Page 38 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
Erica’s cheeks reddened, but she laughed and beckoned the girl over. “Ye reckon so, do ye?”
Lily nodded emphatically.
“What was it that ye forgot to tell me, lass?” Erica asked, catching her in her white lie.
Lily hummed before her eyes lit up with excitement again. “Do ye think we can go on a picnic together? Ye and me and Uncle Hunter?”
She definitely is quick on her feet for a child.
The idea struck Erica like a breath of fresh air. It was something she hadn’t thought possible before, but after the events of today…
Yes, it might just work.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” she replied, her heart feeling full at the sight of Lily’s wide grin. “We’ll ask him tomorrow, shall we?”
“Aye!” Lily said, her joy overflowing as she sprinted out of Erica’s room.
The girl’s excitement was contagious, and as Erica lay down in her bed that night, she found her own anticipation growing, her mind racing with thoughts of how the picnic would go.
The night was still as she settled into bed, though her mind was anything but. Sleep came, but it was fitful, her dreams haunted by Hunter.
He was there in the shadows, his eyes dark and full of intent. She could feel the weight of his gaze as he stepped closer, his presence filling the space between them until she was enveloped by him. His hand rose to her face, just as it had in the garden, but this time, it lingered, his fingers tracing her cheek slowly, deliberately. Her skin felt like it was burning beneath his fingertips.
He pulled her closer, his hands sliding down to her waist as he leaned in, his breath warm against her neck. She felt herself shiver, her heart rate quickening as his lips grazed her skin. The way he held her, the way his mouth moved against her neck left her breathless.
He murmured something, muffled by the curve of her collarbone, words that she couldn’t quite make out but that made heat pool low in her belly. And then his mouth was on hers, his kiss rough and frenzied, as though he’d been holding back for far too long.
Her blood pounded in her ears, and wetness pooled between her legs. Her hands tangled in his hair and her lips parted, letting out a moan as he deepened the kiss. She felt her whole body lightup like a match beneath his calloused hands. She wanted more, needed more?—
Erica’s eyes flew open. Her heart was racing, her skin prickling with a warmth that refused to fade.
“What were ye dreamin’ about, lass?” That dark, familiar voice raked down her spine, making the hairs on her arm stand on end.
She bolted upright. “Hunter? What are ye—” she started to say as her head whipped around, blinking furiously to see him more clearly.
“Ye are me wife, it’s time I came to claim ye. Do ye nae think?”
“I—” she stuttered, the words caught in her throat.
“I heard ye say me name. I think I rather like me name on yer lips as I pleasure ye, though I’d rather it be in real life and nae a dream,” he said, chuckling devilishly.
Still unable to see him clearly, Erica felt the words hang on the tip of her tongue. Her limbs refused to move.
What’s happenin’? Where is he?
“Where—” she managed to say before he interrupted her.
“I’m right here,” she heard him say right next to her ear.
Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest as she woke up with a start.
How real that last dream was. Christ above, it was like he was here…
For a moment, she lay there in the quiet darkness, catching her breath. She felt her body relax into the ghost of his touch, his nearness still lingering. She pressed her hands to her cheeks, feeling her heated skin.
What on earth was that?
A mix of desire and confusion washed over her. Her dreams had never felt so real, so consuming. She forced herself to calm down, to steady her breathing. But as she closed her eyes again, her thoughts continued to drift back to him.
