Page 44 of Wedded to the Twisted Highlander
“Me Laird, please forgive me for the trouble I’ve caused. I hope that one day I can make amends.”
“Aye,” he answered as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Perhaps one day ye will. But until that day comes, why dinnae we just start wit’ dinner?”
15
The wind swept through the heather in the glen and carried with it a sweet scent of wildflowers. Thomas stood before Astrid, his heart torn between desire and restraint. How easy it would be to pin her to the tree and have her. That certainly would end the rumors that swirled about them.
But how could he betray her trust so blatantly? He couldn’t drag his family’s name through the mire for a weak moment of pleasure.
Stepping back from her, he gulped in the fresh air. It was just what he needed to clear the cobwebs that had formed since Astrid entered his mind. Oh, how he wanted to lean in and claim her lips with his.
In her eyes, he caught a flicker of something. Was it desire that he saw poking its head out? A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
“What do ye want?” he whispered, letting his teeth graze her earlobe.
He watched as little goosebumps rose on her skin. The question flickered in her gaze like a silent plea that ignited every nerve in his body.
“Me Laird! It’s yer faither, Me Laird. Ye must get back to the castle. Yer faither is havin’ another fit,” a manservant shouted beyond the trees.
Although Thomas was certain the servant didn’t have a clue where they were, it was obvious that he would find them sooner or later.
“Come,” Thomas said as he purposefully pressed against Astrid. If he couldn’t have her, then he could at least touch all that he could.
“Me Laird,” she breathed.
Thomas glanced over his shoulder, pulled in opposite directions by the rustle of the bushes and her plea.
“Tell me what ye want,” he demanded as he wrapped his arms around her waist and effortlessly lifted her off her feet.
He carried her deeper into the grove of trees, fighting for every moment he could get with her.
“But yer faither, he needs me.”
“Aye, so do I,” he said, his desire pushing him forward.
“Ye promised,” Astrid reminded him, a tremor in her voice.
Thomas’s breath hitched as he loosened his grip just enough to lower her to her feet. It was all he could give her, and if she knew what was good for her, she’d take the opportunity and run as far away from him as she could.
“Go,” he grunted.
She had responded, but what did she say? The fact that she would dare to ask for anything intrigued him.
“Aye, what was that? Did ye want something from me, lass?”
His eyebrow rose as he watched a tempest brew within her depths. There was no stopping the need that clawed its way out of the depths of his being. Before he could gather his wits, or even remind himself of the promise he made to her, she threw herself at him.
Astrid crushed her lips to his with a fervor that caught him by surprise, eliciting a rush of emotions that he hadn’t anticipated. The warmth of her mouth sent a spark through him, and in that instant, everything else faded into oblivion.
It was as if a mighty flood had surged down from the mountains, sweeping away the mundane details of their surroundings and filling the valley of their shared moment with an overwhelming tide of sensation. The sounds of the world—the rustling leaves, distant laughter, and the gentle hum of life—seemed to dissolve into silence, leaving only the two of them in a cocoon of intimacy.
His hands instinctively found their way to her waist, his fingers curling around her soft curves as he pulled her closer, trying to bridge the gap that had always seemed to linger between them. It felt as if an invisible thread had drawn them together, and with every heartbeat, he surrendered more and more to the fire of passion that crackled in the air around them.
The warmth radiating from their bodies merged into an intoxicating heat, a tangible energy that skipped between them like a playful spark, igniting every nerve ending in his body.
As their lips moved in perfect harmony, her kiss was electric, sending waves of exhilaration through him. It was not just a kiss. It was a revelation—a collision of souls that spoke of long-held desires and unspoken dreams. The taste of her was sweet and intoxicating, a blend of longing and liberation that made his head spin. He felt her breath against his skin, warm and inviting, pulling him deeper into this intoxicating moment.
Time seemed to stretch and bend, allowing them to exist in this bubble of passion, where nothing else mattered but the two of them. He could feel the heartbeat of the earth beneath them syncwith their own, as if nature itself recognized the significance of this union.
