Page 25 of A Highland Bride Taken
He stepped closer then, fingering a lock of her hair. Her skin heated at the intimacy of the action, her breath hitching in anticipation.
“Ye might want to marry me for the boys, but ye must ken ye will be me wife,” he said softly, nuzzling her hair. “In every sense of the word. Ye will be mine, to do with as I please.”
He leaned so close that his masculine scent overpowered her, but it was nothing compared to the feel of his lips on the junction between her neck and shoulder.
It felt as though lightning had shot through her, and she felt its impact all the way to her toes. Even her scalp tingled with awareness of him.
She knew he was only trying to push her, to see if she truly understood what she was resigning herself to, and the thought that he would think her weak had her squaring her shoulders.
“Ye will be mine in body and mind,” he whispered against her sensitive skin, nipping it lightly. “Ye willnae be allowed to deny me me desires. Do ye still want to be married to me? I am a man of many desires.”
She wondered at the strange man touching her, even though his caresses didn’t leave much room for logical thought. He was confirming her thoughts that he became a different creature at night.
Her body burned where his hands and lips touched, and she felt a strange liquid heat pooling in her center. Was this what it was like between married couples?
“Answer me, lassie,” he purred, nipping her playfully. “Do ye still want to be mine? To have and to hold?”
She nodded, unable to form words as his hands traveled to skim the underside of her heavy breasts. The light fabric of her shift brushed her sensitive nipples, sending a rush of pleasure through her that had her pushing out her breasts, as though offering them to him.
He cupped them lightly and then firmly, groaning against her skin as he did. Each caress and stroke over her breasts sent sparks of heat down to her core, where a pulse beat wildly.
His teeth had not left her neck, and she knew that come morning, there would be a mark she wouldn’t be able to explain without blushing.
She knew he was being entirely improper, since they weren’t yet wed, but she could not stop him. If he stopped now, she felt she would die.
“Use yer words, lass.” He nipped her again. “I want to hear ye say it.”
“I am yers,” she gasped. “To have and to hold.”
She could tell her words surprised him, for he pulled back and nodded, dropping his hands.
Is he leaving?
“I shall bid ye?—”
She pressed her lips to his, swallowing his words. There was no way she would let him leave, not when he had set off feelings inside her that she could not understand or handle.
He wanted to know if she would marry him, didn’t he?
This was her answer.
She would not be scared if he chose to touch her.
She had sworn to protect the boys, and if becoming his was the only way to do so, then she would gladly give herself.
Her body felt taut, like a bow that had been pulled, and she suspected it was only he who could bring her relief.
He stiffened at first, and she feared she had been too forward. But just as she made to pull back, he wrapped his arms around her, deepening their kiss.
He groaned against her lips, kissing her like a man starved. She had never been kissed before, and she struggled to keep up with his fervor. He stole her breath and quite possibly her senses as his lips claimed hers.
She had never thought kissing would be like this. Her heart raced, and she feared it would burst out of her chest with how hard it pounded. Pressed so tightly against him, she could tell his heart was beating as fast as hers.
She slid her hand up his shoulder and buried it in the hair at the nape of his neck, moaning at the softness beneath her fingers. He pulled her harder into him, such that she felt her feet lift off the floor. If she weren’t holding onto him, she might have fallen.
“Wrap yer legs around me, lass,” he ordered.
She obeyed, and he resumed kissing her till she felt her back hit a wall. Her hand hadn’t left his hair, and she thought that if she died because of his kisses, it would be a good way to go.
