Page 72 of The Duke's Scottish Bride
When she finished, her voice was low but strong and unwavering.
Just like her, Anselm thought.
“You will want for nothing ever again, Marion. Do you understand? Nothing. And you are safe. Here. With me. I promise you that if nothing else. I will give you the world,” he said as he closed the distance between them and grasped her hands.
Marion looked deep into his eyes, seeing the raw protectiveness that flowed inside of him for her. She had seen his concern and care for her, with the gestures and their growing time together. But this was a flicker of something else, something she haddismissed before. She took a breath and her heart pounded with sudden, reckless courage.
“And what do ye want, Anselm?” she asked.
“Do not ask me that, Marion,” he rasped.
He swallowed hard. She watched his eyes widen as he recoiled slightly before moving a few paces away from her. Marion thought he looked as if he had been struck by lightning the way he shook his hands.
“And why nae? Ye are nae as formidable as ye think and ye cannae ask all the questions. Ye ken what I want. As hard as I try to be composed, it is as plain as day. I cannae masquerade as you can. Ye ken what I desire, husband. Do ye?”
“I have wanted you most desperately… Since the moment you sat in front of me in that blasted carriage in Strathcairn as another man’s bride,” he said as he took a step toward her.
“And since the second I heard your sweet voice. The way you sound when you speak Gaelic…” He took another step toward returning to her. “Since the moment I tasted you…” He closed the remaining distance between them.
“I…I…I daenae ken what to say?—”
He did not wait for her to say anymore. He could not wait.
His lips descended, hot and demanding on hers. It was a searing kiss that swept away all logical thought, along with any residual hesitation. She was his to be had.
Marion’s arms wrapped around his neck as she pulled him closer to her. She clung to him as if they were tethered together, intensified by the relief of his touch. The passion that had simmered between them for so long finally erupted, hot and needy.
They moved about the room as they kissed passionately. The easel tilted until it fell, and brushes clattered as they hit the floor. Neither of them noticed or perhaps they did not have the capacity to care as they reached for each other feverishly and kissed wildly.
All she could feel was the fire between them as she savored the taste of his tongue in her mouth. It was salt and wine and she devoured it. He lifted her effortlessly into his arms and carried her to the plush sofa nearby. He took off her gown with efficient speed before placing it on a nearby chair and leaving her in her undergarments.
“You are a sight to behold, wife,” he said as he licked his full lips. “In fact, you are every fantasy I did not know I had. You are everything. I cannot ignore the pull between us any longer. Can you?”
“No,” she said breathlessly. “I think I may die if we daenae act on this now. I have never wanted or needed somethin’ so badly.”
He took his shirt off then and lowered his trousers to the floor. Marion looked at him with eager eyes as a sense of fear percolated in her chest at the sight of him naked in front of her.
How will that fit inside of me?She wondered nervously as she wrapped her arms instinctively around her body.How will I ken what to do? I ken this is primal, but I feel so unprepared…
“We will take it slow, my tempest. I will make sure every moment we share together fills you with sheer bliss,” he said as he walked to her, leaned over her on the sofa, and kissed her cheek reverently. “You do not need to worry. Not now and not ever. I will make this perfect for you.”
“I daenae ken what to say…I…I…”
“Say that you are mine, my tempest.”
“I am yers, Anselm.”
“That is a good lass,” he said as he lowered his body onto hers. “Kiss me.”
She raised her mouth to meet his so that they might resume the hot, tender deluge of soft kisses, licks and nibbles. She wrapped her teeth around his bottom lip and tugged slightly enjoying the fullness of it.
“I need to…to stop.” He pushed himself away from her abruptly.
“What in the bloody hell is the matter?” Marion asked, startled at the pause. “You cannae stop now!”
“We cannot do this here, much as I need you as soon as possible. Quick, put on your clothes.” He dressed hurriedly, grabbing his breeches and stepping into them. “We are going to my room. I will not let our first time be on your studio sofa. There will be time for that later.”
“Aye, ye are right!”
