The hike to the barn passed in a blur. The rolling hills, steep and slick beneath her boots, demanded her focus, but her thoughts still tangled into knots. Callum’s father greeted them warmly, his wide frame filling the doorway as his booming laugh echoed off the wooden walls. His silver eyes, so much like Callum’s, twinkled as he clapped his son on the back and turned to Madelynn with a firm handshake.

“You’ve done the impossible,” he said with a grin. “Didn’t think anyone could tame this one.”

Madelynn managed a smile, though the words left a hollow ache in her chest. She laughed along with the easy banter at lunch- the five of them gathered around the meal of bread and soup- nodding when prompted and offering polite responses. Callum’s mother fitted about the table, all warmth and gentle teasing, while his father humored them with stories of Callum’s childhood. Elise jumped in with her perfectly timed, snarky jokes, matching their jovial energy effortlessly.

But for Madelynn, the day seemed to drift around her, the laughter and conversation muffled like the hum of a distant storm. She felt like she were watching it all through a foggy window, her body present but her mind somewhere far away. Every joke about taming Callum, every compliment on her poise, only seemed to push her deeper into herself.

It wasn’t until Callum’s hand found hers beneath the table, his thumb brushing soft circles against her skin, that the fog lifted briefly. He gave her a small, reassuring smile, and for a moment, she let herself believe that this could be enough.

By the time they reached the guest house, the sun had dipped low on the horizon, casting the sky in shades of orange and pink. The warm glow seemed to press against the windows of the small, cozy cabin.

Callum dropped their bags onto the dusty wooden floor with a sigh, flopping into a bright orange armchair. “Welcome home,” he said with a lopsided grin, gesturing around him. “It’s not much, but it’s better than that inn.”

Madelynn hovered in the doorway, her gaze flicking over the mismatched furniture and creaky floors. It was quaint, far from the luxury she’d grown up with, but it felt somehow comforting. Like Callum.

“It’s lovely,” she said softly, stepping further inside and sinking onto the dusty blue sofa. The air felt lighter here, and for the first time all day, her chest didn’t feel so tight.

Elise flopped down beside her, studying her with a sharp, discerning look. “Alright,” she said, crossing her arms. “What’s been going on with you? You’ve been weird all day.”

Madelynn blinked, startled by the bluntness, and forced a weak smile. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Oh, don’t give me that.” Elise leaned closer, squinting at her. “You’ve looked like a ghost all damn day.”

“I said I’m fine, Elise,” Madelynn snapped, her words coming out sharper than she’d meant.

Callum’s head snapped up to look at her with raised eyebrows, as if asking what her problem was. Madelynn just shook her head at him, dismissing the unspoken conversation, but Callum squinted at her, and she curled her lips in a mock snarl. Then he smiled goofily, his eyes going wide as if she’d said something ridiculous and Madelynn chuckled.

“Oh, I get it,” Elise drawled, standing up and holding her hands up in defeat. “I can catch a hint when it’s thrown my way.”

When Madelynn furrowed her brows in confusion, Elise raised her eyebrows suggestively, looking between her and Callum. “I’m going to retire to my chambers with a good book.” She took a few steps toward the smaller of the two bedrooms, but stopped mid step and turned back to them with a smirk. “Hopefully something less lewd than whatever you two kids are up to.” Then she winked, and scampered off into her room, leaving Madelynn and Callum to simmer in whatever the hell that was.

Callum dropped his head into his hands. “What is with her obsession with our lewd activities?” he groaned out.

Madelynn licked her lips, feeling a blush creeping up her neck at the implications of her statement. They were married, after all. “She’s been obsessed with all the unmentionable moments of mine since we were children,” she laughed out. “She’s so in love with the idea of love, but refuses to let herself find any, so she lives vicariously through mine.”

Callum raised his eyebrows, leaning forward just slightly. “Oh?” he asked in a rather vulgar tone, though his easy smile suggested otherwise. “Have there been many of these unmentionable moments?”

Madelynn frowned as the blush blossomed in her cheeks, spreading heat throughout her. She didn’t even know what to say to that, not when his eyes were focused so intensely on hers, as if he was trying to see straight through them into her soul.

But then he let out a breathy chuckle and stood up, his long legs crossing the room in three strides as he approached a short ice box in the kitchen. “Would you care for a drink, M’lady?” he asked playfully, pulling a large bottle of something from the box.

“I would love one,” she said greedily, thankful for the break in the tension that had fallen over them. She stood to join him at the counter as he pulled two small glasses from the cabinet. “What is our drink of choice for the evening?”

He rotated the glass bottle in his hand, a frown forming on his face as he searched for the label, then nodded and held it out for her to see. “Some sort of incredibly inexpensive gin, which I’m sure will be just as incredibly disgusting.”

Madelynn smiled and grabbed a glass from the counter and held it up for him to fill. “Perfect.”

He filled hers to the top, then filled his, and they clinked their glasses together. Madelynn took one deep breath, let it out, inhaled one more time, then tilted the glass, downing the drink in two long swallows.

She lowered it to the counter with a thunk and shivered as the liquid burnt her throat. And when she looked back up at Callum, he was standing still, wide eyed as he took a sip from his glass. She bit her lip as he raised his eyebrow, his eyes flicking to the glass, then back to her. “So it’s that kind of night?” He looked away from her, still looking wildly impressed, and filled her glass again. Then he straightened and tilted his own glass up. She watched as he swallowed the alcohol easily, his adam’s apple bobbing as it went down. She watched as he clenched his jaw, admiring the way the golden lights danced off his muscles and highlighted the blue in his eyes. He licked his lips, and she couldn’t help but imagine herself doing the same.

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She pulled herself out of her trance, shaking her head, as she grabbed her own drink once again. She brought it up to her lips, but his hand darted out, pressing against her lips as he stopped her from drinking it. “Wait- if we’re going to be going shot for shot, we should at least make it fun.” He took the drink from her hand, his long, slender fingers wrapping around it in a way that sent heat to places she couldn’t mention.

What was wrong with her? She pulled her gaze away from his hand, forcing herself to meet his eyes as he continued. “I suggest we play a little game.” He raised his eyebrow- a challenge- and she knew she’d already lost.

“What kind of game?”

He hesitated, pursing his lips as he thought. “What about truth or drink?”

Madelynn frowned and shook her head. She’d played all kinds of drinking games with Elise when they’d steal her parents’ liquor. They’d played a Truth and a Lie- her personal least favorite- Drink every time Miriam is condescending toward someone, she’d even played drinking games centered around a deck of cards.

Callum grinned, but the mischief in his eyes made her breath hitch as he grabbed the bottle off the counter and started toward the couch. “I’ll ask you a question,” he said over his shoulder as Madelynn scurried to join him, “and you’ll either answer- truthfully- or you’ll drink.” He slumped down onto the couch, his legs pulling up to rest on the small table in the center of the room. “And vice versa, of course.”

Madelynn joined him, sitting across from him and pulling her legs up to her chest. “That’s it?” she asked, plucking her drink from his hand. “There’s no catch?”

He shook his head. “No catch.” He held his drink up in a silent Cheers! and tilted his drink back. Madelynn followed suit, refusing to let herself get lost in the sharp line of his jaw or divots in his muscles again. She took a deep breath once she’d swallowed it, blinking to clear the tears from her eyes. “However,” he continued, a finger running absentmindedly over the rim of the glass, “if you lie… you strip.”

Madelynn gaped at him, her breath catching in her throat, and she coughed wildly as he laughed, his dimples carving little crescents in his cheeks. “I’m joking,” he said once he’d caught his breath, and Madelynn relaxed just a bit.

“Okay, so,” she began, holding her glass out for him to refill, “I’ll go first.” She bit back a smile as he poured the brown liquid into her cup, and she sat back, letting it roll against her lips as she thought. What was something she desperately wanted to know about him? Something that she’d regret not asking, given the opportunity. She purposefully avoided his gaze as her thoughts trailed to some risque places, but she finally settled on her question after a moment. “What did you think of me when we first met?”

Callum picked at his middle finger nail, a sly smile spreading across his lips. “Are you sure you want that answer?” He looked up at her, and her toes curled, her eyes going wide. What was that supposed to mean? She chewed violently on her lip, but nodded. He looked away from her, his tongue pressing against the inside of his cheek as he exhaled heavily. “Well, I had a few thoughts in that fleeting moment.” His eyes flashed back to her, and she could’ve sworn that was a blush decorating his cheeks. “First, I thought you were…” he raised his eyebrows and shook his head, as if still flabbergasted at the memory, “... the sexiest woman I’d ever seen.”

She sucked in a breath, feeling an unfamiliar pressure in her lower belly, and she adjusted on the couch, crossing her legs under herself.

“And then” he continued, sighing loudly, his cheeks puffing out, “I thought you were the biggest idiot I’d ever met.”

Madelynn’s mouth fell open. “Hey!” She reached over and slapped him playfully on the arm. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He chuckled, holding up his hands in surrender. “You asked, I’m just answering!” But, he went on anyway, trying and failing to stifle a smile. “I saw the way you looked at me- I mean, you were practically drooling while you were dancing with that poor lad. And I knew exactly what you thought of me.”

She felt her blush deepen as she recalled the moment. Had she truly been so obvious? Embarrassment quickly joined the pressure in her belly, and she brought her hand up to hide her eyes as she tried not to laugh at herself.

“I knew I could’ve made a move on you that night, and what an idiot that made you. A noble Young Lady and a soldier- a truly terrible pairing.” He grinned widely and Madelynn matched the gesture. “I almost asked you to dance just to see if you could handle being that close to me. But,” he continued, holding his arms out around him as if he hadn’t just sent her thoughts spiraling to dangerous places, “I answered your question, so I do believe it’s my turn.”

Madelynn straightened her back, preparing herself for whatever was going to emerge from his mouth.

He hesitated, his eyes never leaving hers as he thought. “If I hadn’t stopped you that night- after our wedding- would you have let me…” His gaze slowly trailed down her, and she could nearly feel his eyes piercing into her.

She blinked, thinking back to the moment. She’d straddled him, her teeth dragging across his bottom lip, and the sound he’d made-

She tilted her head back and downed her drink in one swallow. Her whole body was on fire, her shirt and trousers touching her in all the wrong places, and suddenly the room was too small- too cramped for all the tension building inside her. She wanted to reach down inside herself and rip out whatever was making her feel this way. She couldn’t think about it- going all the way with him. She’d never done that before, and it felt obscene to even entertain the idea. Is that what he wanted? Was that what she’d wanted in the moment? That’s what she wanted in this moment.

Her thoughts spiraled as she continued to lose control over them, the alcohol lowering her ability to… control much of anything.

Callum leaned toward her, his eyes drifting down to her lips, then back up to her eyes. “Cheater,” he said quietly, his tongue darting out to run across the bottom of his teeth.

Madelynn took a deep breath, and her chest heaving as he looked at her like she was something utterly delicious. “Yes,” she blurted before her mind could catch up with her mouth. “I would have.”

He nodded slowly, that damn cocky smile gracing his features as he leaned back, and tipped his own drink back then licked his lips, his eyes never leaving hers.

It was her turn again, and her mind was blank. All she could think of was the way his eyes were devouring her. “Would you stop me now?”

For a moment, he froze, his jaw tightening as if he was warring with himself. She couldn’t even feel embarrassed by the question, not while he was looking at her like that. Not when he leaned over to put his empty glass on the table- then stood and plucked hers from her hand and did the same.

He sat next to her, close enough for her to feel the heat radiating from his body, and tilted his head slightly, his eyes flicking between hers. His mouth opened as if to say something, but no words came. Then he exhaled sharply, his hand finding the back of her head to twine in her curls, and crashed his lips into hers with the same desperation she felt in her belly.