the flesh of her lip. His fingers were thrust into her hair, and he held her close to him, using his tongue to lick the bruise before pressing his mouth to hers again. He kissed her sensually, worshipping her with his hands and mouth.

She gripped her fork, stopping herself from reacting to the memory with every eye on the table scrutinizing her. She could school her features but couldn't stop her heart racing. And, even worse, she couldn't stop the memory from assailing her as she struggled to put each morsel of food past her lips.

"Are you free tomorrow?"

"I don't know, Mom. Maybe." Mikal turned away from her, and she walked into the room behind him.

"Check your schedule and let me know. Some people have not seen you since you arrived, and I wanted them to meet you tonight. If you are free, I could schedule a..."

"Who came for dinner?" He looked up when she didn't answer and repeated. "Who came?"

His mother had a moment's hesitation. "C-Corrine."

Mikal snorted. "Yeah? Now I am glad I wasn't here. Would have had to bite my tongue the whole night."

Better than what you ended up doing.

He didn't allow the thought to sink in. "Let me guess, she didn't come alone tonight. I'd even go further to think you didn't tell her to come alone."

"Mikal."

"She came with her daughter, didn't she."

It was her fault he had left the house and ended up on the road. If she had never plotted behind his back, he would have been at home working through his files for the office or the information from his detective, which still sat on his computer. He would never have needed to leave the house.

"Corrine is a close friend of mine."

"Who has been harassing me for the better part of sixteen years."

"Harassment is..."

"...the only word to describe it. I told you years ago that I have no interest in her daughter. Yet neither of them stopped."

"Yes. I remember."

"So why was she in our house to meet me? Why was she in our house again, Mother?"

All pretences fell away, and she straightened her spine. "I think you know the answer to that."

He gave her his back again, pressing the back of his hand to his mouth as he hung his head. His mistake didn't excuse what she did, and if he could forget the elation that coursed through him when they kissed, he would have more strength to argue with his mother, but his mind was full. He was torn between understanding why he did what he did and coming to terms with what it meant going forward. He didn't have the space to fit his mother's antics into the equation. He was exhausted.

"Sorry." Keziah stood. "I can't stomach anymore. I think I am going to call it an early night."

"Are you alright?" David asked while her sisters watched her wearily.

"Yes. My mind is rowdy tonight. The ride didn't help clear it, so maybe some sleep will do me good."

"You have been overworking yourself lately." Kingsleigh agreed.

"Rest well," Kamari said.

"Thank you."

She closed her door and flopped on the bed. She dropped her face into her hand and cursed into the silence. Haven't they been dancing around this? Maybe. Yes. She remembered when his mother's call disrupted what might have been a similar scenario. Would he have kissed her then? Under different circumstances? Would it have been slower, more sensual?

"You are worried about Keziah."

"I am not blind. I see how you are with her, and I am willing to bet that just as with Hallan, the girl has designs towards you. She would use you to get to our family. I am willing to bet everything on that."

"So, your idea is to pimp me off to someone I can't stand?"

"No. I didn't mean for..."

"Your idea is to try and corner me into a dinner with two women in this town I would rather drink acid than speak to."

"They have changed."

"Does she still want me for her daughter?"

His mother shrugged. "You are a catch for anyone, Mikal."

"Yet there are no other women in my life you know of that have any interest in me. So, you settle for the only one you know. Right?"

"I have reasons to be worried."

He was about to agree but changed his words before they left his mouth. "It doesn't give you the right to force anyone on me."

"I know. I am sorry. Corrine mentioned having dinner and...I had hopes. I am sorry."

"Can we talk tomorrow?"

"Sure. Let's go out to eat. It's been a while since we did that."

"Sure, mom. But only us. No surprise guests."

"Promise."

He collapsed on the bed as soon as she left, throwing his hand over his eyes. He remembered the shock on her face when she finally pulled away. She used all her strength to shove him back and the shock on her face at what they had done. They both stared at each other until she rushed around him before he had the strength to think of an apology. She got on her horse and barreled away, leaving him to walk home with his thoughts.

"Please don't," Keziah whispered. "Please don't let this happen to me. Of all people, not him. Please."

She should write to him, she thought. Tell him they couldn't work together and that they should end their alliance right then and there. There was no need to dance around a lit fuse daring it to blow up in her face. Well, it already had. Months of teasing, touching, and insinuating had culminated in his lips on hers.

But she picked up the phone and immediately set it back down, biting her fingers.

He couldn't text her, Mikal reasoned. He couldn't even call. How would he begin to apologize? How would he explain what possessed him to kiss her? He still had the investigation going on to find the truth behind her father's arrest. What would be their relationship going forward? He had called her a coward, but here he was, unable to fathom a way to talk to her about his own actions.

Keziah set her phone on the counter for a third time and tossed and turned beneath her sheets. She would wait for tomorrow. Maybe she'd wake up from this nightmare when the sun came up.

Crazy.

Did she lose her mind?

What possessed her to kiss him back?