Page 100 of Wedded to the Twisted Highlander
“And did ye even think about what that would have done to me? Or do ye nae have a clue that I love ye? Me life would’ve been over if anything happened to ye,” Astrid confessed as tears spilled down her cheeks.
Thomas cupped her face in his hand and drew her eyes to his. She didn’t want to look at him. She didn’t want to see the judgment or the rejection that she was sure she’d find.
“Love… me?”
“Aye,” Astrid mumbled with her eyes closed defiantly.
As long as she didn’t look at him, she wouldn’t know just how bad the sting of his rejection would be.
“Look at me,” he whispered, his voice ever so smooth.
She shook her head and tried to turn away from him.
“Astrid, please. I willnae be able to say what I need to say if I cannae see yer beautiful eyes.”
Astrid’s heart raced as she peeked at him through her long lashes, dreading what she was going to see. As Thomas came into view, it wasn’t rejection or ire that greeted her. No, it was pure, unadulterated love.
“When I first saw ye, I thought that I had solved the riddle of the ages. How could I, after all, keep me clan in order and give them the heir they wanted? As much as I wanted to keep love at arm’s length, I couldnae, nae wit’ ye. Astrid, ye’re me everything.”
“Is that right?” Astrid huffed, arching an eyebrow as his words bounced off her. “I dinnae want to be everything. I just want to be yers. Nae Lady McFair or the healer. Just yers.”
“Ye’d have me give up me fortune and name to go run wild through the moors, would ye nae?” Thomas asked, the playfulness in his tone returning.
“It’s the only way a sprite can be free.”
“And that is what ye are, are ye nae? Me sprite. Me wisp of the moors. That is how the world will remember ye. The Lady of the Mist. And I will spread rumors far and wide of yer beauty and how ye overcame this world to transcend to something far more precious.”
Astrid rolled her eyes she tried to stop her smile from spreading, but it was no use. Thomas’s charm was too compelling for her to resist.
He leaned closer, kissing her softly. Astrid’s heart fluttered as he stoked the flames of her longing. The fact that he had come for her, despite everything, and saved her, made her heart overflow with love. She pulled him closer, deepening the kiss as the world faded around them.
“I love ye, Astrid,” Thomas whispered between his hungry kisses. “Ye should ken that. Every smile ye gave someone else, I was jealous. Every conversation ye had and time ye spent wit’ me family, I wished ye were spendin’ it wit’ me.”
He scooped her up into his arms and carried her into his room.
Astrid opened her mouth to protest but closed it quickly as he laid her gently on the bed. Watching as he took off his shirt, she scooted to the headboard and untied her bodice. She pulled off her skirts as he let his breeches fall to his feet.
She shifted down the bed, sinking into the feather pillows. Thomas nudged her legs apart and settled between them. She dug her nails into his back as he entered her. A low moan escaped her lips as Thomas sank into her to the hilt. To her surprise, her body welcomed him.
“I love ye, Astrid,” he whispered as his pants grew heavy in her ear. His hot breath caressed her cool skin and set her ablaze.
The world could fall apart, Laird Chalium could still be alive, some volcano could be threatening her very existence, but she didn’t care. It was Thomas she cared about. It was the feel of him inside her that she cared about. He was a part of her. A piece of her soul.
“And I ye, Thomas,” she managed to get out as he lowered himself over her, his weight pinning her to the mattress.
“Do ye? Really?” Thomas asked, panting for air.
Astrid watched his eyes roll to the back of his head. If it weren’t for the smile playing on his kissable lips, she would have thought something had gone wrong. His body trembled, and she felt a hot rush inside her.
“Aye,” she said. “I do.”
“I’m sorry,” Thomas murmured, pulling out of her.
Astrid looked at him as he wrapped his arms around her. She played with his hair as she listened to the crackling of the fire.
“For what? Ye have nothing to be sorry for,” she said as his grip on her tightened.
“For makin’ ye worry about me so,” he answered. “I should have found another way to take care of Chalium.”
