Page 118 of Seduced By the Reckless Highlanders
She leaned on her elbow and looked around to get her bearings, and that was when she found out that she was pillowed on the chest of Gowan Hepburn, and it was his heartbeat she could hear. Minna felt a flash of indignation; he had said he would not take advantage of her, after all! Then she realized that she was untouched, her clothes were not disturbed, and she was in a very comfortable place indeed. Gowan’s chest was solid, firm and muscular, yet it made an excellent pillow.
She studied him closely, noting his high, sloping cheekbones and square jaw, which was already sporting the first golden bristles of a new day’s growth of beard. She wondered why he had not grown one. Since no-one ever saw him, what difference did it make if he was clean-shaven or not, and what did he use to shave with?
Her gaze drifted to his slightly aquiline nose and the golden eyelashes that rested on his cheeks. His brows were arched like the wings of a bird, and she knew that when he opened his eyes she would be staring into eyes the color of chocolate.
She wondered for the hundredth time how such a fair man could have such dark eyes. Then inevitably, she came to his lips, the sight of which made her feel strangely hot and moist in her secret place. He was simply beautiful, and his scar enhanced his beauty in a strange way, contrasting with the perfection of the rest of him. She was about to lay her head on Gowan’s chest again when he opened his eyes and stared straight into hers.
At first he looked confused, then he remembered the events of the night before and gave her a tentative smile. “Did you hear the storm?” he asked.
“I thought I had dreamed it,” Minna answered, surprised.
“You seemed to be in distress, but I did not embrace you,” he told her. “You came to me all by yourself, but you calmeddown when I held you. Rest assured I have done nothing inappropriate.”
“I believe you,” Minna smiled at him, but could not tear her gaze away from his dark eyes.
Suddenly, his full lips were on hers. At first, she was too surprised to move, then she realized what was happening, and after a moment of hesitation, she gave herself up to them wholeheartedly. She had never felt anything like the soft but firm pressure of the lips that caressed hers with such assurance.
When Gowan pushed his tongue gently into her mouth to taste her, then rolled over so that she was half pinned underneath him, Minna clung to him desperately. She had never been kissed properly by a man before, and it was quite the most glorious thing she had ever felt.
She began to imitate him, stroking his tongue with hers, and heard him grunt with satisfaction. He started to rub his hips against her and she felt something hard pressing against the part of her that was moist and throbbing.
Presently he lifted his head and looked down at her, studying her face minutely, taking in the blue of her eyes and noticing the flecks of green in them for the first time. “You are so lovely,” he said hoarsely. “I am sorry - I should not have kissed you that way - I took advantage of you.”
“No,” Minna shook her head. “I would have pushed you away if I had thought that.”
“I wish -” he shook his head, making his bright hair fall over his eyes again.
“What do you wish?” Minna asked, intrigued.
“I wish we could be together, because you are a fine woman.” He stood up and helped her to her feet. “But that is impossible. I am never going to be the Laird of Cairndene and I know that, but I would at least like to see it return to the state it was in when my father was there. It was my home - the place I grew up in, andit hurts me to see it rotting away. Do you think you could make your brother see that?”
Minna could see the desperation in his dark eyes, and she knew that he was hurting. He had told her a little of his history, and she could only imagine the pain he must have felt when his home and then his beloved mother were wrenched away from him.
“You are not the first person to ask me,” she said, sighing. “I have no way of making him change his ways. If I could find something to threaten him -” She shrugged - “but I have nothing.”
Minna had been looking at the floor while she was speaking, but now she looked up and met his dark gaze again. She almost felt herself melt, and her world narrowed to Gowan’s eyes, Gowan’s face.
Gowan had been isolated from the world for years, but he had not been celibate. Before his state of isolation there had been plenty of willing young women eager to come to his bed, and while he had been someone else.
She was a widow whom he had met in Dundee who had taken pity on him in his scarred and wounded state, and shown him the delights of physical love. He had known her for only a few days, and he knew he would never see her again, but there had been enough time for her to teach him about the many ways to please a woman.
He wished he could try some of his skills on Minna, the beautiful woman standing before him. She had not ridiculed his scars, or seemed frightened of him in any way. She had not judged him or expressed any opinions on the way he had chosen to live his life. He had kept her captive for a few days and she had not been frightened or tried to escape. Moreover, she was kind.
He wished he could stay like this forever, in this one room with her, cocooned from the world, but that of course wasimpossible. He was a lost cause, but she was not, and she was making it so difficult for him to let her go. They were standing only a foot apart, but he dared not move any closer. “You must leave,” he said huskily.
Minna opened the door a fraction. The rain was not just pouring down - it was being propelled by the wind in great sheets, and she knew that it would be impossible for her to walk outside without being soaked in minutes.
“I am afraid I cannot go anywhere yet,” she told him, sighing. “I will have to stay a little longer.”
Gowan’s heart skipped a beat. The news that she would have to stay filled him with both gladness and apprehension, because having so much temptation around him was a pleasurable kind of torture.
Minna turned around and found that he was still very close to her, close enough for him to bend his head and touch his lips to hers.
Their second kiss was raw with hunger, desire and longing. Minna felt as if she had been given something delicious, and was allowed to savor as much of it as she could for as long as she wanted. Gowan plundered her mouth with his. This time he did not caress her lips - he ravaged them, pressing them against her teeth and sweeping his tongue around her mouth. It should have been painful, but it was not. It was something else - something Minna had never felt before, but desperately wanted - needed - to feel again.
Gowan was on fire. His hands were everywhere - her breasts, her backside, her thighs. He could simply not get enough of her. Everything about her was so completely soft and womanly, exactly the opposite of him. They were meant to fit together - it was soright.
Then the real world came crashing back. What the hell was he doing? Had it been so long since he had held a woman that hehad become a savage? Abruptly, he pulled away and took a step back, then turned away. His shaft was throbbing with desire, but he could not indulge it with Minna; it was too dangerous and would mean a world of trouble for both of them.
