Page 31 of The Highlander's Auctioned Bride
“I have neverswoonedin me life,” she said weakly.
“That isnae true, ye almost fell over yerself the first time I met ye.”
She frowned at him, still coming back to her full senses. “That was different, I was tryin’ to escape.”
James felt a smile spread over his face. “Well, I am glad ye didnae feel the need to dae that on our weddin’ day.”
After a moment, he realized that his hand had come to rest in hers, almost unconsciously, and they both looked down at their intertwined fingers. Maisie swallowed.
“Dae ye need somethin’ to drink?” he asked.
“Nae, I should be gettin’ ready,” she said urgently. “Me faither will be worried. Where is Jean?”
“I’ll send word to them, so they ken ye’re well, just rest for a little time.” His frown deepened. “We have a long day ahead of us, that is why I told ye to get to bed.”
“Was that before or after ye tried to get me into yers?” she asked sarcastically, and James could not help but laugh softly. When he looked back at her she was examining him with interest.
“I havenae seen ye laugh before,” she said. “Ye look a little less like a monster when ye dae.”
“Dinnae say that before ye realize where ye are, lass.”
She frowned, looking about her curiously and James waited with bated breath, waiting until she?—
“Ye have brought me to yerrooms?” she asked, aghast. “I will be ruined.” She tried to sit up, but he pushed her back into the pillows with a gentle hand. She was so weak she barely put up a fight.
“Ruined by yer husband? I dinnae think anyone will care.”
“Well, I care!” she said emphatically. “This is improper.”
“Ye might need to get used to me bed chamber someday, lass, when we have a bairn.”
Maisie scowled. “Ye agreed to me rules. We have separate bedrooms until… until…”
“Ye beg me.”
Maisie shuddered at the tone of his voice, those dark eyes penetrating her with each passing second.
She could feel the heat of his fingers in her own, and gooseflesh sprung up over her arm. He slowly began to massage her wrist, moving up her arm inch by inch.
She was trembling.
“Why are ye so determined to stay away from me, Maisie?” he asked, in a conversational tone that belied the lust in his eyes. The sound of her name on his lips made a dark heat bloom in her chest.
“Because ye cannae give me what I want.”
“And what dae ye want?”
“To wed for love,” she said sullenly. “And I ken that is nae what either of us will get from this marriage.”
To her surprise, his eyes sparked with mischief at her words.
“Love isnae everythin’, lass, and I can still give ye pleasure without us havin’ to care deeply for one another. Ye felt pleasure last night, did ye nae?”
She watched the lust intensify in his eyes as a blush spread over her cheeks. He leaned down toward her, his hand coming up to caress her neck, his cool fingers a balm to her heated skin.
“Ye didnae have me permission last night,” she breathed, “and ye dinnae have it now.”
“I suppose so,” he said as his hand wandered down her body, brushing over her shoulder and down her arm to her hips. “What shall we dae then, bride of mine? Perhaps we need to make some new rules, where I can win ye over.”
