Page 108 of Tempting the Highland Spy
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Reality rained down on Grace like a downpour she should have seen coming. She’d been a fool to give her heart to him, a fool to hope beyond hope that somehow, her time with him would not come to its inevitable, bitter end.
Had she lied to herself? She’d wanted so desperately to believe her feelings for Harrison were mirrored in his own heart.
Had she deceived herself merely to get through this mission?
Why should this time be any different?
She’d told so many lies. Small, harmless fibs. Other times, falsehoods had been far more consequential, lending her access to confidences and homes that otherwise would have been off-limits. For heaven’s sake, Belle still didn’t know Grace’s presence in Scotland had been connected with their mission. The heiress had risked her own life to save Grace, and Grace hadn’t even told her the truth.
But she would. She’d come to care for Belle. The acquaintance that had started out as a ruse had evolved into a friendship.
Would Belle turn against her when she learned the real story? It didn’t matter. She had to take that chance.
Standing before Harrison, feeling the warmth of his arms around her, savoring the feel of his touch and the hunger in his eyes, Grace wanted to drink it all in. She didn’t want to ruin the moment, especially with something as inconvenient as the truth. Soon, an ocean would come between them.
But they had this time. They had a few precious days before she’d board a steamer to take her home.
Would loving him again ease the pain of the separation to come?
Or would the longing only grow stronger, a craving she’d never entirely sate?
Perhaps she should guard her heart. That would be the prudent thing to do.
But then again, prudence was a highly overrated virtue.
Pulling in a breath filled with his essence and the brisk notes of his soap, she looped her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers. Somehow, this kiss was different than his earlier caress. A current of sensation surged through her body, racing to every nerve in her body, stirring her need for him—for the pleasure of his touch—to a frenzy.
He moaned her name against her mouth. With the tip of his tongue, he traced the seam of her lips, parting them gently. With a hunger that bordered on desperation, he claimed her, his tongue mating with hers, a delicate, passionate dance of sensation, delight, and need.
Her fingers glided over his skin, parting his shirt, exploring the hard contours of his shoulders, drifting lower through the feathering of dark hair on his chest, so crisp against her fingertips.
Molding her body to his length, she drank in his desire. Pleasure wafted through her.
“Do you have any idea what you do to me? Oh God, I need you, Grace.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I want you. More than you could ever know.”
A rapping upon the door reached her ears. At first, he seemed inclined to ignore it, but Mrs. Carmichael’s voice followed the sharp taps.
“Are you presentable, Dr. MacMasters?” she called.
He edged back, putting a finger’s breadth between their bodies. The slightest of smiles played on his mouth.
“Aren’t you going to answer her?” Grace whispered.
“In due time.” He dipped his head and murmured against her ear. “We’re returning to Stirling this morning. Later, we can be together. We’ll have the night. Tell me you’ll come to me.”
The passion in his low, raw tones unleashed a frisson to her core. “I’d like nothing more.”
His smile broadened to a wicked grin. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
“Dr. MacMasters. Are you in there?” Mrs. Carmichael was most definitely persistent.
He stepped away from Grace. “The door is unlocked. Please come in.”
Mrs. Carmichael swept into the room, her brows lifting as her gaze swept over Harrison’s scandalously unbuttoned shirt. The amused twitch of her lips betrayed her full understanding of Harrison’s delay in responding to her initial knock.
