Page 55 of Bound to a Scot
Her words hit Maddox so hard, he might have recoiled had there been enough room in the alcove. But they hit him hard enough to drive the air from his lungs. He hadn’t considered what his pending marriage might have been doing to Emmeline or how it was making her feel. And hearing the pain in her voice was heartbreaking.
He shook his head. “Emmeline, I—I didnae think?—”
“Nay. Ye didnae.”
“I’m sorry. But how am I supposed tae ken how ye feel if ye willnae talk tae me about it?”
“Because that’s the bleedin’ point, Maddox. We cannae talk about it,” she snapped. “We cannae be feelin’ the things we’re feelin’. ‘Tis nae right, and tis only pure torment fer the both of us. We’d be better off if we didnae speak about it again. Ever.”
“It wouldnae be easier fer me,” he said.
“And what good would talkin’ about it dae, eh? What can we dae about these feelings?”
“I’m nae sure, but?—”
“I’ll tell ye what we can dae about them. Naethin’,” she said. “There’s nae a bleedin’ thing we can dae about them because I’m married and ye’re goin’ tae be.”
“Emmeline, we cannae deny?—”
“’Tis exactly what we need tae dae,” she almost shouted, her voice thick with frustration.
“I cannae pretend these feelin’s dinnae exist.”
“Ye’re goin’ tae have tae.”
Maddox held her gaze firmly, his jaw clenched as frustration coursed through him.
“Emmeline—”
“Maddox, stop makin’ this harder than it has tae be,” she hissed. “We cannae be taegether. Nae in this life anyway. And pretendin’ otherwise isnae just foolish, it’s a sure way tae spend yer life in misery.”
“Ye’re already spendin’ yer life in misery.”
Her eyes shimmered with tears and Maddox could see she was struggling to calm the emotions that were raging within her. She sniffed and shook her head.
“’Tis me own cross tae bear,” Emmeline said miserably.
“It daesnae have tae be.”
Emmeline’s eyes narrowed and her jaw flexed as she gritted her teeth. “And what are ye proposin’, eh? That we run off taegether? That we run away and live happily ever after somewhere?”
“Why nae then?”
She looked at Maddox like he’d gone mad. And maybe he had. In truth, he didn’t know what he was thinking or feeling in that moment. All he knew was that life without Emmeline didn’t seem worth living to him. She was the only bit of color in a life that had grown increasingly drab and gray.
“Are ye serious?” she asked.
“Why nae?”
“Ye’ve gone bleedin’ mad.”
“Emmeline—”
“Ye must?—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Maddox cut her off, grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her to him. Their mouths crashed together, and he forced his tongue past herteeth. He swirled his tongue around hers forcefully, reveling in the silk smoothness of her mouth. Emmeline’s body stiffened and she was hesitant. But then her resistance faded, and she melted against him. She slid her hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down to her, lapping at his tongue hungrily.
Maddox pressed into her harder and he heard her gasp as his long, thick manhood pressed against her belly. He relished the feeling of her body, soft in some places, firmer in others. He ground himself against her, drawing a low moan from her mouth that he swallowed down, his mind swimming as waves of pleasure washed over him.
