Page 54 of Claimed By the Heartless Highlander
He swore. “What the devil?”
His question was answered by a shout that penetrated the oak door panels. “Ailis? Are ye all right? ‘Tis fairly quiet in there…”
There was a pause, and then another call. “Ailis, if he’s bein’ a lout with ye, just speak up. I can always have Keith kill him if he’s nae bein’ the gentleman ye deserve…”
The deep rumble of Laird MacDean’s voice joined that of his wife. “Och, Maisie, ye cannae threaten a laird hostin’ us… and I’m nae about to break into the man’s study.”
“Fine, I’ll do it meself, then!”
Faint sounds of a scuffle ensued, as if Keith had been forced to intervene to keep his wife from following through on her threat.
Ailis laughed, and Duncan instantly forgot any sense of indignation he’d been feeling at the interruption. “That’s nae necessary, Maisie. We’re fine. Now, stop listenin’ at the door, ye brazen wench. Laird Muir and I have matters to discuss!”
“Ye’re sure?”
“Aye. I’ll talk to ye about it later,” Ailis replied between bouts of snickers.
She was still wrapped in Duncan’s arms, and he was willing to let her banter with her friend for as long as she liked, despite how his growing erection suggested there were other things they could be doing.
Finally, the voices on the other side of the door faded. Duncan bent his head to kiss her again, teasing her soft lips with his teeth and his tongue, exploring every corner of her mouth with gentle thoroughness. He started to pull her closer, then hesitated.
He wanted her, all of her. But after how he’d mishandled her heart and her safety, would she want him? She’d said she wanted a loving husband, but nothing about whether her own feelings would be a match for the love she’d asked him to give.
“Duncan?” She looked up at him, her lips swollen from his kisses, her eyes bright with what he hoped was desire.
He breathed deeply and tried to control himself. “I want ye, Ailis. All of ye. But… if it’s nae what ye want… I understand, after everythin’ that’s happened between us. If ye want to leave?—”
Her hand covered his mouth, effectively cutting him off. “I’ve wanted ye from the first time I saw ye. The way ye looked, the way ye spoke, the way ye smiled… ye were like every fairytale I ever read, only better. And the more I got to ken ye, the more I realized that all me stories couldnae hold a candle to the real thing. I’ve been fallin’ more and more in love with ye every day. ‘Tis why I was so angry with ye.”
Duncan felt his heart nearly stop at her words.
She gave a smile full of temptation, and all the sharper for the edge of innocence still present as she shifted her hand to caress his face. “Ye were readin’ a very interestin’ letter the other day, Laird Muir. And I’d very much like ye to show me how the rest of that letter went.”
She leaned against him, her soft, pliant body pressing against his swelling manhood and fanning his desire as she whispered in his ear, “Ye promised to make all me dreams come true, and now, I’d like very much to ken if me other fantasies fall short of the mark or nae, Me Laird…”
Duncan swooped her up into his arms, remembering a particular part of the third letter she’d sent him. He turned and made his way to the thick rug in front of the fire, then bent to lay her down on it, before he moved to position his body over hers.
“As me lady demands.”
CHAPTER22
Ailis felther heart pounding with excitement and anticipation, her whole body tingling as Duncan laid her down on the soft rug in front of the fireplace and hovered above her, his eyes hot and hungry.
He bent close, his hot breath fanning her cheek and the flames of her desire as he whispered, “Will ye let me take care of ye, Me Lady?”
“Aye.”
“And pleasure ye until ye cannae do anythin’ more than call me name?”
“Aye.” Her voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper.
Duncan rose slowly to his knees, then to his feet. With slow, sensuous movements, he removed his stained armor, then his sash and his belt. Then, holding her eyes until the very last moment, he took off his shirt to reveal the well-toned, tanned expanse of his broad shoulders, trim waist, and the corded muscles in his arms.
Ailis felt her mouth go dry as she beheld his upper body. It wasn’t the smooth perfection in her stories, but the scars made her long to trace each one of them with her fingers, and perhaps her tongue. The image in her mind was a heady one, and it added to his appeal.
Then Duncan kicked off his boots and removed his long socks to reveal the lean muscles of his calves. Ailis’s eyes were drawn to the shadows beneath his kilt, and the prominent bulge that tented the fabric.
Then he unfastened his kilt and stood naked before her, and Ailis felt her eyes widen at the size of his already erect manhood.
