Page 22 of The Highlander Steals a Virgin
Is this what women whisper about when they think they are alone? A woman’s pleasure at a man’s touch?
“God’s blood, ye are so sweet, lass.”
“So are ye,” Amara said before realizing how silly that sounded, telling a man he was sweet.
Rhys chuckled, then used the grip on the back of her neck to position her head, then claimed her mouth again. She thought she was going to die from pleasure when he started moving his hips. Pressing against her then withdrawing just to repeat the process over and over again in rhythm with his tongue stroking hers.
Sparks formed behind her closed eyes. It was difficult to catch her breath and Amara briefly wondered if she was going to faint.
Rhys suddenly pulled away from her, so abruptly she nearly fell. She looked at him questioningly until she heard what must have alerted him. Knocking at the door. Her heart thumped so hard against her breast, she was afraid it was going to break through.
“Da?”
The sound of a little girl’s voice calling for her father, forRhys, shocked Amara out of her passionate stupor. Her face flamed with color as she frantically swatted at her clothing, trying to make sure everything was in place.
“Da? Are ye in there? Mister Billy told me ye were here.”
“Aye, Daisy,” Rhys called out, his voice rough and a little breathless. He crossed the chamber, tossed a look back at Amara, his eyes tracing from the top of her head to her toes, before nodding in satisfaction and opening the door.
Amara remained where she was, leaning against the wall. She doubted she would be able to stand on her own if not for the wall against her back. Her legs shook and felt as weak as a newborn colt’s.
“I’ve been waitin’ for ye,” the little girl said. “Ye said ye would come see me.”
“Aye, sweetheart,” Rhys said. He knelt down and picked up the child, then strode back into the room. “I wasnae finished with business yet.”
Amara didn’t hear the rest of their conversation. Still reeling from Rhys’s kiss, she was stunned to see how his whole expression and demeanor changed in the presence of his daughter. The ever-present grim line of his lips had morphed into a fond, easy smile that transformed his face, smoothed some of the rough lines. Made him look more approachable, and somehow more handsome… impossibly so.
It was obvious he loved his daughter very much, and she him. It was hard to see this man as the same hard warrior she knew. Or the man who had kissed her until her thoughts had scattered to the wind.
Daisy swung her little arms around Rhys’s neck, gave him a hug, then squirmed in his arms. Chuckling, he lowered her to the floor, then mussed the top of her blonde head.
The little girl laughed then finally caught sight of Amara. Her smile slipped and she moved behind one of Rhys’s legs, shyly peeking around it to look at Amara.
“Who is that, Da?”
Rhys finally looked at her. The loving smile that had been on his face since he’d seen his daughter faltered. Their eyes met, but Amara couldn’t read his expression. She forced herself topush away from the wall to meet the little girl, but Rhys didn’t introduce them.
“Come along, Daisy,” he said as he picked her up in his arms again. “’Tis time to get ye ready for bed.”
Amara watched Rhys and Daisy leave her chamber. After a moment, she walked over to the bed and sat down.
What just happened?
Rhys’s mood had changed the instant Daisy had asked about her.
Did he regret kissing her?
She raised trembling fingers to her lips, surprised at how warm and swollen they were. A pit started to form in her belly. Had she just made the biggest mistake of her life? Amara wasn’t sure what terrified her more – how much she wanted to be kissed by Rhys again, or the feelings he’d invoked when they were kissing.
10
The bath was deep and warm, and the water had been laced with lavender, indeed a courtesy of Nina’s meddlesome kindness. Steam curled around Amara’s bare shoulders, as she eased into the silence.
Which did very little to calm the tangle in her chest.
Why had he nae introduced her to me? I was right there.
She slid lower into the water, eyes squeezing shut.
